2. Forest Floors
• The rain forest is like a building with many
different floors. The floors are called strata
or layers.
• Each layer is home for different kinds of
plants and animals.
3. The Canopy
• The tops of the trees in a forest form a
layer called the canopy.
• The canopy is like a big, green umbrella
over the whole forest. In most tropical rain
forests, the canopy is more than 100 feet
above ground!
4. • The canopy is noisy! Most of the animals in the
rain forest live there. Birds squawk, monkeys
chatter, and frogs croak all day long!
• These animals eat canopy leaves, insects, nuts,
and fruits.
• Many animals live their whole lives in the canopy
and never even touch the ground!
• In some rain forests, a few trees grow even taller
than the canopy trees. These trees are called
emergents and can be taller than a 14 – story
building!
5. The Understory
• Under the canopy and the emergent trees
is a layer called the understory.
• The understory is dark and shadowy.
Can you guess why?
• Because the leaves from the canopy are
so close together that only a tiny bit of sun
shines through!
6. • The trees in the understory are not very
tall. Some are young trees that will grow
and become part of the canopy.
• Most understory trees will never
grow taller than 15 feet.
• Many different kinds of wild cats live here.
The understory is also home for bats,
owls, monkeys, snakes, and lizards.
7. The Forest Floor
• The bottom layer of the rainforest
is the forest floor.
• The forest floor is very dark and
quiet. The ground is covered with rotting
leaves. A few ferns and bushes grow
among the giant canopy tree trunks.
• The animals that live here are jaguars,
snakes, and millions of insects and
spiders (yuck!).
8. Each layer of the rain forest can
seem like a separate world! But,
all the plants and animals in the
rain forest are connected. They
depend on each other to survive!