This is the highest level of the rainforest. Trees, towering above all others emerge from the dense forests and serve as hosts to many types of raptors and other animals capable of living high in the trees.
The upper canopy, found just below the emergent trees, is a very thick blanket of treetops which captures more than 90 percent of the sunlight and is where most of the photosynthesis occurs.
The lower canopy extends from the base of the trees to just below the upper canopy. It serves as a route for many animals heading for the higher parts of the trees.
The Harpy eagle weighs around ten pounds, stands 3 feet tall, and has a 7 foot wingspan.Its head and neck are gray, chest is black,and its underbelly is white. A black crest covers the back of its head. The harpy eagle is distinguished by its sharp,large, black beak and massive yellow feet with razor sharp talons. This powerful bird uses its tremendous strength to catch monkeys, sloths, oppossums, and even porcupines.Harpies build massive stick nests in very tall trees. Mate- ing pairs breed every other year and females lay only a couple of eggs. Harpy eagles live in southern Mexico, southern Brazil, and eastern Bolivia.
The black-faced spider monkey is found in the canopy of the western hemisphere rainforests from central Mexico to South America. Its species or technical name is "cebidae ateles". The spider monkey is a medium-sized monkey with spider-like legs, and a prehensile tail. They are agile tree dwellers and use their tail like a fifth hand. They are active during the daytime and collect fruits and nut to eat. The spider monkey grows to 2 feet long (not including the tail) and weighs up to 19 pounds. They can be black, brown, gold, reddish or tan. They live in groups of up to 35 monkeys and spend most of their time in the canopy or high branches of the rainforest.
The monkey is large and robust monkey living the the forested areas that spread from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. They live only in trees and prefer the upper and middle levels of forests. Howlers live in groups with more than one male.
The howler monkey has a bare face with darkly pigmented skin. It is maroon, copper, and red. There is a large swelling beneath the chin which contains a hyoid bone used for making the deep roaring sounds from which the name "howler" comes.
Howlers live in the emergent trees and will start their day by howling loudly to keep the others away. It will eat leaves and fruit and likes hanging from its tail when doing so. Back To Emergent Trees List
The
sloth will spend most of its life hanging upside down. It is related
to the anteater and the armadillo, and is a member of the Edentata
order which means "without teeth". However, sloths do have teeth in
the cheeks. Sloths are nocturnal, eat mainly leaves and shoots, and
will live most of its life (approx. 11 years) in the trees. They are
so slow in movement that algea will sometimes grow on them. This,
however, can act as camouflage. Sloths can't move fast, but their
defense would be to claw or bite its predators. It isn't known,
however, if this is much of a defense against animals like the
jaguar.
The
coati is a small carnivorous mammal and is related to the raccoon. It
measures around 1-1/2 to 2 feet in length. The females live in bands
of around 20, while the males will live alone. They tend to eat
invertebrate animals, including millipedes, earthworms, and termites.
They also like lizards and mice. Thought they will rummage through
vegetation of the understory for food, they are excellent climbers
and will climb for their meals. The life expectancy of a coati may be
around 14 years.
The green iguana has a crest of scales down the middle of its back. This lizard may grow to 6 feet [1.8 meters] in length. Green iguanas live in trees. The green iguana is also called the comon iguana. It eats leaf, fruits, and flowers. It weighs 30 pounds. It is slow, and rareley atacks people. Most iguanas live in desserts or other dry habitats, but a few species live in tropical rain forests.
A jaguar lives in the understory of the rainforest from Mexico to Argentina. It also lives in the marshes,scrublands and grasslands of these regions. The jaguar weighs between 100 and 250 pounds and can grow to 5 to 6 feet long. The tail is 20 to 31 inches long. It has a broad head, very powerful jaws,large shoulders and sturdy legs. It has golden or redish orange skin.Jaguars have rings of black spots called "rosets". They are called rosets because they are shaped like roses.
The caiman is closely related to the alligator. It lives on the understory of the rainforest, mainly in the northern part of South America and in the Amazon Basin. One species lives in southern Mexico. Whereas alligators and crocodiles are valued for their hides, the caiman is not because the skin on its belly is reinforced with bony plates.The smallest of all the caimans is the dwarf caiman. It measures about 4 ft. long. The largest of all the caimans is the black caiman. It can grow up to 15 feet in length. There are few enemies of the caiman although, very young ones have been found in the stomach of jaguars.
A cabybarra is the world's largest rodent. It is found on the understory of the rainforests of South America. They grow more than 4 feet(122cm) long and weigh as much as 110 pounds (50kg).Capybarras are very good swimmers and enjoy mud baths. They live in groups of about 20 adults with the females having litters of 1-6 young each year. They do not dig burrows to live in, instead, they dig shallow beds in the ground. When they live near developed areas with gardens and ranches, the capybarra steals melons, squash, corn and other crops. They are hunted by the South American people for their meat.
The anaconda lives in the canopy of the South American rainforests and along its river banks.It is the largest snake in the Western Hemisphere. A typical anaconda has olive green skin with black rings or spots and can grow in length to 19-22 feet . The anaconda is in the boa constrictor family. It rarely attacks man and since it has no poisonous fangs, it kills its prey by strangling it to death.
Copyright 1995 by Highland Park Elementary School.
