Emergent layer

Emergent trees are usually about 50 or 60 metres tall. These trees have adapted to survive in hot temperatures and strong winds.

Canopy layer

The trees in the canopy layer are often more than 30 metres tall. Birds, mammals, insects and reptiles all live up here. Many never leave the treetops and spend their whole lifecycle in the canopy.

Understory layer This is the part of the forest made up of trunks, branches, bushes and shrubs. Predators like jaguars and snakes live in this section, along with small mammals, amphibians and reptiles.

Forest floorThis part of the forest belongs to invertebrates, fungi and bacteria, most of which live on the decomposing matter that comes from the animals and trees above. The forest floor is dark as little sunlight penetrates though the canopy.