Covering more than two million square miles in South America, the world's biggest tropical rainforest hides lots of scary secrets—and some beautiful ones too. Here are a few of the Amazon’s mysteries, curated by the Plotive review team.
Layers of rainforest
The Amazon rainforest is the most biodiverse region on Earth. There are thousands of tree species, most of which grow to between 80 and 100 feet tall, developing huge networks of branches that make up the canopy layer. A few trees grow even taller and poke up above the canopy, forming the emergent layer—small flying and gliding animals like birds, bats, and butterflies are good at maneuvering from tree to tree up where it’s windy. Below the main tree canopy, the understory layer is darker and stiller. Plants growing there often have extravagant, very fragrant flowers in order to attract pollinators without a lot of light. The forest floor layer is even darker, and few plants grow there.
Tree canopy
The most active part of the rainforest is the canopy layer, which is the 20 or so feet of treetops that essentially form the roof of the ecosystem 80 feet above the ground. More animals live in the canopy than in any other layer—birds including macaws and toucans, monkeys, spiders, sloths, and hundreds of thousands of insects— that eat the fruits and leaves of trees and sleep in the branches.
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