Fallen leaves and decaying plant matter covers
the shady forest floor, the lowest layer of the forest. Ants and other insects help to breakdown the organic matter. This provides nutrients for the trees of the canopy and emergent layers. Jaguars, ocelots, peccaries and tapirs hunt and forage on the forest floor. A few small plants, like ferns and ginger, grow among the thick tree roots. The floor is sometimes crowded with tree seedlings. These little trees are working hard to grow up to the sunlight blocked by older, taller trees.
Can you see the camouflaged frog on the forest floor?
