National Geographic: Rain Forest Page #2

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They are rich in protein

and vitamins,

and are taken by the ants

to feed their larvae.

It's here within the large hollow

thorns of the acacia

that the ants rear their brood.

Some of these larvae will mature

into fertile adults with wings,

and fly away to start

another colony in a seedling tree.

These young basilisk lizards forage

along the river's edge.

They live in the territory

of this adult male

who tolerates them

and probably fathered them.

But he allows no other adult male

to intrude here.

This female is exclusively his.

Flowers are attractive

to the leaf-cutters as well,

and many end up

in the fungus gardens.

Spider monkeys move

as easily through the canopy

as the puma through

the forest's understory.

Towering 100 feet above

the forest floor,

the canopy harbors more

tree-dwelling creatures

than any other habitat on earth.

The treetops mingle and interlock

to create a self-contained world;

many of its inhabitants never leave

its sunny spaces to venture below.

A three-toed sloth feeds

in the hot sun,

while a mother carries her baby

into the cool shade

within the canopy.

A "lie-in-wait" lizard remains

perfectly motionless.

It's a strategy that serves it well:

by keeping still,

the lizard is overlooked

by both predator and prey.

And an unsuspecting victim

can be pounced on from above.

Rain forests seldom get less than

Some even exceed 400 inches.

And so, most of the leaves

in the humid understory

of the forest are specially

adapted to drain water

from their surface as quickly

as possible.

If water stays on them,

the leaves may rot or become host

to tiny plants that may do damage.

These drip tips ensure that

the leaves will dry quickly.

The forest floor can usually

absorb rain as it falls.

But when the rains are

particularly heavy,

the forest becomes saturated

and the water runs off to flood

the surrounding rivers

flushing fallen trees

and debris out to sea.

A tide line of rotting vegetation

is left on the beach,

and a shy agouti forages

among it for fruits.

These paper wasps are drying

their nest.

Constructed of wood pulp,

it would soon soak up the rain

if the wasps didn't drink the water

and spit it over the edge.

The adults take so much care

and trouble,

because in each of the cells is

a developing wasp,

and their entire brood could be

destroyed by a heavy downpour.

As each larva grows,

the wasps enlarge its cell

by adding another layer

of pulp and saliva

to the outside rim.

And when the nest begins to warm

in the sun,

they cool their brood

by rapidly vibrating

their wings to create a current

of air.

The eggs of a poison-arrow frog

have hatched,

and the female carries two tiny

tadpoles on her back.

While they are developing into

frogs,

they have to be in water.

She takes them up a tree to a site

she has chosen in

a bromeliad plant.

She will deposit them in rainwater

held in the bromeliad.

She makes her way down a leaf

to a small pool at its base.

And here, she submerges her tadpoles

until they release their grip

and leave her back.

The tadpoles will complete their

development in this tiny pool.

In six to eight,

weeks they'll emerge as frogs

and return to the forest floor.

Army ants are on the move.

They build no permanent nests and

constantly comb the forest

for their prey.

This species preys only

on the larvae of social insects

and here they attack a nest

of paper wasps.

there is nothing the wasps can do.

They abandon their brood

to the voracious horde,

which will soon strip the nest

of all life.

They take their plunder

to a bivouac

on the underside of a fallen log.

Here, by linking special hooks

at the ends of their legs,

they form long, hanging chains.

Through sheer numbers,

these strands mesh together to

from the living fabric of the nest.

Within the nest,

strands of workers interlock

to create chambers for

the queen and brood.

At night, the forest teems

with a different life.

It's now that most of

the leaf-eating insects emerge.

To survive the ravages of insects,

most plants have evolved toxic

compounds that protect their leaves.

But insects in turn have developed

immunity to the chemicals.

So together they have evolved,

insect and plant,

until now most insects have become

such specialized feeders

that they can only eat the leaves

of one particular plant,

or only one family of plants.

This harlequin beetle spends

most of its life

as a larva concealed

within dead wood.

But now as an adult,

it emerges to find a mate.

The beetle is host to

a resident colony of mites

that finds refuge in the creases

and folds of its back.

Also riding on the beetle

are pseudoscorpions that prey

on the mites.

help in the powerful job

the creases is no chance

in the Chigao seem see

A stick spider suspends itself

head down

above a leaf on which its prey

might walk.

Its web is held by the tips

of its four front legs.

Green leaf-frogs gather near

a forest pool to mate.

The males wait near the water

to intercept the females

as they arrive.

Clasping the much larger female,

the male will stay with her now

until she has laid her eggs.

She selects a leaf directly

above the water,

and as she lays her eggs,

the male fertilizes them.

The cat-eyed snake isn't

interested in the frogs.

He is after their eggs.

And as egg-laying has been going

on for several days,

he will easily find others.

Many snakes are attracted

to the pool

when the leaf-frogs are laying.

They eat almost all the eggs.

Glass frogs also lay their eggs

above water,

in this case a stream,

and the male remains

close to the eggs

until they're ready to hatch.

His presence probably deters flies

and other insects

that would harm them.

On a rainy night about two weeks

after the eggs are laid,

the vigil of the male ends

when the emerging tadpoles drop

into the stream below.

But the frogs do not always manage

to lay their eggs directly

above the water.

However, the tadpoles are specially

equipped with reflexes

that help them cope

with this situation.

The first rays of sun

warm the forest

and a mist rises up

the great mountain mass

that divides Costa Rica,

separating the forests of

the Atlantic coast

from those of the Pacific.

High in these mountains,

the forest receives moisture

from direct contact with the clouds,

and the vegetation changes

imperceptibly.

Many of the creatures found here

can live only at these

cooler heights.

And it's here at the very top

of the mountain

that a rare mating ritual occurs.

It takes place only during

the few days of the year

when contact of cloud

and forest is at its greatest

when enough water has collected to

form the few small pools

in which golden toads lay their eggs.

These toads occupy an area

of mountaintop

no greater than one square mile.

They have been found nowhere else

on earth.

The golden males gather

at these pools

and fight for possession of

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