Emergent Layer

By Abbie
This is the top layer of the rainforest.

The emergent layer is the tallest layer in the rainforest.  It's made up of a few wide, tall trees that grow taller than the trees of the canopy.  They all have small, waxy leaves.  Large birds such as harpy eagles fly among the branches.  The plants are made for living in the dry conditions of the 130 to 250 foot high emergent layer.

 The trees up here are much more windblown than the trees of shorter layers.  Their seeds are spread all over the forest by strong winds.  Some trees go leafless for short periods of time, but almost never shed all their leaves. 

Many of the animals living up here are birds, such as contures, but some monkeys also live, "at the top," such as the black-and-white colobus monkeys, which live in Africa.

 Some plants start growing on the forest floor, then grow up a tree to the emergent layer, where the plant can get light.