What Kinds of Animals Live in Different Kind of Layers in the Sinharaja Rainforest?

The Forest Floor

• Because of the dense vegetation above, the forest floor receives very little light and thus has very few plants. However, that doesn't mean it is devoid of life. The forest floor is typically inhabited by insects, arachnids and large mammals. In Sinharaja this includes forest crickets, land leeches, giant earthworms, giant millipedes, the giant wood spider, several species of tarantula, and scorpions. Wild pigs, mouse deer and barking deer are common and, though rarely sighted, leopards and fishing cats also live on Sinharaja's forest floor.

The Understory

• This layer is inhabited by many insects, frogs and reptiles, as well as small mammals and certain birds. Many of the insects in Sinharaja have not been studied and so it is not known how many species reside there. Birds found in this layer include orange-breasted blue flycatchers, ashy-headed and black-fronted babblers, Sri Lanka spurfowls and Sri Lanka junglefowls. Leopards may also be found in this layer as they are adept climbers. The arboreal green pit-viper likely inhabits this layer as it is cooler than layers higher up.

The Canopy

• The canopy of a rainforest refers to the upper portions of the trees, which are usually teeming with life. The endemic purple-faced howler monkey is commonly seen in the canopy of Sinharaja, as well as the toque monkey, though it is somewhat rarer. Several species of squirrel, including the western giant squirrel and the flying squirrel, occupy this layer. The majority of Sinharaja's 147 species of birds also live here, including the rare green-billed coucal and the red-faced malkoha.

Emergents

• The emergents are the tallest trees that protrude high above the canopy. Bats, butterflies and large birds like eagles are typically found at this level, and Sinharaja is no different. Birds at this level include crested-serpent, mountain-hawk and black eagles as well as the black bubul and the white-headed starling. Great and rufous horse-shoe bats might be found here, as well as a number of Sinharaja's 65 butterfly species including the largest butterfly in Sri Lanka, the common birdwing.