Secrets of the Rainforest

The strength of the leafcutter ant lies in numbers--four million foot soldiers form a single unit, their domain spanning an area of two or more football fields. Aptly named for their scissor-like jaws, they collect leaves for fertilizer, earning their reputation as sophisticated agriculturists.

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is working tirelessly to save many of Panama's diverse frog species. Susceptible to a deadly fungus, these frogs are being bred in captivity by researchers in hopes of preventing the mass extinction of several vulnerable amphibian populations.

For bats, the mating calls of Panamanian frogs stand out like coordinates on a map, allowing the winged predators to zero in with precision on future meals. Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute are learning how these mating calls disadvantage a species already in danger.

When glass frogs emerge during the rainy season, researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute follow their migration out of the forest and along streams. These transparent leaf-lying frogs are mysterious to experts who are only now starting to track their mating rituals and behavior.

After spending weeks building a nest of woven plant fibers, animal hair, and spider silk, the work of an expecting long-billed hummingbird isn't over. The mother still needs to find food for her newly hatched chicks and protect her blind, featherless kin from predators lurking below.

In the wild, social groupings appear to have their obvious merits. But for white-faced capuchin monkeys, established groups that travel and gather food together aren't exactly cheerful democracies. Grace Davis with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is learning how alpha males hoard food and enforce a strict hierarchy over their fellow members.