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.

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is working tirelessly to save many of Panama's diverse frog species.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rainfall is a vital source of life in the Panamanian rainforest. At the height of the wet season in August, it can receive upwards of 20 inches of rain in a single month.

Little is known about the kinkajou, a cousin of the raccoon that behaves like a monkey.

One of the smallest creatures of the rainforest is also one of its mightiest leaders. Azteca ants build cities of nests that stretch up to 9 feet long and house armies of millions.

While life on the rainforest floor is often dark and dank, the bright, hot realm of the canopy is completely different territory.

A male fiddler crab looking to mate doesn't have it easy. It's a race against the tide, and competition among thousands of male crabs all hoping to find a female is fierce.

The loudest animal in the Americas wakes the rainforest every morning, staking claim to territory and sending a piercing call that echoes for miles around.