The tropical sun keeps the rainforest so hot that when the rains fall each day, the water evaporates into steam. That way most small animals can stay safely hidden in the treetops, eating leaves, fruits, and insects. Far below the thick tangle of trees, it is dark, wet and still on the forest floor. Only small shafts of light filter down to the dark-loving plants. Dead leaves and fruits pile up on the ground and rot, releasing all their energy back to the forest soil.