Serra do Mar coastal forests

The lowland rain forests are composed of four strata, including a dense canopy layer and emergent trees which grow up to 30 meters high.

They are found on seaward-facing mountain slopes with high rainfall and frequent year-round cloud cover.

Canopy trees typically have tortuous trunks, rigid branches, rounded crowns, and small glossy (glabrous) or coriaceous leaves.

[5] Epiphytes are diverse and abundant in the cloud forests, and include bromeliads, orchids, ferns, mosses, liverworts, and lichens.

[5] The southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides) and golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) are primates endemic to the ecoregion.

[4] Rare and limited-range birds native to the ecoregion include the blue-bellied parrot (Triclaria malachitacea), white-bearded antshrike (Biatas nigropectus), plumbeous antvireo (Dysithamnus plumbeus), Rio de Janeiro antwren (Myrmotherula fluminensis), gray-winged cotinga (Lipaugus conditus), kinglet cotinga (Calyptura cristata), Kaempfer's tody-tyrant (Hemitriccus kaempferi), and cherry-throated tanager (Nemosia rourei).

The forest in Serra do Mar State Park , seen next to the Oswaldo Cruz highway , in Ubatuba .
Satellite picture of Serra do Mar coastal forests ecoregion (within yellow line).
The deforestation (tan areas) of the ecoregion is visible.
Golden lion tamarin , an endemic species of the Serra do Mar coastal forests, in Rio de Janeiro .