It has been described as "the eigth continent": the thin, rich layer of life better known as the rainforest canopy. Astonishingly, most of the world species can be found in this tropical treetop environment. That is because the majority of species are insects, and the majority of insects are found in the rainforest. Yet, considering that this vast habitat is full of undiscovered species; that it is a potential reservoir of biological and economic riches and that it plays a pivotal role in the world's ecosystem, the surprise is that the canopy is so little explored.