More than one-third of all animal species in the world live in the Amazon rainforest – an area consisting of nearly 3 million square miles. For example, the river alone has over 2500 species of fish (some estimate closer to 5000), more than twice the number known in the entire Atlantic Ocean!
One of these fish, the paiche, is the largest freshwater fish in the world. It grows up to 10 feet long and can weigh over 400 pounds! The scales from this fish, when removed and dried, can even be used as nail files.
Another Amazonian fish is the piranha. There are over 40 different species of piranha in the Amazon. And very few actually attack humans. Hollywood has made these fish much more dangerous than they are in reality. But, attacks can happen. Like sharks, piranhas can smell blood. I was advised not to swim in the Amazon with an open cut. I took that advice.
Then there’s the electric eel – actually a species of fish and not an eel. These fellows live on the bottom of the river but need to surface for air every 10 minutes or so. And they are fiercely avoided by the locals. They grow up to 9 feet and can weigh up to 50 pounds. And when threatened, they can deliver a 650 volt shock – even up to 8 hours after their death! I’m happy to say I didn’t see any of these guys in the wild either!
But I did have the chance to see many animals in the Amazon: some in the wild and some in reserves on the banks of the river.
While on my boat trip, I spotted several Amazon dolphins. These freshwater dolphins look a bit different from their ocean-going kin. Although they are gray as youngsters, as they mature, they turn a pink color. They are amazing to see jumping out of the river with the sunset behind them! Unfortunately, they’re quite quick so I failed to snap a picture in the wild. I really didn’t even get a good picture in the animal reserve, but here’s one fellow on his back hoping for a tummy rub. ..
Another big, cuddly river mammal is the manatee. There are four species of manatees and the Amazon manatee is the only freshwater species. These are smaller than the other species, but no less adorable. I visited a manatee sanctuary whose mission is to educate the locals on the necessity of these animals and to rescue orphaned youngsters and reintroduce them to the wild.
Manatees eat the plants on the surface of the river allowing the sun to penetrate the depths and nourish plants on the river bottom. Without manatees, many plant, and eventually animal, species wouldn’t exist in the river due to lack of sunlight.
Another cuddly guy with a bad reputation is the anaconda, one of the longest (and heaviest) snakes in the world. They grow up to 16 feet long and can weigh over 200 pounds as adults! Hollywood sure hasn’t helped the reputation of this animal! Anacondas are a species of constrictor so reports of them eating humans are extremely exaggerated.
The little guy in this picture is just a toddler – only 3 years old – who could be scared of him?!?
Caimans are decidedly less cuddly. Caimans are related to alligators and crocodiles. Most are small (3-4 feet) but one species grows to over 12 feet. While on a night hike, I came across one small guy, his red eyes reflected in my flashlight – not something that’s fun to see.
During the day (and in a reserve) I came across a slightly larger caiman.
Ha ha. Here’s the real guy – and note that I wouldn’t have the smile on my face if he weren’t behind a fence!
The Amazon is also home to over 1000 species of frogs, many of which are poisonous. (The non-poisonous one is the one in my hand!)
Oh, and lastly, I can’t forget the capybara, the world’s largest rodent. The capybara grows up to 4 feet long and weighs up to 150 pounds! I’m thankful that the rodents behind my condo in Chicago don’t get that big!
The capybara spend most of their time in the water eating plants. They even have webbed feet to be better swimmers!
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