The giant arapaima is a fish monster of the Amazon. The most dangerous animals of the Amazon rainforest The most terrible animals of the Amazon

It is not without reason that the Amazon River basin is considered one of the most... dangerous places in a world where there are a huge number of predators. I invite you to find out what is found in the waters of the Amazon, and why this place is considered so dangerous for life.

Black caiman

You could say they're an alligator on steroids, their muscles are much larger and they can grow up to six meters in length. These are undoubtedly the apex predators of the Amazon River, the local kings who indiscriminately eat anyone who gets in their way.

Anaconda

One more giant monster The Amazon is the well-known anaconda, the most large snake in the world. The weight of a female anaconda can reach 250 kilograms, and this is with a 9-meter length and a diameter of 30 centimeters. These predators prefer shallow waters, so most often they can be found not in the river itself, but in its branches.

Arapaima

The huge predator arapaima is equipped with armored scales, so it fearlessly swims among piranhas, feeding on fish and birds. The length of these creepy fish is almost three meters and weighs 90 kilograms.

Brazilian otter

Brazilian otters grow up to 2 meters in length and feed mainly on fish and crabs. However, the fact that they always hunt in large groups allows them to successfully obtain more serious prey: there have been cases when these harmless-looking creatures killed and ate adult anacondas and even caimans. It’s not for nothing that they were nicknamed “river wolves.”

Common vandellia or candiru

Bull shark

Most often, bull sharks live in salty ocean waters, but they feel just as great in fresh waters. There were cases when these bloodthirsty predators swam so far along the Amazon that they reached the city of Iquitos (Peru), located almost 4 thousand kilometers from the sea. Considering that sharp teeth and powerful jaws provide these 3-meter creatures with a bite force of 589 kilograms, you definitely wouldn’t want to meet them, but they are not averse to feasting on humans!

Electric eels

We would not advise you to approach them under any circumstances: two-meter creatures are capable of generating electrical discharges with voltages of up to 600 volts. And this is 5 times the current power in an American outlet and is enough to easily knock down a horse. Repeated blows from these creatures can lead to cardiac or respiratory failure, causing people to lose consciousness and simply drown in the water.

Common piranhas

It’s hard to even imagine more terrible and ferocious creatures; this is the real quintessence of the horror of the Amazon River. We all know that the sharp teeth of these fish have more than once inspired Hollywood directors to create creepy films. However, in fairness, it is worth noting that piranhas are primarily scavengers. But, unfortunately, this does not mean that they do not attack healthy creatures. Their incredibly sharp teeth, located on the upper and lower jaws, meet very tightly, making them an ideal weapon for tearing flesh.

Mackerel hydrolic

These meter underwater inhabitants also called vampire fish. On the lower jaw they have two sharp fangs that can grow up to 15 centimeters. They use these devices to literally impale the victim on them after they rush at it. The fangs of these fish are so large that nature had to take care of the safety of the hydrolics themselves. To prevent them from piercing themselves, they have special holes in their upper jaw.

Brown pacu

A fish with human teeth, the brown pacu is a larger relative of the piranha. True, unlike the latter, these freshwater animals prefer fruits and nuts, although in general they are considered omnivores. The problem is that the "stupid" pacu are unable to distinguish nuts that fall from trees from male genitalia, which has left some male swimmers without testicles.

River in South America. Formed by the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali rivers. The length from the source of the Marañon River is 6992.06 km, from the source of the Apachet River - about 7000 km, from the source of Ucayali over 7000 km. The Amazon, with its longest source, claims, together with the Nile, to be the longest watercourse in the world, and is also the world's largest river in terms of basin area and full flow.

Length - 6,992 km
Basin area - 7,180,000 km²
Flows - Madeira, Marañon, Ucayali, Rio Negro, Xingu, Jurua, Solimões, Putumayo, Napo, Trombetas
Estuary - Atlantic Ocean

The Amazon River basin covers more than 7 million square kilometers and extends in the north from the headwaters of the Orinoco and Guyana to the edge of Mato Grosso in the south. This unique world called "Amazonia". There is an exceptionally diverse flora and fauna here. This natural environment home to many amazing aquarium fish, and for the lives of many of them it is not so important big rivers There are so many small bodies of water - oxbow lakes, ponds and streams located in this amazing region.

According to various expert estimates, there are from 2,500 to 4,000 species of fish in the Amazon River basin. These waters can rightly be called the kingdom of catfish; according to the most conservative estimates, more than 1,500 species live there - from 3-centimeter crumbs, see the website aquariumax.ru, to multi-meter giants.

The Amazon is a real Mecca for aquarists. The vast territory of the region, the diversity of hydrochemical water parameters, stable high temperature led to an amazing diversity of flora and fauna.

Animal world Amazons
The Amazon is home to a huge number of fish and other river inhabitants. Particularly dangerous include the bull shark, which weighs more than 300 kilograms and reaches three meters in length, as well as piranhas. These toothy fish can gnaw off an entire horse just a few seconds before the skeleton.

But they are not the ones who rule the Amazon, because the caimans pose a danger to all living things. This is a special type of alligator.

Among the friendly inhabitants of a dangerous wild river You can highlight dolphins and beautiful ornamental fish (guppies, angelfish, swordtails), of which there are countless numbers - more than 2,500 thousand! One of the last lungfishes on the planet, protoptera, found their refuge in the waters of the Amazon.

Here you can also see the rarest arowana. This is a meter-long fish that can jump high above the water and swallow huge beetles in flight.

There are many species of fish similar to our catfish in the Amazon.

These are piraiba, cashara, jau, pirarara.
Like all catfish, they are caught on bottom gear, using various baits or live baits for bait.
Looking like a cross between a catfish and a perch, the red-tailed pirarara with a yellow stripe along its belly reaches fifty kilograms in weight.
Zhau, very similar to our catfish, is also found weighing a hundredweight.
Piraiba, resembling the outlines and characteristic dorsal fin sturgeon, grows up to one and a half hundred kilograms.

Dorado
A special fish for the spinning angler in the Amazon is the dorado.
Shiny with yellow scales, like a strange living gold bar, this powerful predator is a worthy reward for the fisherman.
The habits of the dorado are similar to our asp. A predator breaks into a school of peaceful fish and commits robbery.
The “cauldron” formed on the surface of the water serves as a target for throwing the spoon.
As a rule, the bite of a huge, powerful fish follows almost immediately. But the result depends on the strength of the tackle.
Very often, a thick fishing line or braid cannot withstand the pressure, and the dorado remains in its native element.
The fish, which grows up to a meter in length, is a worthy rival to any spinning angler.

Paco
Often the fisherman's prey will be a paco - a fish similar in appearance to the famous piranha, but distinguished by its teeth.
Paco's teeth are unusually similar to human teeth.
A row of wide and tightly fitted one to the other - a complete resemblance to a human jaw.
Paco grows larger than the piranha and also reaches a meter.

Dangerous fish living in the Amazon

Piranha
This gluttonous and bloodthirsty fish belongs to the cyprinid species of the pyrinid fish family. The size of a piranha rarely exceeds 30 cm. However, these small fish can sometimes be more dangerous than a huge caiman or a giant anaconda.

Electric eel
However, not only the sharp spines of a stingray and the teeth of a piranha lie in wait for a fisherman or traveler in the waters of the Amazon. Very in an unusual way The electric eel has the ability to defend and attack. The eel’s body contains a special “battery” organ capable of generating electricity. In the back of the eel's body there is a negative part of the charge, and in the front there is a positive one. This fish also has another weak electrical organ; it sends weak discharges that help the fish navigate and identify prey or danger. Then he uses a powerful discharge to silence the victim or scare away the enemy. If an eel is 1 meter long, the electrical discharge it produces can be around 650 volts.

stingray
The danger of this fish lies in its tail equipped with a poisonous spine. This fish can often lie on the bottom under a thin layer of sand, waiting for prey. If it is disturbed by a person or a large animal, then the fish hits its tail armed with a poisonous spike and the poison from it penetrates into the wound, causing severe suffering to the victim.

Vampire fish
This fish belongs to the mackerel fish family and lives in the rivers of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Considered due to its impressive sharp teeth, reaching a length of 15 cm, dangerous predator, capable of causing serious injury to humans or animals.

South America, spread over nine countries, is home to the Amazon Rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world. It covers an area of 55 square kilometers and contains a wealth of biodiversity, including species that have not yet been fully studied. The Amazon River flows through the forest and supports thriving animal and plant life. These forests are known as the "lungs of the Earth" because they absorb greatest number carbon dioxide on the ground and release oxygen. These forests are also home to some of the most dangerous animals known to man. Here's our list of the 15 most dangerous animals tropical forests Amazons. This is an Alligator found in the Amazon, which is one of the largest species in the world. This Amazonian tropical animal is a very skilled hunter and kills its prey by approaching it from under the water and then crushing it with its powerful jaws. He then drags the catch underwater until it suffocates. It kills everything from small fish, otters, dogs and deer to jaguars and other caimans. Caimans can grow up to 6 meters in length. The black caiman's body is covered with hard scales that act as armor, however the color can vary between olive green, grey, brown or black. The species has bony ridges above the eyes. They have excellent hearing and vision and are equipped strong teeth used for crushing food. You can also read about
This animal is not actually an eel, but a fish that looks like an eel. It has three organs that can generate five times more electricity than a normal plug point. This makes it one of the. It uses this electricity to shock and immobilize its prey before eating it whole. It also releases electricity as a method of defense to scare off an attacker. People are usually attacked by eels if they are accidentally stepped on. Most deaths are not due to shock itself, but due to subsequent paralysis and drowning. This method of killing its prey has earned the eel a place on this list of the ten most dangerous animals of the Amazon rainforest. The species has about 6,000 cells to produce electrocytes, and can generate 600 volts of power, which is about 5 times stronger than the electricity generated in a standard electrical outlet. The shock can knock a horse down instantly. It can kill a person in two or three hits, but people come into contact with eels very often. The species can live 15 years in wildlife and 22 years in captivity.
This large cat, native to South America, is the region's top predator. Jaguar lives alone large areas, similar to leopards or tigers in India, and hunts small land animals. It rarely comes into contact with people, and when it does, it is usually because it is trying to attack livestock. Although it rarely attacks, this cat is a dangerous animal due to its speed, stealth, strong jaw and sharp teeth that can even pierce turtle shells and the human skull. However, their numbers are declining due to habitat loss and hunting. It is also considered one of the strongest animals on planet Earth. Jaguars love to eat monkeys, crocodiles, deer, sloths, fish, frogs and anything else they can catch. Jaguars are solitary animals that love to live and hunt alone, however, this does not apply during mating season.
The most dangerous of all species, the red-bellied piranha is a scavenger and usually eats dead animals. It is only known to attack live animals if it feels threatened or if there is little food in the area. People have been attacked by piranhas, but these attacks do not result in death, only injury due to the fish's sharp teeth. Piranhas exhibit cannibalism and are known to eat other members of their species. It is also one of the deadliest fish in the world. Talking about appearance, they have a silver body covered with red spots that serve as camouflage in murky water. The pointed and sharp teeth of the piranha are arranged in one row and bite through the silver hook. The piranha's jaw bone is the strongest and can crush human hand in 5-10 seconds. Local residents use piranha teeth to make weapons and other tools. Like sharks, piranhas are also equipped with a special organ that can sense blood in the water. They live up to 25 years in the wild and 10-20 years in captivity.
This Amazon rainforest animal is a brightly colored frog that secretes poison from glands on its skin. This poison is very toxic and causes heart failure if it enters the body during large quantities. Golden poison dart frog- rare species, but, because it can kill twenty adults. Some tribes in the Amazon rainforest are known to use this frog's venom to coat the tips of their arrows used to hunt other animals. Due to depletion of tropical forests poisonous frogs are endangered, and the blue poison dart frog is endangered due to its popularity in the animal market.
This shark is one of the three most dangerous species sharks and often attacks people who violate its territory. She lives in troubled waters rivers and hunts other aquatic animals such as fish, dolphins, and snakes. Since she swims in the shallows, dirty water, people can't see it, and if they get too close, the shark attacks them. A shark bite can be fatal because it drags its victims into the water and they either drown or die due to loss of blood. The species can grow up to 2.1 meters in length, however, females have been seen growing to an average of 2.4 meters in length and weighing 130 kg. Males are smaller compared to females and weigh around 94 kg. They are a type of shark that can grow in salt and fresh water. The bull shark can switch between salt water and fresh water and vice versa. The bull shark will be able to survive even if the water level is only 60 cm, and this is why they often come into contact with people. In addition, females bull sharks prefer to give birth in shallow water because this will prevent larger sharks from eating their babies.
One of the most big snakes In the world, the green anaconda can grow up to 9 meters in length - twice the size of a giraffe. They live in water and can silently sneak up on prey and strike it with force, squeezing it with their powerful body until it suffocates and dies. They then swallow the prey whole. They usually hunt wild boars, deer, capybaras, and sometimes jaguars and people. You can also read about the most. Anaconda non-venomous snake. They spend most of their time alone, but males seek females to mate with between April and May. Sometimes several species of male green anaconda will pursue the same female. This phenomenon is known as "breeding balls", where dozens of males are wrapped around one female and all try to mate. Sometimes green anacondas engage in behavior where female green anacondas eat smaller males.
It’s not for nothing that this animal was included in the list, because the spider has one of the deadliest poisons in the world. This is a ground spider that hunts at night. It can sting people who venture too close, and the venom causes severe pain and can eventually cause paralysis. Spider with the most deadly poison in the world it is distributed along the entire perimeter of the jungle. However, during the daytime they hide under rocks and in crevices, in places that are dark and damp. Additionally, they are mostly visible where people have untouched items, clothes they are not wearing, or piles of wood or any items stored in a closet or garage, so people need to be careful. One of the most aggressive types of spiders will fight other spiders for territory if the population in the area is high.
As the name suggests, this centipede is a giant – it grows up to 30 centimeters. It is an experienced predator that kills small animals such as spiders, mice, small birds, bats, lizards and snakes. It is not poisonous, but hunts by wrapping itself around its prey and eating it as it slowly dies. Although it cannot kill people, the bite causes severe pain, fever and weakness. However, it is a ferocious and dangerous animal of the Amazon rainforest. This species has powerful jaws that can very easily bite through skin and inject very painful venom. Speaking of appearance, the entire body is divided into 23 parts, each with its own pair of legs. Amazonian giant centipedes do not breathe through their mouths, instead they have small holes in the side of each segment that allow them to take in oxygen to keep them alive. They are one of the fastest runners because they are almost blind and love to eat insects, tarantulas, small lizards, frogs, small birds, small snakes, rodents and even bats. The species is widespread throughout South America and several Caribbean islands. This is one of the.
This tiny ant—which grows to about 2 centimeters—gets its name from its ant, which is compared to a bullet. It also injects venom into the bite site and can kill small animals. These ants hunt in groups and can paralyze or kill large animals with many bites. The bite is not fatal to humans, but causes severe pain and can lead to temporary paralysis of the area around the bite. They have the most painful insect bites in the world and its bite contains a neurotoxin. It is located on the abdomen of the ant. They mainly nest in bushes, trees and in the ground.
This poisonous species The vipers have mostly been spotted off the coast of São Paulo state in Brazil. It can be recognized by the light yellowish-brown color of its underside and the shape of its head, characteristic of the genus Bothrops. The species can grow to a length of 70 cm, however it sometimes also reaches 118 cm. There are various color combinations, such as a pale yellowish-brown base color that is covered by a series of spots that may be triangular or quadrangular.
It is the most powerful predator found in the Amazon rainforest, and is also one of the largest existing species eagles in the world. This species is primarily found in the tropical lowland rainforests of Central America. Additionally, in Brazil, the harpy eagle is also known as the royal-hawk. The harpy eagle is national bird Panama and is depicted on the coat of arms of Panama.
Bats, however, vampire bats have even more interesting feature, they are mammals that can only survive on blood. In addition, these species live in places of complete darkness, usually in caves, old wells, hollow trees and buildings. Nocturnal creatures are most active in the early nights. The only species of bat that can "adopt" another young bat, if something happens to her mother.

Amazon is dangerous

Many things are fraught with danger to humans. Rivers are no exception. The Amazon is recognized as the most dangerous river in the world, in whose waters it lives large number various fish and amphibians, when meeting with which a person can not only suffer damage to his health, but also lose his life.

The Amazon is the world's largest river. Its length is about 7,000 kilometers, its width is up to 11 kilometers, and in the rainy season it overflows up to 100 kilometers, the depth reaches 50 meters, and at the mouth of the river it is all 100. 20% of all river water entering the World Ocean is carried by it.

The fauna of the Amazon poses a mortal danger to humans. The Amazon arapaima reaches 5 meters in length and 200 kilograms of weight, the Amazon electric eel can strike with a discharge of 300 volts.

Well, the well-known piranhas terrify even crocodiles, which, by the way, are also not uncommon in the Amazon. Despite its small size, up to 30 cm, a school of piranhas can gnaw an animal carcass to the bone in a few minutes. Local aborigines often use a distracting maneuver to cross the river, placing a cow in dangerous waters and, while the piranhas are busy devouring it, they move to the other bank. In total, the Amazon is home to more than 300 species of these fish, most of which are not dangerous to humans, but it is better not to tempt fate.

Dangerous inhabitants Amazons

Amazon crocodiles are black caimans, reach 5 meters in length and, if possible, can attack humans, although most often they hunt tapirs and pigs.

Other inhabitants of the Amazon are river stingrays, armed with a poisonous spike on their tail. Reaching one meter in length, they can cause significant damage to an unwary person trying to catch a stingray or accidentally stepping on one.

Let's not forget about another inhabitant of the Amazon - the anaconda or water boa, which is one of the longest snakes in the world. The longest individuals reached 12 meters in length. Hunting for medium-sized animals, the anaconda can easily attack a person, although local aborigines manage to catch this snake without any special tricks.

Deadly catfish

River sharks, which, like all sharks, are voracious and aggressive, pose a huge danger to humans. River sharks have been found even at a distance of 3,000 kilometers from the mouth of the river.

Local residents are also terrified of the Kandir catfish - a small freshwater fish, no more than 15 cm long, which lives on vampirism. Swimming into the gills of other fish, Kandiru drinks their blood, after which it leaves the victim. There are cases when Kandiru penetrated a person through the anus or urethra (Kandira is attracted to the smell of ammonia) and fed on blood, bringing excruciating pain to her “owner.”

The Amazon rainforest is one of the most interesting and at the same time unsafe places in the world, as it is inhabited by very dangerous creatures that can kill a person. So, here is a list of ten of the most unusual and amazing, but deadly animals that live in the basin of one of the longest rivers in the world - the Amazon.

Electric eel is a fish that lives in fresh waters Amazon, near the muddy bottom. They can grow from 1 to 3 meters and weigh up to 40 kg. An electric eel is capable of generating voltages up to 1300 V with a current strength of up to 1 A. For a person, such an electric shock is not fatal, but very painful and can even cause a heart attack.

This rare species of feline lives in tropical forest, and are the largest cats in the Western Hemisphere (in the world, only lions and tigers are larger). Males (on average 90-95 kg, but there are individuals reaching 120 kg) are approximately 20% larger than females. The jaguar's diet consists of 87 different animals, from deer to mice. These predators attack people extremely rarely, mainly when they are forced to defend themselves.

A species of large crocodiles that grow up to 5 meters in length. At one time, these creatures were on the verge of extinction in the Amazon region, but strict laws against hunting have increased their numbers. Hunts at night, preferring to attack from ambush. The black caiman mainly feeds on fish (including piranhas), aquatic vertebrates, and larger individuals can attack livestock, jaguars, anacondas and humans.

The weight of an anaconda can reach approximately 100 kg and a length of 6 meters. It is one of the longest snakes in the world. Mainly leads water image life, occasionally crawling ashore to bask in the sun, sometimes crawling onto tree branches. It feeds on various quadrupeds and reptiles, lying in wait for them on the shore, and less often on fish. In nature, an adult anaconda has no enemies.

Piranhas

These fish are different sharp teeth and powerful jaws. They reach a length of up to 30 centimeters and a weight of up to 1 kg. They spend most of their time searching for prey, hunting in huge packs. They feed on everything that comes their way, primarily fish.