The Amazon rainforest is a huge ecosystem that provides habitat for such unusual and beautiful creatures as the jaguar, poison dart frog and helmeted basilisk. But in this environment live not only animals that prowl, swing and slide through the trees. IN muddy waters The Amazon River, the deepest river in the entire world, is home to such amazing and terrible creatures that the sight of their jaws is more terrible than some jaws floating in the marine environment.

10. Black caimans (lat. Melanosuchus niger)

Photo. black caiman

The black caiman is like an alligator pumped on steroids. It can grow up to six meters in size, and has a larger and heavier skull than the same Nile crocodile, and in the Amazonian waters it is at the top of the food chain. This means that they mainly reign in the rivers, they eat almost everything that can get into their teeth, including perches, piranhas, monkeys, anacondas and deer.

And, of course, they are able to attack people, which happens periodically. In early 2010, biologist Diis Nishimura was attacked by a caiman while cleaning fish on her houseboat, and although she managed to fight it off, she lost one of her legs. This particular caiman had been waiting for her under the houseboat for nine months, apparently waiting for the moment to strike.

9. Giant anacondas (lat. Eunectes murinus)

Photo. green anaconda

Continuing the theme of gigantic reptiles, we should recall the largest snake in the whole world that lives in the Amazon: the anaconda. While reticulated pythons are actually considered the longest snakes themselves, green anacondas are much heavier; females are generally larger than their males and can grow up to nine meters (over 29 feet) long, weigh 250 kilograms (550 pounds), and reach 30 centimeters (12 inches) in diameter. Is not Poisonous snakes, but instead of venom, they rely on their enormous muscular strength to grip and strangle their prey, among which you can find capybara, caiman, deer and even jaguar. She likes shallow water, which allows her to stealthily sneak up on her prey. As a rule, these snakes live in the tributaries of the Amazon, and not in the main channel of the river.

8. Arapaima (lat. Arapaima)

Photo. Arapaima caught

Arapaima according to the IGFA world record is the largest fish living in water bodies. Arapaima, also known as "pirarucu" or "paiche", are giant carnivorous fish that live in the Amazon and nearby lakes. Being studded with armored scales, they don't care because they live in piranha-infested waters, as they are quite agile predators that eat fish and randomly passing birds. As a rule, arapaima are near the surface, because they need to breathe ordinary air, and also receive oxygen from the water with their gills. They make a characteristic cough when they surface. The arapaima's proximity to the surface of the water makes it vulnerable to human hunters, who can easily attack with harpoons. Some indigenous communities consume Arapaima meat and tongue, turning them into jewelry and other items.

They grow up to 2.6 meters in size and gain about 90 kilograms (200 pounds) in weight. These fish are so dangerous that even their tongue is littered with teeth.

7. Giant otters (lat. Pteronura brasiliensis)

Photo. giant otter

The name itself speaks of them, these animals are very large, and these are really very large otters. They are the longest of the 13 otter species, with adult males growing up to two meters (over six feet) in length (from head to tail). It is difficult to distinguish between a male and a female giant otter because there is no fundamental difference in head or body size. This species can make up to nine different sounds and it can be very loud.

Their main food consists of crabs and fish, which they catch in family groups of two to seven individuals, and are capable of eating up to four kilograms (nine pounds) of seafood per day. Don't look at their cute faces, they deserve to be on this list more than any other animal, as it has been observed that in groups they can kill and eat anacondas. They are also able to give a serious rebuff to the caiman. One day, a family of otters was spotted eating a 1.5-meter (5-foot) caiman, which took them approximately 45 minutes. Although their numbers are declining, due in large part to human activity, they are among the most advanced predators in the Amazon rainforest.

6. Ordinary vandellias (lat. Vandellia cirrhosa)

Photo. Candiru

However, candiru prefer other fish, with the help of spines they attach themselves inside the gills of larger individuals and feed on the blood of their owner.

5. Blunt sharks (lat. Carcharhinus leucas)

Photo. blunt shark

Given that, technically, animals that live in the ocean cannot be in fresh water, this does not apply to blunt-nosed sharks, since they feel great in both sea (salty) and river (fresh) water. They have been found very far in the depths of the Amazon, almost 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) from the sea. This fish has special kidneys that can recognize differences in salinity and adapt accordingly. And you definitely do not want to meet such a fish in river water. They usually grow up to 3.1 meters in size, and these sharks have been reported to weigh 312 kilograms (690 pounds). Like many sharks, they have multiple rows of sharp, triangular teeth and extremely powerful jaws capable of closing with a force of 589 kilograms (1,300 pounds). It is also worth mentioning that this species of shark is particularly unfriendly to humans, as they are among the top three sharks that most often attack humans (along with great white and tiger sharks). Also given their habit of swimming near densely populated areas, this has led many experts to call them .

4. Electric eels (lat. Electrophorus electricus)

Photo. Electric eel experiments

In fact electric eel much closer to catfish than eels, but you probably don't want to be near one of them to find out. Reaching up to 2.5 meters (8 feet) in size, they are able to generate blasts of electricity from special cells called electrocytes located on their sides. These electrical discharges can reach up to 600 volts, this discharge is enough to make a horse buckle and fall. Although a single shock is not enough to kill a healthy average person, multiple shocks can cause the heart and lungs to collapse, and it is usually the shock that causes people to drown. That's why .

Most of the disappearances recorded in the Amazon have been attributed to eels, which put their victims into a state of shock and left them to drown in the river. Luckily for us, this type of eel tends to eat a diet of amphibians, fish, small mammals, and birds. They seek out their prey by emitting small 10-volt electrical discharges from their electrocytes, after which they stun or kill them.

3. Common piranhas (lat. Pygocentrus nattereri)

Photo. Piranha

This is the real horror of the Amazon River, this animal is so feared that it has become the inspiration for many dubious Hollywood films. But in fact, the common (red-bellied) piranha feeds on carrion. But it is not at all worth understanding that they are not capable of attacking living beings; after all, it's worth considering that they can grow to over 30 centimeters (12 inches) in length and swim in large groups. Like all piranhas, red-bellied piranhas have incredibly sharp teeth lined up in a single row on each of their powerful lower and upper jaws. These teeth clench with great force, which is why they are the perfect weapon for tearing and eating flesh. Their fearsome reputation is largely fueled by rumors of their "feast madness" where a group of piranhas gather around an unlucky prey and gnaw them to the bone in a matter of minutes. Such attacks rarely occur and are usually the result of starvation or provocation.

2. Payars (vampire fish, lat. Hydrolycus armatus)

Photo. Payara teeth

Anything called "vampire fish" is automatically associated with a scary animal, and payara is no exception. These fish are incredibly ferocious predators, capable of eating fish up to half their size. Given that they can reach up to 1.3 meters (four feet) in length, this is not at all worth understanding that this is the limit. They mostly like to eat piranhas, which may give you some idea of ​​just how tough these sharp-toothed beasts can be. They get their name from the two fangs that grow from the lower jaw and they are able to grow up to 14 centimeters (six inches) in length. Fish use them to literally impale their prey, and then viciously tear it to pieces. In fact, their fangs are so large that they have special holes in the upper jaw, designed to prevent their own piercing.

This voracious carnivore is fast and aggressive. They, as a rule, leave a small fish in their mouth, and then, skillfully maneuvering, they begin to swallow. However, if the prey is too large, the payars may cut it into smaller pieces first and then swallow it.

1. Pacu (lat. Colossoma macropomum)

Photo. pacu teeth

Certainly a far more dangerous animal for males than females, this is the pacu, which is larger than its closest relative, the piranha, and is known for its distinctive humanoid teeth. They look very similar to piranhas but have flatter, stronger teeth designed for crushing, and one fisherman reportedly died after having his testicles bitten off.

Fish expert Henrik Carl said the pacu is not usually dangerous to humans, but it does have a "pretty severe bite". He said: “There have been cases in other countries, such as Papau New Guinea, where some men's testicles have been bitten off. They bite because they are hungry, and testicles are just right for that. They usually eat nuts, fruits and fish, but human testicles are just a natural target."

Oh, and don't worry if you can't get to the Amazon to watch these monsters, they can already be found in Europe where they have already begun to breed.

The Amazon River with a length of 6762 kilometers is the longest, widest and fastest river in the world, and although Colombia owns only a hundred kilometers of it, it has a significant impact on the natural and climatic parameters of this region. About three thousand species of fish are found in this river, among them such unusual and amazing as arapaima - the largest freshwater fish, a mythical pink dolphin, a predatory piranha eating her fanged payar, an electric eel, a stingray stingray, a pacu - a piranha fish with “human” teeth, a catfish and finally, a small but insidious candiru fish.

The Orinoco River, originating in Venezuela on the border with Brazil, flows only along a section of the eastern border of Colombia, but such large Colombian rivers as Meta, Casanare, Vichada, Guaviare, Inirida, Guania, Vaupes, Apaporis and Caqueta are its tributaries. The Casiquiare River, which begins as a branch of the Orinoco, flows into the Rio Negro, a tributary of the Amazon, thus forming a natural channel between the Orinoco and the Amazon. For this reason, some fish species can migrate throughout the water area of ​​both rivers.

Among the fish that live in the basins of both rivers, the most predatory and famous are piranhas, payar, electric eels and stingrays.

Piranha is called the scourge of Orinocia and Amazonia. And if all the inhabitants of the selva are afraid of her, then by herself, with pleasure, payara bites - a large predatory fish living in some rivers of the Orinoco basin.

payar or Saber-toothed tetra is a species of relatively little-known fish.
It can reach a length of 117 cm and weigh 17.8 kg. Ichthyophagus, eats piranhas in abundance.
The most notable features of the payara are the two pairs of fangs that reside in its lower jaw. A pair of them is visible, the second is in the jaw in a folded state and is invisible in the photographs. In large individuals, fangs reach 10-15 centimeters (4-6 inches), earning the fish the nickname "vampire fish".
Payaira feeds on almost any fish that smaller size, including piranhas and their own kind.

piranhas- small, on average up to 30 cm in length, fish inhabiting rivers South America. Young piranhas are silver-blue in color, with dark speckles, but darken with age and acquire a black mourning color. Despite their small stature, piranhas are one of the most voracious fish. The razor-sharp teeth of a piranha, when it closes its jaws, adjoin each other like a folded lock of fingers. With his teeth, he can easily bite a stick or a finger.

Shepherds driving herds across rivers where piranhas are found have to give one of the animals. And while the predators deal with the victim, aside from this place, the entire herd safely crosses to the other side. Wild animals proved to be no less intelligent than humans. To drink water or cross a river where piranhas are found, they begin to attract the attention of predators with the noise or splash of water. And when the flock of piranhas rush to the noise, the animals along the shore move to a safe place, drink quickly there or cross the river.

The quarrelsome nature of piranhas makes them often quarrel and attack each other.
Piranhas attack any living creature that is within their reach: large fish, domestic and wild animals in the river, humans. Alligator - and he tries to get out of their way.

Piranhas react to the smell of blood. As soon as a wounded animal enters the water where piranhas live, the fish, excited by the smell of blood, pounce on the victim. It only takes three minutes for piranhas to leave a bare skeleton from a tapir. Moreover, if the animal does not smell of blood, piranhas will not be interested in it. Therefore, they can be considered orderlies exterminating sick and wounded animals. Piranhas also feed on carrion, cleaning the bottom of the river. There are about 400 species of piranhas in the Amazon. Among them there are also peaceful vegetarians, and not all predators are so aggressive. Oddly enough, piranhas are caring parents and drive everyone away from their home.

Paku- this time the fish is more amazing than scary. Although it still evokes a kind of mystical horror. And this fish is amazing in that it has teeth - neither give nor take - "human".

When such a fish was recently caught in the Chelyabinsk region (there must be someone, having played with an exotic animal, released it into a Russian reservoir), the entire Runet started talking about a mutant fish. Although it was just the Amazonian Pacu fish, which is caught almost on an industrial scale in Colombia and delivered to large cities - Bogota, Medellin, etc. Its meat is very tasty.
This fish is herbivorous, although it is very similar to piranha. Black pacu is the largest fish of the piranha family. The maximum dimensions are 70 cm. The body of fish of this family is high, laterally compressed.

Aravan- predatory, rather large fish - one of the most ancient fish on earth. It lives in the northern part of South America and in the Amazon basin, preferring dead branches of rivers with stagnant water. These fish often live in large flocks and devour any aquatic life. On average, its length is 90-120 cm. Despite the fact that Aravans look majestic and even a little aggressive, in fact they are very shy. They feed on insects and their larvae, fish that are smaller than them and can eat their own fry. Aravans ripen at the age of 4-6 years. Males are brighter and slimmer than females. In addition, they have an elongated anal fin and a more powerful lower jaw with a noticeably protruding edge.

Aravan spawning is seasonal, portioned. Marriage ceremonies unfold near the bottom. During the dance, the male knocks out the "gigantic" caviar from the female's abdomen (its diameter reaches 16 millimeters), fertilizes it and takes it into the mouth for subsequent incubation. A seven-centimeter juvenile emerges from pharyngeal confinement into the wild after 50-60 days, retaining a pendulous yolk sac for the first decade. However, this does not prevent hunting other people's juveniles and insects.
Aravans are excellent jumpers. They are able to jump out of the water up to 2 meters.
Several legends are associated with this fish, one of which says that the meat of this fish should not be eaten by pregnant women, because it will bring bad luck to the unborn child. Otherwise, it is a commercial fish.
Another legend claims that keeping this fish in an aquarium will bring good luck in business and prosperity. For this reason, it has become fashionable to keep these giants in aquariums. Aravan was first brought to Russia only in 1979 in single copies. Now it can be found quite often among aquarists with large aquariums.

Graceful Aravans have several types of color - silver and black Aravans are found in the Amazon. Blacks live in the Rio Negro basin, which is a tributary of the Amazon. Asian and African Aravans have a very beautiful color.

Arapaima(Piraruku) is the largest freshwater fish on our planet and lives mainly in the waters of South America (Amazon, Orinoco). Sometimes, some specimens exceed 3 meters in length. Upon reaching 1.5 meters in size, arapaim have a very bright, interesting color. The front half of the body is yellow-green, and the back half is bright beet red.

By the breeding season, usually in April or May, arapaima leaves for shallow places with clean water and sandy bottom. In such places, with the help of fins, the arapaima digs a nest about 50 cm in diameter and about 15 cm deep. There are cases when the arapaima uses the same nest for several years. Like most large fish, arapaima grows very quickly.
What is very interesting is that it is a lungfish that can breathe atmospheric air, similar to labyrinth fish.
The fish is rare, listed in the international Red Book.

Amazon river dolphin, bouto or inia - the largest species of river dolphins, the length of adults can reach 2.5 and weigh more than 200 kg. Dolphins are born with a dark color, but lighten with age and therefore they are often called pink. By their nature, inii are playful and curious, well tamed, but they are difficult to train and they are quite aggressive, so these dolphins are usually not kept in aquariums. Interestingly, the inia disperse the piranhas that teem in these waters, so bathers feel safe in such company, and fishermen follow them to find schools of fish.

Amazonian manatee- In total, scientists distinguish three types of manatees: Amazonian, American and African. All of them are included in the genus Sirenia.
It is believed that the first person to call manatees sirens was Christopher Columbus. “I observed three sea maidens,” he wrote quite seriously in the ship’s journal, “but they were not as beautiful as they are painted.” Columbus had no doubt that the creatures he met in the waters of the Caribbean Sea were sea maidens, or, in other words, sirens. At the very great navigator saw manatees.

It is hard to imagine how one could mistake these weighty, wrinkled, and even bristly muzzles of bluish-gray shades for beauties, but the myth that appeared about three thousand years ago has successfully survived to this day. The legend is so ingrained in literature and sea stories that the genus of manatees and their dugong relatives has been named Sirenia by biologists.
In the evolutionary series, mammals manatees (sirens) are placed between cetaceans and pinnipeds. A long time ago, the ancestors of manatees lived on land, grazed on the banks of water bodies, where there was a lot of juicy grass, and often found themselves in the water in search of food, and then completely moved there. Manatees have retained some features of land animals.

They have lungs and limbs that have evolved into flippers. However, on land, these seven hundred kilogram giants are completely helpless. They cannot move even by crawling, as seals or sea otters do. On the other hand, manatees, unlike whales, are able to get out of the shallows into the open sea.

They breathe infrequently. They rise to the surface for a new breath of air no more than 10-15 minutes later, and even less often during sleep.

The female manatee gives birth to cubs in the water. The male does not abandon the female after the birth of the cub. Manatees are very caring parents. The mother feeds her only cub with milk and allows him to ride on her when he gets tired.

Lomantines are curious, trusting and not aggressive, although they are able to stand up for themselves in case of danger. They are strict vegetarians and eat a huge amount of algae in shallow water. One animal eats at least 40-50 kilograms of algae per day. The gluttony of manatees makes them useful to humans.

Many riverbeds, canals and irrigation systems are heavily overgrown with algae, causing irrigation systems and hydroelectric power lines to fail. To help in eliminating this problem, manatees came, who with pleasure and great appetite fulfill their duty. A grazing manatee wields his flippers like a man with his hands. Perhaps it was because of this that the myth of the sea maidens arose ...

electric eel- the most dangerous fish among all electric fish. In terms of the number of human victims, it even outstrips the legendary piranha. This eel (by the way, it has nothing to do with ordinary eels) is capable of emitting a powerful electric charge. If you take a young eel in your hands, you feel a slight tingling, and this, given that the babies are only a few days old and they are only 2-3 cm in size. It is easy to imagine what sensations you get if you touch a two-meter eel. A person with such close communication receives a blow of 600 V and one can die from it. Electric eel sends powerful force waves up to 150 times a day. But the strangest thing is that, despite such weapons, the eel feeds mainly on small fish.
To kill a fish, an electric eel is enough to shudder, releasing a current. The victim dies instantly. The eel grabs it from the bottom, always from the head, and then, sinking to the bottom, digests the prey for several minutes.

Electric eels live in the rivers of South America, in in large numbers found in the waters of the Amazon. In those places where the eel lives, most often there is a large lack of oxygen. Therefore, the electric eel has a peculiarity of behavior. Eels stay under water for about 2 hours, and then swim to the surface and breathe there for 10 minutes, while ordinary fish only need to surface for a few seconds.
Electric eels are large fish that look like huge fat worms: an adult can reach a length of up to 3 meters and weigh up to 40 kilograms. The body is elongated, slightly flattened laterally. The skin is bare, not covered with scales. The fins are very developed, with their help, the electric eel is able to easily move in all directions. The color of adult electric eels is brown, the underside of the head and throat is bright orange. The coloration of young individuals is paler.

The most interesting thing about the structure of electric eels is its electric organs, which occupy more than 2/3 of the body length. The positive pole of this "battery" lies in the front of the eel's body, the negative - in the back. The highest discharge voltage, according to observations in aquariums, can reach 650 V, but usually it is less, and in fish of a meter length it does not exceed 350 V. This power is enough to light 5 electric bulbs. The main electrical organs are used by the eel to protect itself from enemies and to paralyze prey. There is another additional electric organ, but the field generated by it plays the role of a locator: with the help of interference that occurs within this field, the eel receives information about obstacles in the way or about the approach of potential prey. The frequency of these location discharges is very small and is practically imperceptible for a person.

The discharge itself, which electric eels produce, is not fatal to humans, but it is still very dangerous. If you get an electric shock while underwater, you can easily lose consciousness.

Electric eel is aggressive. It can attack without warning, even if there is no threat to it. If something living gets into the area of ​​​​its force field, then the eel will not hide or swim away. It is better for the person himself to sail aside if an electric eel appears on the way. You should not swim up to this fish at a distance less than 3 meters, this is precisely the main range of the meter eel field.

stingray- another one dangerous fish Amazon.
The sandbank, where the bottom is perfectly visible, seems safe. But under a thin layer of sand, a flat, painted to match the color of the bottom, Araya river stingray, as the Brazilians call it, rests. An alarmed stingray beats with its tail, in the middle of which two serrated poisonous stilettos stick out. Poison flows down the groove into the spikes from a special gland, so the wound inflicted by the stingray is very painful. Having received a blow with stilettos, a person jumps out of the water, spurred on by unbearable pain, like a fiery whip. And then he falls to the sand, bleeding and losing consciousness. Wounds from poisoned stingray stilettos are said to be mostly fatal.
The Amazonian Indians use the large and durable spike of the stingray as an arrowhead. River stingrays, unlike their closest relatives, stingrays, are typical freshwater animals that inhabit the rivers of the Amazon basin. In addition to the Amazon, they are no longer found in any rivers, but only in the seas. Amazonian rays belong to the class cartilaginous fish, to the order of stingrays, to the family of river stingrays.

Candiru, or carnero - tiny, similar to a worm. Its length is 7-15 centimeters, and its thickness is only a few millimeters (on top of that, it is also half transparent). Candiru in the blink of an eye climbs into the natural openings on the body of a bathing person and bites into their walls from the inside. It is impossible to pull it out without surgical intervention.
The author of the book "In the Amazon Jungle" Elgot Lenj, who lived twelve months full of adventures in the Amazonian forests, says that among the forest inhabitants, because of the fear of the candiru, it became a custom to bathe only in special baths. Low above the water they build a boardwalk. A window is cut through in the middle - through it the bather draws water with a nut shell and, after a thorough examination, pours himself over himself.
Tropical fish - common Vandellia or Candiru (lat. Vandellia cirrhosa), (English Candiru) lives in the Amazon and terrifies the local population. This is a small catfish, although some species reach 15 cm.

Asspread catfish live only in the Amazon, preferring brackish water near the mouth. Outwardly, the catfish resembles a tadpole - a wide head without gill covers, a wide and flat chest and a long, thin body. Aspredos are very caring parents - after fertilization, the female literally rubs the caviar into her belly. The eggs stick to the spongy skin, and then grow into it and feed by connecting with the mother's blood vessels. After hatching, the fry leave the mother's belly.

American flake(from the detachment of two-lungs) - one more interesting fish the Amazon basin. It lives in shallow swampy and drying water bodies of the Amazon basin and belongs to the order of the horn-tooth-shaped, the scaly family. Lungfish are a very ancient species of fish. The first lungfish appeared about 380 million years ago and are considered the most ancient fish on the planet. For a long time, such fish were known only from the fossilized remains that archaeologists found. Only in 1835 was it discovered that the protopter fish that lives in African reservoirs is precisely a lungfish.
In fact, six species of this group of fish have survived to this day, and the American flake (from the order of two-lungs) is one of them.
Modern lungfish are fish that live in fresh water. The main feature of which is that, in addition to gills, like all ordinary fish, they also have real lungs (a modified swim bladder), with which they can successfully breathe atmospheric air. This is where their name comes from.
The American flake or lepidosiren is the only lungfish that lives in South America. The length of its body reaches 1.2 m. Lepidosiren usually live in temporary reservoirs, which are filled with water only during heavy rains and floods.

The depths of the Amazon hide things that modern horror directors never dreamed of.

A huge closed ecosystem, which in fact is the entire pool great river, as if specially inhabited by incredibly tenacious, incredibly dangerous and incredibly bloodthirsty creatures, a meeting with which for a person can end in only one outcome.

black caiman

The largest predator in the entire Amazon basin. The black caiman grows up to five meters long and can weigh half a ton. Born killers are the so-called apex predators - that is, they are able to kill and devour any animal in general in their habitat.

Anaconda

The meeting of a man with an anaconda will be the last. The nine-meter snake swims perfectly and is even able to dive. An adult anaconda has practically no enemies in nature, except that it will converge on a narrow path with a black caiman, and such cases really happened.

brazilian arapaima

Tropical freshwater fish, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. This predator feeds not only on fish, but also on small animals that come to the watering place.

blunt shark

No, not because it's stupid - it's just the shape of their face. The blunt shark, or bull shark, is usually found in coastal waters and gladly sneaks into the rivers. This is one of the most aggressive types of sharks that attack humans without hesitation.

electric eel

Perhaps one of the strangest creatures on our planet. Special electric organs allow eels to generate voltage up to 1300 V. A sort of floating bare wire, with a positive charge on the muzzle and a negative charge in the tail. With one blow, an eel can stun a horse, but a human heart will simply stop forever.

brown pacu

It can be said that the cousin piranhas. But their teeth are square and resemble human teeth. For what? Yes, to tear off larger pieces of meat from the victim.

giant otter

A cute animal weighing thirty kilograms is not very timid, unlike its European relatives. You should not approach a giant otter for a joint selfie, you can be left without fingers. The locals called the otters "river wolves": straying into real flocks, they boldly attack larger predators.

Candiru

Another name is the Brazilian vampire. A tiny catfish usually parasitizes other fish, climbing into the gills and drinking blood there. But she absolutely does not care who will be the victim and in which hole to swim. Thanks to the candiru, smart people in the Amazon never relieve a small need. Guess why?

In South America, spread over nine countries, is the Amazon rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world. It covers an area of ​​55 square kilometers and contains many types of biodiversity, including species that have not yet been fully explored. The Amazon River, which flows through the forest, supports a thriving animal and plant life. These forests are known as the "lungs of the Earth" because they absorb the most carbon dioxide on earth and release oxygen. These forests are also home to some of the most dangerous animals known to man. Here is our list of the 15 most dangerous animals rainforest 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 crawling up to it from under the water and then crushing it with its powerful jaws. He then drags the catch underwater until it suffocates. He kills all animals from small fish, otters, dogs and deer to jaguars and other caimans. Caimans can grow up to 6 meters in length. The body of the black caiman is covered in 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 with 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 conventional plug-in point. This makes it one of the . It uses this electricity to shock and immobilize its prey before eating them whole. It also releases electricity as a defense method to scare away an attacker. People are usually attacked by an eel if it is 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 spot on this list of the ten most dangerous animals in the Amazon rainforest. The species has about 6,000 cells for producing electrocytes, and can generate 600 volts of power, which is about 5 times stronger than the electricity generated in a standard outlet. The shock is capable of instantly knocking a horse down. He is able to kill a person in two or three blows, but people very often come into contact with eels. The species can live 15 years in wild nature and 22 years in captivity.

This large cat is native to South America and is the region's top predator. The jaguar lives alone in large areas, similar to leopards or tigers in India, and preys on small land animals. He rarely comes in contact with humans, and when he does, it's usually because he's trying to attack livestock. Though rarely attacked, this cat is a dangerous animal due to its speed, stealth, strong jaw and sharp teeth that can pierce even tortoise shells and human skulls. 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 they can catch. Jaguars are solitary animals that like to live and hunt alone, however, this does not apply during mating season.

The red-bellied piranha, the most dangerous of all species, is a scavenger and usually eats dead animals. It has only been known to attack live animals if it feels threatened or if there is little food in the area. Humans have been attacked by piranhas, but these attacks do not result in death, only injury due to the sharp teeth of the fish. Piranhas are cannibalistic and have been known to eat other members of their species. It is also one of the deadliest fish in the world. Speaking of appearance, they have a silver body covered with red spots that serve as camouflage in murky waters. The pointed and sharp teeth of the piranha are arranged in one row and bite through a silver hook. The jawbone of the piranha is the strongest and is capable of crushing human hand in 5-10 seconds. Locals 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 animal of the Amazon rainforest is a brightly colored frog that secretes poison from glands on its skin. This poison is highly toxic and causes heart failure if ingested in large amounts. The golden poison dart frog is a rare species, but because it can kill twenty adults. Some tribes in the Amazon rainforest are known to use the frog's venom to coat the tip of their arrows used to hunt other animals. Due to the 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 the muddy waters of the river and preys on other aquatic animals such as fish, dolphins, snakes. Since it swims in shallow, muddy water, people cannot see it, and if they get too close, the shark will attack them. A shark bite can be fatal because it pulls its victims into the water and they either drown or die due to blood loss. The species can grow up to 2.1 meters in length, however, females have been seen growing an average of 2.4 meters in length and weighing 130 kg. Males are smaller compared to females and weigh about 94 kg. They are one of the shark species that can grow in both 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, which is why they often come into contact with humans. Also, female bull sharks prefer to give birth in shallow water because this will prevent larger sharks from eating their young.

One of the largest snakes in the world, the green anaconda can grow up to 9 meters in length - twice the size of a giraffe. They live in the water and can silently sneak up on prey and hit it with force, squeezing it with their powerful body until it suffocates and dies. They then swallow the prey whole. They usually prey on wild boars, deer, capybaras, and sometimes jaguars and humans. You can also read about the most. Anaconda is a non-venomous snake. They spend most of their time alone, however males seek females to mate between April and May. Sometimes several species of male green anacondas chase the same female. This phenomenon is known as "breeding balls" where dozens of males are wrapped around one female and they all try to mate. Sometimes green anacondas are engaged when female green anacondas eat smaller males.

This animal is not in vain on the list, because the spider has one of the deadliest poisons in the world. It is a ground spider that hunts at night. It can sting people who risk getting too close, and the venom causes severe pain and can eventually cause paralysis. The spider with the deadliest venom in the world is spread all over the jungle. However, during the daytime they hide under rocks and in crevices, in places that are dark and damp. Also, they are mostly seen where people have untouched items, clothes they don't wear, 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 that region 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 venomous, but hunts by wrapping itself around its prey and eating it as it slowly dies. While it cannot kill humans, the bite causes intense pain, fever, and weakness. However, it is a ferocious and dangerous animal of the Amazon rainforest. This species has powerful jaws that can bite through the skin very easily and inject a very painful venom. Speaking of appearance, the whole 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 widely distributed throughout South America and several islands in the Caribbean. 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 and can kill small animals. These ants hunt in groups and can paralyze or kill large animals with many bites. For humans, the bite is not fatal, 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 venomous species of viper has been mostly seen off the coast of the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. It can be recognized by the light yellowish brown color of its underside and the head shape characteristic of the genus Bothrops. The species can grow to a length of 70 cm, however, it can also sometimes reach 118 cm. Various color combinations exist, such as a pale buff ground color that is overlaid with a series of spots that can be triangular or quadrangular.

It is the most powerful predator found in the Amazon rainforest and also one of the largest existing species eagles in the world. This species is mainly found in tropical lowland rainforests. Central America. Also in Brazil, the harpy eagle is also known as the royal hawk. The harpy eagle is the national bird of 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 during the early nights. The only bat species that can "adopt" another young bat if something happens to her mother.

The giant arapaima is one of the largest and least studied fish in the world. Those descriptions of fish that are found in the literature are borrowed mainly from the unreliable stories of travelers.

It is even strange how little has been done so far to deepen our knowledge of the biology and behavior of the arapaima. For years, it has been hunted mercilessly both in the Peruvian and Brazilian parts of the Amazon, and in its many tributaries. At the same time, no one cared about studying it and did not think about preserving it. Schools of fish seemed inexhaustible. And only when the number of fish began to noticeably decrease, interest in it appeared.

Arapaima is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Representatives of this species live in the Amazon in Brazil, Guyana and Peru. Adults reach 2.5 m in length and weigh up to 200 kg. The uniqueness of the arapaima is the ability to breathe air. Due to their archaic morphology, the fish is considered a living fossil. In Brazil, fishing is allowed only once a year. Initially, the fish was harvested with the help of harpoons when it rose to breathe on the surface.

Today it is caught mainly with nets. Let's take a look at this in more detail..

Photo 2.

Photo: View of the Amazon River from the window of the Cessna 208 amphibious aircraft that brought photographer Bruno Kelly from Manaus to the village of Medio Jurua, municipality of Carauari, Amazonas state, Brazil, on September 3, 2012.
REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

In Brazil, giant fish have been placed in ponds in the hope that they will take root there. In eastern Peru, in the jungles of the province of Loreto, certain areas of rivers and a number of lakes are left as a reserve fund. It is allowed to fish here only under the license of the Ministry Agriculture.

Arapaima lives throughout the Amazon basin. To the east, it occurs in two areas separated by the black and acidic waters of the Rio Negro. Arapaima is not found in Rio Negro, but the river, apparently, is not an insurmountable barrier for fish. Otherwise, one would have to assume the existence of two species of fish, having different origins and living north and south of this river.

The western distribution area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe arapaima is probably Rio Morona, to the east of it, Rio Pastaza and Lake Rimachi, where a huge amount of fish is found. This is the second protected reservoir in Peru for breeding and observing arapaima.

The adult arapaima is painted very picturesquely: the color of its back changes from bluish-black to metallic green, the belly - from cream to greenish-white, the sides and tail are silver-gray. Each of its huge scales shimmers with all sorts of shades of red (in Brazil, the fish is called pirarucu, which means red fish).

Photo 3.

Swinging in time with the movements of the fishermen, a small canoe floated along the mirror-like surface of the Amazon. Suddenly, the water at the bow of the boat began to swirl, the mouth of a giant fish stuck out, exhaling air with a whistle. The fishermen stared dumbfounded at the monster two human heights long, covered with a scaly shell. And the giant splashed his blood-red tail - and disappeared into the depths ...

Tell such a Russian fisherman, he will immediately be ridiculed. Who is not familiar with fishing tales: either a giant fish will fall off the hook, or the local Nessie will be seen. But on the Amazon, meeting a giant is a reality.

Arapaima is one of the largest freshwater fish. There were specimens 4.5 m long! Now you don't see them. Since 1978, the record of the Rio Negro River (Brazil) has been held, where they caught arapaima with data of 2.48 m - 147 kg (the price of a kilogram of tender and tasty meat, which has almost no bones, far exceeds the monthly income of Amazonian fishermen. In North America, it can be seen in antique shops).

Photo 4.

This strange creature looks like a representative of the era of dinosaurs. Yes, it is true: a living fossil has not changed in 135 million years. Tropical Goliath has adapted to the marshy swamps of the Amazon basin: the bladder attached to the esophagus acts as a lung, the arapaima protrudes from the water every 10-15 minutes. She, as it were, “patrols” the Amazon basin, captures small fish in her mouth and grinds them with a bony, rough tongue (locals use it as sandpaper).

Photo 5.

These giants live in the freshwater reservoirs of South America, in particular in the eastern and western parts of the Amazon basin (in the Rio Morona, Rio Pastaza and Lake Rimachi rivers). In these places there is a huge number of arapaima. In the Amazon itself, this fish is not so much, because. she prefers quiet streams with a weak current and a lot of vegetation. A pond with indented banks and a large number of floating plants is the ideal place for its habitat and existence.

Photo 6.

According to local residents, this fish can reach 4 meters in length and weigh about 200 kilograms. But arapaima is a valuable commercial fish, so now you can hardly find such huge specimens in nature. In our time, most often come across specimens no more than 2-2.5 meters. But still, giants can be found, for example, in special aquariums or reserves.

Photo 7.

Previously, arapaima were caught in large quantities and did not think about its population. Now, when the stocks of these fish have noticeably decreased, in some countries of South America, for example, in eastern Peru, areas of rivers and lakes have been identified that are strictly protected and fishing in these places is allowed only under license from the Ministry of Agriculture. Yes, but in limited quantities.

Photo 8.

An adult can reach 3-4 meters. The powerful body of the fish is covered with large scales, which shimmer with various shades of red. This is especially noticeable in its tail. For this, the locals gave the fish another name - piraruku, which translates as "red fish". The fish themselves have a different color - from "green metallic" to bluish-black.

Photo 9.

Her respiratory system is very unusual. The pharynx and swim bladder of the fish are covered with lung tissue, which allows the fish to breathe normal air. Such an adaptation has developed due to the low oxygen content in the waters of these freshwater rivers. Thanks to this, arapaima can easily survive the drought.

Photo 10.

You can't confuse the breathing pattern of this fish with anyone else. When they rise to the surface for a breath of fresh air, small whirlpools begin to form on the water surface, and then the fish itself appears at this place with a huge open mouth. All this action lasts just a couple of seconds. She releases the "old" air and takes a new sip, her mouth closes abruptly and the fish goes to the depths. Adults breathe like this every 10-15 minutes, young ones a little more often.

Photo 11.

On the head of these fish are special glands that secrete a special mucus. But what it is for, you will find out a little later.

Photo 12.

These giants feed on bottom fish, sometimes they can eat small animals, such as birds. In juveniles, freshwater shrimp are the main dish.

Photo 13.

The breeding season for pyrarucu is in November. But they begin to create pairs already in August-September. These giants are very caring parents, especially males. Then I immediately remembered how the male "sea dragons" take care of their offspring. These fish are not far behind. The male digs a shallow hole with a diameter of about 50 centimeters near the shore. The female lays her eggs in it. Then, throughout the entire period of development and maturation of eggs, the male is next to the clutch. He guards the eggs and swims near the "nest", while the females at this time drive away the fish swimming nearby.

Photo 14.

A week later, fry are born. The male is also next to them. Or maybe they are with him? The young are kept in a dense flock near his head, and even to breathe they rise together. But how does a male manage to discipline his kids like that? There is a secret. Remember, I mentioned special glands on the head of adults. So, the mucus that is secreted by these glands contains a stable substance that attracts fry. It is what makes them stick together. But after 2.5-3 months, when the young grow up a little, these flocks break up. The bond between parents and children is weakening.

Photo 38.

Once the meat of these monsters was the staple food of the peoples of the Amazon. Since the late 1960s, in many rivers, arapaims have disappeared completely: after all, only large fish were killed with a harpoon, while the nets also made it possible to catch babies. The government has banned the sale of arapaime less than a meter and a half long, but the taste, which only trout and salmon can compete with, pushes people to break the law. Arapaima breeding in artificial pools with heated water is promising: they grow as much as five times faster than carps!

Photo 15.

However, here is the opinion of K. X. Lyuling:

The literature of past years greatly exaggerates the size of the arapaima. To some extent, these exaggerations began with the descriptions of R. Schomburk in the book Fishes of British Guiana, written after a trip to Guiana in 1836. Schomburk writes that fish can reach a length of 14 feet (foot = 0.305 meters) and weigh up to 400 pounds (pound = 0.454 kilograms). However, this information was obtained by the author secondhand - from the words of the local population - he personally did not have evidence to confirm such data. In a well-known book on the fish of the world, McCormick expresses doubts about the authenticity of these stories. After reviewing all available and more or less reliable information, he concludes that members of the Arapaima species never exceed 9 feet in length, a fairly substantial size for a freshwater fish.

My own experience convinced me that McCormick was right. The animals we caught in Rio Pacay averaged 6 feet in length. The largest fish was a female 7 feet long and weighing 300 pounds. Obviously, the illustration from the old editions of Brehm's Animal Life, which depicted an Indian sitting on the back of a pyrarucu, 12 to 15 feet long, should be considered sheer fantasy.

The distribution of arapaima in certain areas of the river apparently depends more on the vegetation growing there than on the nature of the water itself. For fish, a heavily indented coast with a wide strip of coastal floating plants is needed, which, intertwined, form floating meadows.

For this reason alone, fast-flowing rivers like the Amazon are unsuitable for the existence of the Arapaima. The bottom of the Amazon always remains smooth and uniform, so there are few floating plants, the ones that are usually tangled among shrubs and hanging branches.

On Rio Pacai we found arapaima in backwaters, where, in addition to floating meadows of aquatic grasses, floating mimosas and hyacinths grew. In other places, these species may have been replaced by floating ferns, victoria-regia, and some others. The giant fish is invisible between the plants.

It is perhaps not surprising that arapaims prefer to breathe air rather than the oxygen of the swampy waters in which they live.

Photo 16.

Arapaima's manner of inhaling air is very characteristic. When it comes to the surface big fish, first a whirlpool forms on the water surface. Then suddenly the fish itself appears with its mouth open. She quickly releases air, making a clicking sound, inhales Fresh air and immediately plunges into the depths.

According to the whirlpool formed on the surface of the water, fishermen hunting for arapaima determine where to throw the harpoon. They throw their heavy weapons right into the middle of the whirlpool and most of the time they miss their target. But the fact is that a giant fish often lives in small reservoirs, 60-140 meters long, and whirlpools are constantly formed here, and therefore, the likelihood of a harpoon hitting an animal increases. Adults appear on the surface every 10-15 minutes, young ones more often.

Having reached a certain size, arapaima moves to the fish table, specializing mainly in bottom armored fish. In the stomachs of arapaima, the prickly needles of the pectoral fins of these fish are most often found.

In Rio Pakai, obviously, the conditions for the life of arapaima are the most favorable. The fish living here reach maturity within four to five years. By this time they are about six feet long and weigh between 80 and 100 pounds. It is believed (although not proven) that some, and possibly all, adults breed twice a year.

Once I was lucky enough to watch a pair of arapimes preparing to spawn. Everything happened in the clear and still waters of the quiet bay of Rio Pakai. The behavior of arapaima during spawning and their further care for offspring is truly an amazing sight.

Photo 17.

In all likelihood, the spawning hole in the soft clay bottom of the fish is pulled out by mouth. In the quiet bay where we made our observations, the fish chose to spawn at a depth of only five feet below the surface. For several days, the male was within this place, and the female almost all the time kept 10-15 meters from him.

The young, hatched from the eggs, remain in the hole for about seven days. Next to them is constantly a male, either circling over the hole, or perched on the side. After that, the fry rise to the surface, relentlessly following the male and keeping in a dense flock near his head. Under the supervision of the father, the whole flock floats to the surface at once to inhale the air-Spirit.

At the age of seven to eight days, the fry begin to feed on plankton. Watching the fish through the still waters of our quiet bay, we did not notice that the fish were rearing young growth "in vtu", that is, they would take the fish in their mouths in a moment of danger. There were also no signs that the larvae feed on a substance secreted from the platelike gills located on the heads of the parents. The local population makes a clear mistake, assuming that the young are fed by parental "milk".

In November 1959, I was able to count 11 schools of young fish in a lake of about 160 acres (an acre is about 0.4 hectares). They swam close to the shore and parallel to it. The flocks seemed to avoid the wind. This is probably due to the fact that the waves formed by the wind make it difficult to inhale air from the surface of the water.

We decided to see what would happen to a flock of fish if it suddenly lost its parents, and caught them. The orphaned fish, having lost contact with their parents, obviously lost contact with each other. The tight flock began to disintegrate and eventually dispersed. After some time, we noticed that the juveniles in other flocks differ significantly from each other in size. Such a large contrast could hardly be explained by the fact that the same generation of fish developed differently. Apparently, other Arapaima adopted orphans. Expanding the circle of swimming after the death of their parents, the orphaned flock of fish spontaneously mixed with neighboring groups.

Photo 18.

On the head of the arapaima there are glands of a very interesting structure. Outside, they have a number of small, tongue-like protrusions, at the ends of which, with a magnifying glass, tiny holes can be discerned. Through these openings, the mucus formed in the glands is excreted.

The secretion of these glands is not used as food, although this would seem to be the simplest and most obvious explanation for its purpose. It performs much more important functions. Here is an example. When we pulled the male out of the water, the flock accompanying him remained for a long time in the very place from which he had disappeared. And one more thing: a flock of juveniles gathers around a gauze pad, previously soaked in the secretions of the male. From both examples, it follows that the male secretes a relatively stable substance, thanks to which the whole group is held together.

At the age of two and a half - three and a half months, flocks of young animals begin to disintegrate. By this time, the bond between parents and children is weakening.

Photo 19.

Residents of the village of Medio Jurua display gutted piraruca at Lake Manaria, Carauari municipality, Amazonas state, Brazil, on September 3, 2012. Piraruku is the largest freshwater fish in South America.
REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Photo 20.

Photo 21.