The Amazon River and its surrounding rainforest are home to some of the most diverse lifeforms on Earth. As one of the longest rivers in the world, the Amazon offers a rich habitat for a wide range of creatures. Some are exquisitely beautiful, while others are undeniably creepy. Many Amazonian species have evolved in ways that make them completely terrifying.
Wondering what animals live in the Amazon? The answers may spook
you. Animals wreak havoc all over the globe, but those unique to the
Amazon River are especially scary. Check out the Amazon's most fascinating and
downright alarming animals.
Her are 15 of
the most terrifying creatures found in the amazon river
1- Tyrant King Leeches
The tyrant king leech may only be three inches long, but it's
plenty terrifying. It uses its huge teeth to saw into flesh to create
holes for it to feed. Worse yet, it seems to intentionally aim for
mammals' orifices, including the eyes, genitalia, and rectum. Once inside
its prey's body, the leech can survive and feed for weeks.
2-
Amazonian Giant Centipedes
The Amazonian giant centipede is one of the largest insects,
which directly correlates to its creepy factor: an adult giant centipede
can measure up to a foot long. This gargantuan critter can be found
scurrying around the forest floor near the Amazon River, where it hunts
lizards, amphibians, and small mammals living near the water. Besides its
nightmare-inducing size, it can also inject venom into its victims using sharp
claws on its head.
Green anacondas live throughout South
America. They primarily reside in swamps, marshes, and rivers; this makes the
Amazon the ideal home for them. These snakes are gigantic: they can reach
up to 30 feet in
length and
weigh an amazing 550 pounds.
These anacondas don't pose much of a threat on land;
they're too heavy and cumbersome to have the ability to move quickly.
When they are in water, however, it's a completely different story. They
can move with devastating speed, and special openings on the very top of their
heads allow them to lie almost completely submerged in water. Once they
locate and ambush their prey, these anacondas use their immense size and
deadly strength to constrict a victim. Anacondas' meals aren't small, either -
they've been known to take down jaguars.
Capable of growing up to 20 feet in
length, the black caiman is one of the deadliest animals to call the Amazon River home. The
dark coloring of its hide provides perfect camouflage for its nighttime hunts,
allowing it to ambush unsuspecting prey in the water. It strikes
terror into local human populations, too, thanks to its aggressive nature. Black caimans have
been known to attack people who live or work on the riverbanks.
5- Candirus
The candiru is a type of parasitic fish that lives in the
basins of the Amazon River. It's small, typically just a few millimeters in
length. What makes it so frightening is the way it feeds. It inserts itself
into the gills of a much larger fish, then digs in. This shouldn't concern you
- except for the story about candirus tending to insert themselves in swimmers'
bodily orifices. There's only one documented case of this happening, but it's
the stuff of nightmares
6- Bull
Sharks
Yes, there are sharks in the Amazon River. The
bull shark has been found up to 2,500 miles up the river; it makes its way in from
Lake Nicaragua. It's one of the most aggressive sharks in existence, and its
love of shallow water makes it a hazard for anyone taking a dip. If that
isn't scary enough, it can also grow to be 11 feet long.
7-
Goliath Birdeaters
Many people are terrified of house spiders.
Imagine how they'd feel about an arachnid that's the size of a puppy. This
would be the goliath birdeater, the heaviest tarantula in the world. Reaching up to
five inches in body length and weighing up to six ounces, it dwarfs almost
every other spider.
The spider is found mostly in the swamps and marshes around the
Amazon River, where it burrows underground and ventures out at night to nab
prey. Though it's not dangerous to humans, it will shed its prickly hairs when
approached. These can cause irritation that lasts for days.
8-
Electric Eels
Though it's commonly known as the electric eel,
this fearsome creature is actually a knifefish. Due to its distinctive physiology, it is
capable of producing electricity from its organs. This electric shock can
reach intensities of up to 600 volts for several milliseconds. While this can't
kill you, it can deliver as much pain as a stun gun and cause a numbing
sensation.
And this eel can grow up to eight feet long. It's definitely
not an animal you would want to come across.
9-
Poison Dart Frogs
Numerous types of poison dart frogs inhabit tropical forests in
South America; several make their home in and around the Amazon River.
They're harmless at first glance, and their vivid colors are quite lovely. But
these are among the deadliest creatures on the planet. Their bright hues
act as a warning: a potent toxin seeps from their skin. A single poison dart
frog can kill up to 10 adult humans with a simple touch.
10-
Red-Bellied Piranhas
Piranhas arguably have the worst reputation of any fish on Earth.
These frenzied killers are capable of tearing flesh off of any animal in mere minutes. But most
of the time, they're shy creatures that lurk in the basins of the Amazon
River, where they feed mostly on other fish and insects. Still, there's no
denying their scary image and needle-sharp teeth.
11-
Payaras
The payara is known as the vampire
fish, and for good reason: it has a huge mouth studded with fangs
that can reach up to six inches long. Though there is some debate about
the maximum size this fish can reach, researchers believe they can grow to
almost four feet in length. Don't worry, though - they pose
no threat to humans. Those fangs are exclusively used to impale smaller
fish.
12-
Arapaima Gigas
The arapaima gigas is a massive fish that lives
within the basins of the Amazon River and neighboring swamps and lakes. As
one of the biggest fish in the world, it can reach lengths of up to
nine feet long and weigh a staggering 440 pounds. But perhaps the
creepiest thing about this fish is what it breathes: air.
Since the fish spends so much time near the
water's surface, it has developed a taste for birds that get close to shore.
Its exceptional strength and powerful jaws make taking down prey a breeze, and
its tough, scaly armor protects it
13-
Pacus
The pacu is a type of fish closely
related to the piranha, though it grows to a far greater size. But the
real nightmares begin with its mouth. Its chompers bear an uncanny
resemblance to human teeth. Those pearly whites are there for a reason: the
fish is an omnivore, so it often chows down on tough food, including nuts.
Pacus aren't necessarily aggressive, but their teeth can cause an uncomfortable
amount of pain.
14-
Giant Otters
The giant otter is the largest member
of its species in the world, and one of the biggest mammals in South America.
It lives exclusively in the Amazon River and the surrounding waterways.
While it may not look particularly threatening, this apex predator is one
of the most efficient killers in the rainforest.
Believe it or not, this otter is capable of
killing and eating anacondas and caimans. Groups of giant otters sometimes
work as a team to latch onto the back of a caiman's neck, an advantageous
spot where predators can't be reached by the caiman's sharp teeth. Then
they just harass the caiman until it wears itself out from
lactic acid buildup, allowing the otters to drag it onto the shore and eat it alive.
15-
Mata Mata Turtles
The mata mata turtle spends almost its
entire life in the water, only emerging on occasion to lay eggs. It's
the sole surviving member of its genus, with an appearance that more closely
resembles a dinosaur than a modern turtle. It can survive for up to 75 years
and reach up to two feet in length.
So what makes this turtle scary? It has a
spooky way of eating: it creates a vacuum in its mouth that sucks
in passing fish.
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