Many Rivers to Cross – Amazon

The Amazon Basin is the largest river basin in the world, covering some six million square kilometres. It is also surrounded by rainforest – some of it virgin, which means that there are many creatures, both large and small, that have never been discovered by science. Only last year a chicken-killing tarantula was tracked down by an amateur spider hunter. Yes, a spider big enough to kill a chicken … the mind boggles.

One of the biggest mammals to be found on the Amazon river is the giant otter, but you’re very unlikely to see one unless you visit an otter reserve, because they have been hunted almost to extinction. At over six feet long and seventy pounds in weight, they really are giants, but they are highly secretive and reclusive, you might hear one though! They live in groups of five to nine which keep in touch via high-pitched hums, whining squeals and screeches.

Everything in the Amazon seems to be super-size. The harpy eagle is over a metre tall, and has a wingspan of two metres! Its legs and feet are extraordinarily thick and powerful, meaning there is almost no prey too large for the harpy eagle, which feeds on monkeys, sloths (which make up more than one-third of its diet) and birds. They have even been seen carrying baby antelope. Makes the spider seem quite titchy, doesn’t it?

The waters of the Amazon river are very rich in fish, including electric eels, and catfish that hunt on land or leap out of the water. This diversity happens because the river is quite poor in nutrients so the fish have had to develop unusual hunting techniques to survive

There is a downside to this wonderful river. It rains her at least one day in three, often for up to six hours – that’s why it’s call the rainforest! All the animals, jaguars, sloths etc become aquatic – but that’s not much consolation when you’re trying to find some dry clothes for the third or fourth day in a row!

Amazon photograph by jdrorer, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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