From see-through amphibians no bigger than a thumbnail to steaming hot waters that course
through the rainforest, today we look at Strange Discoveries In The Amazon.
Number 10.
Solar Halos When travelling the Tambopata river in Peru,
be sure to look to the sky every break in the canopy for a gorgeous sight that occurs
rarely in other parts of the world.
Often referred to as a sun or solar halo, an optical formation decorates the bright
sky crafting a variety of spectral effects.
Of these different effects arise different types of halos, with the most common forms
being circular halos, light pillars, and sun dogs.
Circular halos occur when a ring of iridescent light surrounds a light source, occurring
sometimes with the moon a well as the sun.
Light pillars stretch vertically either above or below an illumination and sun dogs appear
as bright spots along one or opposite sides of a bright point.
These effects occur naturally in the sky when light refracts through ice crystals in high-elevation
cirrus clouds.
These clouds are typically associated with increased rates of precipitation and while
they hang 18,000 feet above the surface in temperate regions, tropical areas raise the
clouds an additional 3,000 feet closer to the sun.
Number 9.
Macaw Clay Lick Some of the banks along the Peruvian Amazon
basin, in the Tambopata region, are often covered in a vivid display of colorful feathers
as birds come from around the rainforest to find these special locations.
Called Macaw Clay Licks, these land formations are rich in mineral nutrients that are rarely
found elsewhere in the diets of these birds.
Macaws, parakeets and parrots form this diverse group of feathered spice hunters that descend
upon the clay shelf.
Here the birds strangely consume small bits of clay, either to provide some sort of sodium
supplement or as a means for neutralizing toxins in their diet.
Either way, these vibrant feathered animals have a raucous , good time, cawing, singing
and chirping all the while, making this a must-see stop for travelers of the region.
Number 8.
Glass Frogs One of the Amazon's most intriguing creatures
is the translucent tummied amphibian known as the glass frog.
This unique animal is found all across the rainforest in a wide variety of sizes and
shades, with around 60 species being discovered throughout the Amazon.
The most common of these species is the north glass frog which measures just barely three
quarters to one and a half inches as an adult...approximately the size of a pair of aspirin tablets!
But their miniscule stature isn't all that makes these tiny frogs special.
Much of the upper surface of the glass frog's skin is green and lends itself to camouflage
with ease.
But its underside is like a biology classroom display as the glass frog's translucent abdomen
reveals its inner organs in full.
This semi-transparency spreads to the frogs legs as well, allowing it to even more easily
conceal itself in the foliage of the surrounding rainforest.
Combine that with their majorly nocturnal nature and these slippery critters become
a headache to hunt for would-be predators.
Luckily for tourists, though, visitors to the Amazon rainforest shouldn't have too difficult
a time finding them as their vast population spreads across Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
Number 7.
River Sharks The rainforest can be a magical place filled
with gorgeous scenery and exotic surprises.
These habitats are especially renowned for their biodiversity, but some regions just
might be more diverse than necessary.
One creature that's surprisingly made its way into the Amazonian ecosystem is the ever-frightening
Bull Shark.
This fish earns its name with its short, blunt nose, strong stature, and infamously aggressive
nature.
They even go so far as to "gore" their prey, so to speak, ramming it with their stocky
face before moving in to attack.
Massive aquatic hunters, these sharks can grow between 7 and 8 feet long and weigh between
two and three hundred pounds on average.
Some reports have told of even greater specimens though, weighing as much as 694 pounds and
spanning 11 or even 13 feet in length!
So what are these gigantic sea predators doing in the Amazon?
Well, the Bull species is a special type known as a requiem shark, and as such it lives its
life in constant migration and prefers warm seas.
Now blend that with the astounding ability to not only live in saltwater, but also in
brackish and fresh water as well and suddenly the world is the Bull shark's oyster.
Number 6.
Mysterious Rings Farmers across the world have reported a phenomena
known as "crop circles" for years, typically attributing the crop formations on the arrival
of extraterrestrials.
Perhaps more perplexing, though, are the ringed ditches that have been found in the Bolivian
and Brazilian regions of the Amazon.
These apparently human-built structures are shrouded in mystery, but archaeologists have
still been able to glean a lot of information from what they've found.
For years, the geoglyphs remained hidden, but recent deforestation efforts have revealed
them in full.
One of the first things brought to light by the discovery of these geoglyphs, as they've
come to be known, is the amount of foliage that had to be cleared to make way for them.
This alters a lot of what was previously suspected regarding the Amazon as its been classically
thought to be relatively unchanged by native peoples.
Instead, researchers now think these early tribes may have engaged in slash-and-burn
tactics for cultivation, creating these geoglyphs in the resultant clearing.
As for the structures themselves, most hypothesis revolve around what archaeologists call a
neolithic causewayed enclosure...pretty much a fancy term for public gathering site.
Interestingly enough, other ancient formations that have gotten this label include none other
than famed English landmark Stonehenge.
Number 5.
Pink Dolphins Within the depths of the Amazon River lies
one of the most surprising predators of the rainforest: the Amazon River dolphin.
Unlike their oceanic cousins, these dolphins have a pink and grey skin tone earning them
the more colloquial name of the pink river dolphin.
But this rosy hued feature isn't the only thing that sets these dolphins apart from
the rest.
Weighing in at over 400 pounds and measuring up to 9 feet long, the Amazon River dolphin
is the largest freshwater dolphin in the world.
Even at this incredible size, these dolphins maintain excellent maneuverability and agility
thanks to another major difference it boasts from oceanic dolphins.
The cervical vertebrae that make up the neck portion of the spine are fused together in
saltwater dolphins and this limits the movement of their heads.
But Amazon River dolphins lack this fusion, granting them a full 90 degree turn radius
for their heads and necks.
And when scouring the river for their next meal, this comes in especially handy as the
biodiverse region holds different species of darting fish by the dozen.
Number 4.
Floating Forests Many of the Amazon's secrets lurk beneath
the surface of its rivers and streams, but one of the most interesting phenomena of the
rainforest actually floats atop those tropical waterways.
The matupas of the Amazon are naturally-occuring, floating islands of vegetation that arise
on the lakes of Central Brazil.
As the luscious aquatic undergrowth becomes oversaturated and gathers, over time a substrate
of soil and various organic material will build up until a nutrient-rich surface develops.
From here patches of forests will sprout up to 12 meters in height.
This soil is especially fertile and as such is highly valued by locals.
In some locations, the matupas are used as plots with crops being planted directly onto
the islands.
Others will instead opt to collect the soil itself to improve the fertility of their own
gardens.
Agriculture isn't the only benefit they provide to locals either.
Their unique location often make them premiere fishing spots as fish form homes and feeding
habits around the vegetation beneath and surrounding the matupas .
Number 3.
Tricky Spiders Across the Peruvian region of the Amazon Forest
are a new species of spider out of the Cyclosa family that crafts a nightmarish sculpture
within the webs it spins.
Utilizing the carcasses of prey along with various jungle debris, these small spiders,
only a few millimeters in size, construct exponentially larger decoys!
The building materials are arranged on their web in the shape of a half-dollar sized spider,
eight legs and all.
This intriguing biological phenomena was just discovered in 2012 around the same time as
another decoy constructing spider...found 11,000 miles away!
The purpose of these sculptures and the reason behind both of these spiders evolving similarly
across the world are still under debate by scientists.
Regardless, these decoy spiders are one of the most incredible discoveries in the Amazon's
recent history.
Number 2.
The Boiling River Perhaps one of the most perilous features
in the Amazon rainforest is the natural anomaly of the Boiling River.
Reaching temperatures of more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the river stretches for five and
a half miles, but less than 4 of those miles on the lower end is where the real danger
is posed.
Animals that fall into the water in this region are boiled alive and the heat of the river
is enough to terminate full grown people as well.
One of the oddities of the rivers existence, though, is the lack of the usual heat sources
for such violently blistering temperatures.
No volcanoes or fumaroles surround the area, and even stranger, the river actually begins
as a cold stream.
The best hypothesis offered by scientists right now suspects that water actually enters
the river through cracks in the earth and thus carrying heat from inner layers of the
planet.
No matter where it comes from though, the water is highly cherished by locals as the
Boiling River is though to provide healing benefits and empower nearby flora.
Number 1.
Giant Snakes The legendary giant snakes of the rainforest
are more than just regional superstition.
The infamous green anacondas of the Amazon rainforest are not only the heaviest and thickest
snake of the region but also the world!
On average these titanic serpents can grow around 18 feet in length, weigh nearly 500
or more pounds and gets to be about a foot wide in girth.
But these measurements are relatively tame as some reports tell of individual specimens
measuring 30 feet or more!
Capable of overpowering jungle creatures as large as jaguars, these monstrous reptiles
prowl the floors of the river as well as the jungle, scouring for any prey they can wrap
in their powerful coils before swallowing it whole.