The mighty Amazon River slices
right through the lungs of the planet, so you know that it's home to incredible creatures.
Some are breathtaking, some are whimsical, and some... well, they are monstrous beyond
your wildest waking nightmares. Imagine a fish so sadistic that its singular goal is to lodge itself
in your urethra and feast on your blood. How about a leech as long as a toddler is tall, or a swarm
of tiny fanged fish that can strip down a person in seconds? Ancient terrors thrive in the Amazon,
including Electric Eels pulsating with six-hundred volts of electricity and elusive, muscular,
Green Anacondas. Sharks swim right below the murky waves, and a human-swallowing terror lies in wait
at the bottom of the river, a ghoulish monster almost too horrible to fully comprehend. Meet the
wild, untamed, Amazon, and nine of the scariest real-life monsters that lurk in her depths.
Terrifying creatures of the deep don’t just lie in wait in the chilly depths of the oceans: some
of them lurk in the murky waters of the Amazon River just waiting for some unsuspecting and
unfortunate soul to dip a toe into the shallows. Monsters live a lot closer to land than we’d
care to admit, so on this episode of What Lurks Below, we are counting down the top nine most
fearsome creatures of the Amazon River. Thought it was safe to venture into the jungle? Think again!
Arapaima Number nine combines tremendous size with a taste
for flesh. The Arapaima is a massive freshwater fish that routinely trawls the Amazon River
to feed its neverending quest for meat! These stupendous swimmers can grow to seven-feet long,
and although they usually prefer to snack on crustaceans and other water-dwellers,
they have been known to gulp down smaller mammals from the shore. That’s right: Arapaima will,
and do, use their enormous leverage to suck unsuspecting prey into the river.
Although there have been no credible accounts of humans falling victim to the mighty Arapaima,
there’s plenty of folklore that swirls around the colossal carnivores,
including one chilling tale where they knock fishermen off their boats. Hard pass!
Giant Leech Number eight:
the Giant Amazonian Leech. If you just involuntarily shuddered, you’re far from alone.
The Giant Leech grows to nearly twenty inches of pulsating, blood-sucking terror and was once
thought to be extinct. Imagine the surprise- and dismay- when it was discovered that these
slimy gargantuans are not only alive and well, but growing like mad.
While you’re unlikely to encounter these bloodthirsty critters outside
the Amazon River, anyone who takes a refreshing dip in the shallows of the famous jungle river
could emerge with some very clingy friends. If the Giant Leech wasn’t enough to turn your blood cold,
check out the next creature on our list! Pirhana
Our number seven pick has been popularized in pop culture, and it’s saying something
about the Amazon River that it’s far from the most terrifying aquatic abomination
on this list! A single Pirhana is not that scary, but get these tiny terrors
together and you have a swarm that will have you swearing off water for the rest of your life.
Feeding frenzies are real: and well documented! Piranhas are known for the three “S’s”- swarm,
strip, and savor. These sharp-toothed carnivores tear the flesh off their prey
while they’re still alive: and the warm blood gushing from your wounds is just bound to bring
more to the feast. Still, these swimming sadists have nothing on our next minuscule monster.
Candiru Number six: Candiru.
This itty-bitty fishy is barely the size of a toothpick, but it’s the perfect example of how
size doesn’t matter when it comes to ferocity. The Candiru is known as a parasitic fish,
and it’s petite size allows it to get into all sorts of inconvenient places- like the human body.
Candiru are the reason why you shouldn’t use your Amazon River swim as a chance to relieve yourself!
These barely-there fish look invisible in the cloudy waters, but
just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they can’t sense you- and they’re attracted
to warmth. Candiru have lodged themselves in the urethras of men by swimming up the urine stream.
As gross as that is, it’s even worse when you realize that one of these
creepy critters has clamped down on your privates! We’ll give you a minute here...
Payara Number five is a Frankenstein fish
that combines the athletic girth of a salmon, with rows of dagger-sharp teeth. They are powerful,
prey-driven, and generally pissed off, making these Vampire fish a
force to be reckoned with, and one you do not want to swim across!
Where are a lot of fish will ignore or avoid humans, the Payara just don’t care. They’ll barrel
right into you, slicing you up with their enormous fangs.
Get into a tangle with more than one Payara, and you’ll find yourself in
serious trouble. Think of them like the bigger, badder, roided up version of Pirhanas!
Electric Eel Not all of the
gruesome creatures of the Amazon River are traditional fish, as our number four pick
proves. Although it’s technically known as a knife fish, you know it as the Electric Eel:
a powerful animal that is part water snake, part fish, and all monster!
Electric Eels can produce up to six-hundred volts of electricity,
frying their prey immediately. Encountering one of these beasts is shocking to say the least,
but you have to be even more careful during mating season. Electric Eels are notoriously territorial
and will attack anything… or anyone… that has the misfortune of wandering into their lair.
Unfortunately, they’re not the most ferocious slitherer on our list!
Green Anaconda Number three: Green Anaconda. The Amazon is no
stranger to venomous and aggressive critters, but the Green Anaconda is the king of snakes in this
deep jungle. These monsters stretch thirty-feet on average and weigh in at nearly six-hundred pounds.
Don’t get it twisted: that’s hundreds of pounds of pure muscle and unparalleled squeezing power!
We’d love to tell you that this Anaconda don’t want none unless you’ve got buns hon, but we’d
be lying. The Green Anaconda isn’t a picky hunter at all and has been known to wrap its terrifying
body around jaguars, river otters, and even humans. If there’s one stealthy snake you need to
stay far away from, it’s the Green Anaconda! Bull Shark
Our number two pick proves that you don’t need to near an ocean to be vulnerable to sharks. The
Bull Shark is a versatile predator that can move seamlessly from salt to freshwater in the blink of
an eye, and these bloodthirsty and cranky sharks have been spotted in the center of South America.
Bull Sharks can grow over eleven feet in length and weigh in at nearly seven-hundred pounds.
They’re probably the only animal in the Amazon that an Anaconda won’t tangle with,
and you shouldn’t either if you ever have the misfortune of running across one.
Live to tell the tale, and you’ll be the life of every party for eternity:
but the cruel reality is that you won’t come out on top. Bull Sharks are one of the
most aggressive animals in the world. Still, they’ve got nothing on our number one pick...
Piraiba Our number one
pick is the ultimate nightmare fuel: a watery devil that literally swallows full-grown humans
alive. The Piraiba sounds like something ripped right out of the pages of a Stephen King novel,
but this aquatic beast is far too real. A massive catfish that grows to four-hundred pounds,
Piraibas rise from the silty depths of the river to ambush unsuspecting humans. A
stealthy and silent predator, you won’t see them coming. All of the eye-witness accounts come from
horrified witnesses on the shore, because nobody has ever encountered a Piraiba and survived.
These fiends are elusive and you won’t see one until it’s far too late. If that doesn’t keep you
out of the dim and dangerous depths of the world’s most famous river, we don’t know what will.
Which is the creepiest creature that lives in the amazonas? Let us know
in the comments below. Thanks for watching and don’t forget to subscribe to What Lurks Below!