The Amazon rainforest is considered one of the harshest environments in the world, and
not just because of the terrain.
Here are 8 of the deadliest animals in the Amazon.
8.
Green Anaconda Hearing the word “anaconda,” the first
thing that comes to mind might be a cheesy 90’s horror film, but despite how fake the
films seem, the green anaconda is a truly deadly creature.
Although slower on land, the green anaconda is agile and menacing in the water.
So it only makes sense that it makes its home in the swamps, marshes, and streams of the
Amazon.
With an overwhelming length between 20 and 30 feet and weighing between 200 and 500 pounds,
it’s not surprising that the green anaconda is not only the longest, but the heaviest
snake in the world.
Like alligators, their eyes and nostrils are located on the top of their head, allowing
them to spot and stalk prey while remaining almost entirely hidden underwater.
Plus, with their green color accompanied with black and yellow spots, they are naturally
camouflaged.
Green anacondas are constrictors, wrapping themselves around large prey to suffocate
them before swallowing them whole.
They typically hunt fish, birds, pigs, capybara, deer, and they have even been seen eating
jaguars!
This just goes to show that they are not a reptile to be messed with.
7.
Poison Dart Frog This vibrant critter is not just small and
cute, but is incredibly deadly!
The poison dart frogs found in the Amazon rainforest are not only one of the most poisonous
animals in the world, but they are the most toxic vertebrate of all.
The poison they carry, called batrachotoxin, is an extremely potent alkaloid that affects
both the heart and nervous system.
A single adult frog can carry enough poison to kill well over 10 men even though the largest
ones only measure about 2 inches in length.
They are called poison dart frogs (or sometimes poison arrow frogs) because the natives used
to catch the frogs and use them to coat their blowgun darts.
The poison on the darts would remain potent for as long as a year.
However, they have since switched to using guns because they are ironically much safer
to carry and use while hunting.
Poison dart frogs come in a wide range of vibrant colors including: yellow, gold, copper,
red, green, blue, or black.
The bright colors and patterns serve as a warning of their toxicity to potential predators.
So, although they stick out in the rainforests, they rarely become part a predator’s meal.
6.
Harpy Eagle The harpy eagle is not just an impressive
sight, but in person it is quite an intimidating bird.
Its wingspan of up to 7.5 feet and body length of up to 40 inches make it the largest and
most powerful raptor, or bird of prey, in the world.
Its name refers to the harpies of Greek mythology, monsters in the form of a bird with a human
face.
On top of that, it also possesses talons roughly 3 to 4 inches in length; that’s as large
as a grizzly bear’s claws!
It uses these massive talons to hunt large prey such as sloths, monkeys, macaws, snakes,
and other larger forest animals.
Basically, they will hunt down and eat anything large that moves in the forest.
Typically the females are nearly twice the weight and size of the males, and the larger
the eagle, the larger the prey they go after.
Like several other animals on this list, the harpy eagle is an apex predator, having no
natural predators.
Because of this, they are known to not fear humans, often allowing people to approach
them, unlike other raptors.
Unfortunately, that makes this beautiful bird an easy target for hunters.
Currently, due to deforestation and hunting, the harpy eagle is listed as a near threatened
species.
On a brighter note, though, the harpy eagle is the bird that Fawkes the phoenix was based
on for the Harry Potter films!
5.
Jaguar The Jaguar is the largest big cat, not only
in South America, but in the entire western hemisphere.
Jaguars grow to be 4 to 6 feet in length, weighing between 100 to 250 pounds, with males
being considerably larger than females.
They are a stocky and powerful big cat.
The name “jaguar” actually comes from the Native American word “yaguar” which
means “he who kills in one leap.”
This is an especially fitting name considering jaguars are known to climb in trees to ambush
prey, often killing them with a single powerful bite.
Their jaw is so powerful that they can crush a skull with their bite and often crunch on
bones as a regular part of their diet.
After killing their prey, they will drag their bodies up trees to eat them, sometimes dragging
the carcass long distances to reach the nearest tree.
In addition to being excellent climbers, they are also adept swimmers and often eat fish,
turtles, and caiman in addition to their larger land-based prey.
What makes them truly a dangerous animal, though, is how aggressive and territorial
jaguars are.
They mark areas up to 50 square miles to claim as their territory.
4.
Brazilian Wandering Spider While most spiders build webs and wait for
unsuspecting victims to fall into their traps, the Brazilian wandering spider gets its name
from its hunting method of wandering across the forest floor in search of prey.
They are often referred to as “banana spiders” because they are sometimes discovered among
bushels of bananas in fruit shipments from South America.
At an average body size of 2 inches and an average leg length of 4 to 6 inches, this
spider’s size rivals that of even some of the largest tarantulas, however, it is much
deadlier.
Those who are bitten experience a large variety of symptoms like severe pain, sweating, high
or low blood pressure, abnormally fast or slow heartbeat, hypothermia, blurred vision,
and convulsions.
At higher doses, the venom often causes breathing difficulty and even loss of muscle control.
Oddly enough, in males the venom has been known to cause painful, long-lasting erections.
Regardless of the symptoms present, any bite from a Brazilian wandering spider is considered
potentially fatal and medical attention should be sought immediately.
After all, this spider belongs to the genus phoneutria which translates to “murderess”
in Greek.
3.
Black Caiman The black caiman is a large carnivorous reptile
belonging to the alligator family.
There are 6 different types of caiman, however, the black caiman is the largest, growing between
13 and 20 feet in length.
This makes it one of the largest alligator species in the world!
They look very similar to the typical American alligator except they are – you guessed
it – black.
But they are not only darker, they also possess shorter, more pointed snouts with longer and
sharper teeth.
These longer teeth are ideal for the caiman to snatch up and hold onto prey as they drown
them underwater.
Because their teeth are better suited for grabbing rather than ripping and tearing,
the black caiman typically swallows its meals whole.
Because of its black scales, it blends in well in the murky waters around the Amazon.
It usually hunts for fish or small mammals, occasionally going after larger prey along
the riverbanks such as capybara, deer, or pigs.
Like the harpy eagle, the black caiman has few natural predators, making it an apex predator.
Unfortunately, they were frequently hunted by humans for their valuable skin used in
clothing and various accessories.
At one point they were an endangered species, but in more recent years, their population
has been on the rise, prompting the removal of their endangered status.
2.
South American Rattlesnake This next deadly creature is often referred
to as the neotropical rattlesnake.
Like its North American counterparts, the neotropical rattlesnake tends to prefer more
dry and arid environments and savannas, it can also be found throughout grasslands and
more forested areas.
South American rattlesnakes grow to be roughly 5 to 6 feet long with two distinctive stripes
going down their bodies from the base of the head.
At the end of their tail is their trademark rattle which they use to warn nearby animals
(and people) to back off when they feel threatened and are ready to strike.
Their venom contains two different neurotoxins; crotoxin and crotamine, making it an exceedingly
dangerous animal to encounter.
Just a single bite from one of these snakes results in pain, impaired vision or complete
blindness, hypotension (or low blood pressure), heart damage, paralysis, and shock.
Clearly this is scary snake not only in its lethality or appearance, but in its sound
as well.
Should you ever hear that rattle, you definitely want to back away as fast as you can.
1.
Bull Shark The amazon is home to many deadly creatures
and critters, but you may not have guessed sharks as well.
The bull shark is one of just a few sharks that can survive in both freshwater and saltwater.
Typically, if put into freshwater most sharks will lose too much salt in their body to survive.
However, the bull shark possesses strong kidneys that can filter out more urea from the bloodstream
without filtering out as much salt, thus allowing it to acclimate to freshwater environments
gradually.
Thanks to this trait, bull sharks have been spotted as far 2,500 miles into the Amazon
where they hunt for fish, turtles, birds, dogs, and even cows.
They get their name from their aggressive demeanor, blunt snout, and tendency to head-butt
their prey right before biting them.
Many believe bull sharks head-butt their prey to identify them before attacking due to their
poor sight in the murky freshwater rivers.
Bull sharks are among the most likely sharks to attack humans right behind tiger sharks
and great white sharks.
It is speculated, though, that they actually attack humans the most, but that the attacks
go unreported or misidentified because of how difficult it is to see them in the murky
waters of the Amazon.
Though this cannot be confirmed, it doesn’t make them any less deadly.
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