Brace yourself for an animal so monstrous
it's named after one of the most
formidable predatory creatures in Greek mythology.
And it's armed with enough natural
weaponry when it takes to the sky
everything below needs to run for its life.
It's the harpy eagle,
genetically programmed to seek and destroy
any prey it targets.
With a wingspan substantially longer
than the average height of a human,
it can also fly as fast as a speeding car.
Strolling through the Amazon rainforest?
Look up.
Way up.
If you've packed binoculars and a lucky rabbit's foot,
you might spot the nest of a pair of harpy eagles
anywhere from 27 to 43 m (90 to 140 ft)
in the canopy above you.
It's a sight you won't ever forget,
since it'll be 1.2 m (4 ft) thick
and 1.5 m (5 ft) across,
with a lining made of greens and fur.
It might also be guarded by two of the planet's
strongest eagles
packing talons larger than a grizzy bear's claw,
up to 13 cm (4 in) in size.
The harpy eagle also mates for life,
so you might be making eye contact with
animals that weigh up to 11 kg (24 lb)
and have been ridiculously efficient hunting partners
for over 30 years.
One thing is for certain with this encounter.
Those harpy eagles
and the feather crest atop
their heads
saw you
long before you saw them.
That's because these stealthy airborne attackers
can spot something an inch (2.5 cm) long from nearly
200 m (656 ft) away.
It's an ability that comes in handy when a
territorial harpy parent
is on the prowl for dinner for its chick.
As one parent guards the nest,
the other will scan an area for snakes,
porcupines and armadillos.
The female harpy,
which is often twice the size of the male,
is even capable of using brute force to grab sloths
and monkeys from the rainforest canopy.
Putting its 2 m (6.5 ft) wingspan to good use,
an adult howler monkey is no match
for the lifting power of the muscular legs
and piercing talons belonging to this Amazon raptor.
Just ask the very vocal howlers living on Panama's
Barro Colorado Island,
a biological reserve.
In 1999,
two tagged harpy eagles were released on the island
as part of a study.
Scientists wanted to see how the howler monkeys
living there
would react to predators
after being unchallenged for decades.
For the island's newest residents,
part of a species that prefers living in isolation in the same
territory for years if possible,
it was like a heavenly primate buffet.
Using their flight speed that can reach up
to 80 km/h (50 mph),
the two harpy eagles
feasted on unsuspecting howlers at will.
Until the howlers devised a defensive strategy, that is.
Already known
for their repertoire of ear-piercing screams,
the Barro Colorado Island howlers developed
a new warning call they'd unleash whenever
they heard the ominous screech a harpy eagle lets out
prior to attacking.
The result was the harpy's potential prey
scattering,
while also scaring off the would-be attacker
with their own alarm signals.
So, these particular harpy eagles
were a little spooked on the island,
but why is it this, one of the most
powerful birds on the planet,
is listed as a near threatened species?
Unfortunately, humans
have a natural ability for obliterating the regions
harpy eagles usually call home for their entire lives.
Combine this with
poachers selling their feathers and impressive
claws,
and we become the one animal the harpy eagle
doesn't stand a chance against.
This also includes
a giant centipede known for eating birds for lunch.
Now weird can you watch a video about that I wonder.
It's equipped with deadly talons,
immense strength
and insane flight speed.
No wonder we need to call the harpy eagle