The vast Amazon rainforest is always shrouded in unexplored mysteries, making a journey into the jungle full of dangers yet equally fascinating and stimulating to the curious mind. Let’s explore interesting facts about the Amazon rainforest in our article below.
1. Jesus Lizard
The Jesus Lizard can run on water.
This species of lizard is common in Central and South America, especially in the vast Amazon rainforest. They inhabit tree hollows to warm their body temperature. When startled by predators, these lizards often jump into streams or rivers to escape. They run very quickly, reaching speeds of 15 to 16 miles per hour. If they were as large as humans, that speed would equate to 800 miles per hour. Due to their agility, they can run on water as if flying.
2. Darkness
The canopy blocks out sunlight, making the ground perpetually dark.
In the thickest areas of the Amazon, the forest canopy is very dense and blocks 99% of sunlight, resulting in a dark ground that becomes a habitat for unique flora and fauna. At the same time, this phenomenon allows the Amazon and other tropical forests to help regulate the Earth’s temperature.
3. The Area of the Amazon is Equivalent to Australia
The Amazon has a vast area, equivalent to Australia.
When viewed on a map, you will see the astonishing vastness of the Amazon. With an area of 5.5 million square kilometers, the Amazon rainforest is half the total land area of the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) and nearly the size of Australia (7.7 million square kilometers).
4. Sandbox Tree
The Sandbox Tree is also known as the dynamite tree.
This tree species is found in the tropical forests of South and North America and the Amazon. Fishermen use the Sandbox Tree to poison fish in the rivers, while hunters in the Caribbean use its poison on the tips of their arrows. Its fruit explodes when ripe, dispersing seeds up to 45 meters away, hence its other name, dynamite tree.
5. Glass Frog
With its transparent skin, you can see the internal organs of the glass frog.
The glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium valerioi) belongs to the family Centrolenidae. These frogs are small, typically measuring between 3 to 7.5 cm in length. They are primarily nocturnal. Currently, scientists do not know what this species eats, but they believe they may consume small insects. Their underbelly is quite transparent, allowing visibility of their heart, liver, and digestive tract.
6. Poison Dart Frog
The Poison Dart Frog has vibrant colors to warn other animals of its danger.
This frog species is dubbed the “colored assassin”, a name derived from the fact that the indigenous peoples of Central and South America use their toxins to coat the tips of their darts for hunting purposes. The colors and displays of the poison dart frog serve as a subtle declaration to predators about a self-defense and combat strategy called color warning.
7. Candiru Fish
The Candiru fish is a small fish that seems harmless but is one of the scariest parasites on the planet.
This is perhaps the most feared freshwater animal, despite its small size. Essentially, the candiru belongs to the catfish family and predominantly feeds on larger fish in the Amazon. They are also very aggressive and will bite a person if they happen to encounter one.
8. Bodele Depression
Bodele Depression
Scientists have recently discovered an unusual connection between the world’s largest desert (the Sahara) and the largest tropical rainforest (the Amazon) through the Bodele Depression. Specifically, winds blowing across the Atlantic carry dust from the Bodele Depression, a desert in Chad, to the Amazon, enriching the forest. Without this desert, the Amazon would not exist.
9. Electric Eel
The electric eel can emit electric shocks to paralyze prey and illuminate underwater to see around.
In fact, this is a type of knife fish, but they resemble eels in appearance and swimming style. According to biologists, due to a unique internal organ system, the electric eel can generate electric currents exceeding 500 volts, enough to be lethal. They primarily hunt invertebrates, although larger individuals may also eat fish and small mammals. Electric eels only attack humans if provoked.
10. Mysterious Plants
Many mysterious plants have yet to be studied by scientists.
One square kilometer of Amazon rainforest can contain about 90,790 tons of surviving vegetation. Therefore, it is estimated that around 99% of plant species in this forest have not been studied by scientists.
11. Tribes Separated from World Civilization
Many unknown tribes live scattered throughout the forest.
It has been discovered that this tribe lives in the Javari Valley near the border with Peru. The newly discovered tribe may belong to the Pano language community, currently residing in this area. The Javari Valley is considered to have the “highest concentration of isolated tribal groups in the Amazon and the world” and may be home to approximately 2,000 indigenous people from at least 14 tribes.
12. Rio Hamza Underground River
Rio Hamza is a much wider underground river than the Amazon.
While everyone knows about the Amazon River, there is another equally significant river in this rainforest. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see it on any map. Rio Hamza is an underground river that is much wider than the Amazon, with a water flow 40 times that of the River Thames in England.
13. Anaconda
The Anaconda is the largest snake in the world.
Belonging to the group of the largest snakes in the world, the anaconda resides in the river basins and wetland areas of South America. According to biologists, the name “anaconda” originates from Tamil, meaning “elephant killer.” South American anacondas feed on fish, birds, reptiles, and small mammals, although they sometimes attack one another. Anacondas are non-venomous and typically kill their prey by constriction, suffocating them and breaking their bones before swallowing them whole.
14. Pink Dolphin
The Pink Dolphin is the smartest dolphin species.
The Pink Dolphin, also known as Boto, is recognized as the smartest dolphin species among all. Their brains are 40% larger than that of humans. They are friendly, sensitive, and have coexisted harmoniously with humans for centuries, but experts now say they face extinction in some river branches.
15. Bull Shark
The Bull Shark is one of the most dangerous shark species in the world.
Bull Sharks typically inhabit freshwater areas and can be found in the deeper waters of the Amazon River branches, such as Iquitos in Peru, which is 4,000 km from the ocean. This species can sense changes in the salinity of their surrounding water and can adapt to new environments. These sharks measure about 3.3 meters in length and weigh 312 kg. Like other shark species, they possess numerous sharp, triangular teeth and a powerful jaw capable of exerting a bite force of up to 589 kg. Bull Sharks are regarded as one of the most dangerous shark species in the world.
