The Amazon includes the tropical forests that surround the Amazon River basin, in the central region of South America. These forests are the largest in the world, so much so that many areas are still virgin and unknown. In fact, most of its species are thought to be undescribed.
The Amazon Basin is considered one of the world's most biodiverse areas. It is due to its great variety of habitats, which is home to unique species. Do you want to know some? In this article on our site we talk about some of the most interesting animals of the Amazon.
1. Sloth (Bradypus tridactylus)
The sloth is one of the best-known animals of the Amazon. It is distributed from the south of the Orinoco, in Venezuela, to the north of Brazil. It takes refuge in the humid tropical mountain forests, where it can almost always be seen hanging upside down from a branch.
The name “sloth” has not been chosen at random, since this animal does not move more than a few meters a dayThe rest of the time (about 20 hours) is dedicated to resting. But, in reality, it is not that they are lazy, but that they move so little because their metabolism works very slowly. That is, the process of transforming food into energy is very slow.
His ability to stay still in a tree allows him to not have to go down to the ground very much. Thus, it is always safe from predators and perfectly camouflaged. Also, with aging, sloths turn green. However, in reality, it is not them, but some algae that live in their hair. This is the best possible camouflage. If you want to know more curiosities about the sloth, don't miss this other article.
two. Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator)
The emperor tamarin, also known as the emperor tamarin, is a type of monkey endemic to a small area of the Amazon located between Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. It owes its name to the German Emperor Wilhelm II, who had a striking mustache similar to those of this New World monkey.
In addition to their curious appearance, these Amazon animals stand out for presenting polyandry This is an unusual form of organization consisting of groups hierarchical formed by several males and a single female The female leads the group and mates with all the males. When the babies are born, they are the ones who take care of her, leaving her alone to breastfeed
3. Toucans (family Ramphastidae)
These Amazon animals are unmistakable for their huge, brightly colored beaks. Although they are distributed throughout almost the entire American continent, many species are native to the Amazon. For example, Selenidera culik or Andigena laminirostris.
These Amazon birds can reach a height of 60 centimeters, although there are very small toucans. This is the case of the toucans (Aulacorhynchus spp.). Behaviorally, toucans are monogamous, like many other birds. They use tree holes to lay their eggs and both parents take care of the young.
In the image we can see the Andean Grey-breasted Toucan (Andigena laminirostris).
4. Arrau turtle (Podocnemis expansa)
The charapa arrau is a freshwater turtle that can measure up to a meter in length. Its shell is wide and flattened, similar to that of the Spanish Galapagos.
During the breeding season it is easy to see many of these turtles on the sandbanks that the Amazon and Orinoco rivers create in their path. Like sea turtles, charapa arrau gather on these river "beaches" to lay their eggs buried in the sand. When they are born, the little turtles run to the water to be safe.
5. Arrowhead Frogs (family Dendrobatidae)
The dendrobatids are a family of amphibians known as arrowhead frogs. Its name is due to the fact that some human tribes smeared the tips of their arrows with an ointment prepared with these frogs. As you may have already found out, are poisonous
They are one of the best-known animals of the Amazon, not only for their powerful venom, but also for their color. Their skin patterns and colors indicate to predators that they are poisonous. In this way, both win. Intense coloration and recognizable patterns are a very common type of visual communication. If you are interested in this topic, we leave you another article on our site about Communication between animals.
6. Pirarucu (Arapaima gigas)
The pirerucú or paiche is the second largest freshwater fish in the world. It can reach three meters long. For this reason, it is one of the most coveted animals in the Amazon by fishermen and is in critical danger of extinction.
In addition to its size, this fish stands out among the animals of the Amazon for its parental care. The two parents faithfully dedicate themselves to the care of the young, guiding them to the feeding sites.
7. Bullet ant (Paraponera clavata)
The Sateré-Mawé tribe performs a strange ritual when an adolescent reaches maturity. They put on gloves made from live ants and must endure the painful bites from him. It is the bullet ant, responsible for one of the most painful stings in the world of insects.
During the bite, these ants inject a poison, which is responsible for the pain. In addition, it is a neurotoxin that affects the nervous system. It is the reason that many of these adolescents lose consciousness. For this reason, bullet ants are one of the most dangerous animals in the Amazon.
8. Social spiders (Anelosimus spp.)
The spiders of the genus Anelosimus stand out among the animals of the Amazon for their social behavior. That is, like ants and bees, these animals form a kind of colony in which they cooperate in capturing prey and caring for the eggs.
Collaboration in obtaining food results in greater efficiency: they can capture larger prey than if they acted alone. In turn, the protection of foreign egg sacs prevents the loss of offspring and promotes rapid colony growth.
9. Owl Butterflies (Caligo spp.)
Owl butterflies are distributed from Mexico to Brazil. Therefore, they are not just animals of the Amazon, but they have a great story to tell us.
These butterflies owe their name to a drawing on the bottom of their hind wings. Such a drawing is very similar to the eyes of an owl. Thus, when they open their wings, predators mistake them for a much larger animal and decide not to eat them.
Endangered Animals of the Amazon
Over the last few decades, the Amazon has suffered enormous deforestation. As a consequence, many habitats are disappearing and, with them, the animals that inhabit them. We show some of the animals of the Amazon that are in danger of extinction or are close to being declared as such:
- Golden Lion Tamarind (Leontopithecus rosalia) – is a squirrel-sized monkey with dense golden fur. Its great beauty is one of the reasons why it has been captured indiscriminately.
- Jaguar (Phantera onca): it is one of the largest cats in the world. Although it is listed as a near threatened species, its populations are in decline.
- Pink Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis): This is the largest freshwater dolphin. It is threatened by trawling that has replaced traditional methods.
- Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maxirius): This shelled mammal is listed as vulnerable. In addition to deforestation, the cause of its decline is hunting for sale to collectors or zoos.
- Giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis): it is the largest known river otter. Currently there are less than 5,000 individuals in the wild.
- Amazonian Tapir (Tapirus terrestris): it is a hoofed mammal that can weigh up to 300 kg. Their meat and skin are highly valued, so hunting is one of the main reasons why some populations are in danger. However, it is listed as vulnerable.
- Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla): known as “yurumí”, it is listed as vulnerable. It is hunted by hunters and coveted by collectors.
- Hyacinth Macaw (Anodohynchus hyacinthinus): the beautiful “blue macaw” is highly valued in the market. It is due to its use as a pet and its coveted feathers. They are the main causes of their indiscriminate capture.
- Pijuí de Roraima (Synallaxis kollari): it is a small reddish bird with a black and white beard that is critically endangered.
- Cotinga de Apolo (Bolivian Phibalura): also known as “Bolivian little treasure” is in danger due to the rapid loss of its habitat.
- Golden Poison Frog (Phyllobates terribilis). Like most amphibians, it is in danger of extinction due to the loss of wetlands and increasingly prolonged droughts.
If you are interested in knowing more about endangered Amazon animals, we recommend you read this other article about Animals in danger of extinction in Brazil.
Other animals of the Amazon
In addition to the animals described, there are many other animals in the Amazon. We leave some of them in this list:
- Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea)
- Common Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciaureus)
- Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
- Blue-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna)
- Bald Parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala)
- False cylindrical corals (Anilius scytale)
- Brown basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus)
- Glass Frog (Centronelidae)
- Electric Eel (Electrophorus electricus)
- Motor ray (Potamotrygon motoro)
- Silver Arawana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum)
- Black neon tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi)
- Piranhas (Serrasalminae)
- Red catfish (Phreatobius dracunculus)
- Yellow Scorpion (Tityus serrulatus)
- Titan beetle (Titanus giganteus)