Animals of the Amazon BY: Joey Aguilar

The Anaconda  The world's biggest snake is a fearsome predator and in the wild spends most of its time in water where it lies in wait for prey. Its main food consists of small mammals, aquatic birds and other reptiles.

The Black Caiman  Black caiman are big enough to take even the largest Amazon land animals. When an animal approaches close to the river bank, the caiman will lunge forward and grab the animal, pulling it under water where it quickly drowns.

Jaguar TTTThe Jaguar (Panthera onca) is the ultimate Amazon predator ­ top of the food chain and among the largest living cats. These animals are revered by local tribes, a sentiment not shared by hunters who treasure only the gorgeous pelt (see C C C C C oooo nnnn ssss eeee rrrr vvvv aaaa tttt iiii oooo nnnn ­ ­ ­ ­ hhhh uuuu nnnn tttt iiii nnnn gggg). Jaguars rarely venture into the trees, but they often hunt close to water for large terrestrial animals such as peccary, deer and capybara. They will also take birds, fish, turtles and smaller mammals. The jaguar is currently listed as endangered.

Three-Toed Sloth  The Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) is the slowest of all land animals ­ moving through the branches at one hundredth of a mile per hour! It is among the world's laziest animals, spending three- quarters of its life asleep.

Macaws  Macaws are the biggest tropical parrots, up to three feet from head to tail. They're perhaps the most colorful Amazon birds ­ in character as well as plumage! Although we think of them as good "talkers" (actually they mimic speech), most of the time they call out with incredibly deafening screeches.

Long Wing Butterfly  Here are a pair of longwing butterflies (Heliconius spp.) of two different species. Note how they share orange and black warning colors ­ for reasons outlined above. The species on the left is most likely Heliconius numata.

RED-BELLIED PIRANHA  The Red-bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) is the Amazon's most notorious animal. Its powerful bite and sharp teeth can sever a finger or toe, but there are, contrary to popular belief, no confirmed fatalities resulting from a mass attack

STRAWBERRY POISON DART FROG  This species is the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates reticulatus), which is quite common on the forest floor.

Thanks For Visiting The Amazon