What Animals Live In The Amazon River?

Amazon River Dolphin

Amazon River dolphins, or ‘boto’ (Inia georginensis), are a species of river dolphins found in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins of South America. Here’s a detailed description:

Physical Characteristics

Color: They are born gray and change to pink with increasing age. Their pink coloration is not uniform and depends on the water temperature and diet, along with the location of their skin capillaries.

Size: Adults can measure around 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in length and weigh approximately 100 to 160 kilograms (or 220 to 350 pounds).

Body Shape: They possess a slender and elongated body, a conical mouth with numerous teeth that allow fish to be caught, and an ovate protrusion on the head known as a ‘melon.’

Fins: Their flippers are broad and paddle-shaped and have a long dorsal ridge in the place of a fin, which allows them to be very agile in flooded forests.

Habitat

They are distributed in the whole area of Amazon along with the Orinoco River system and their tributaries situated in Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia.

They are found in flooded forests, lakes, and calmer parts of rivers and streams as they adapt to changing water levels during the wet season.

Behaviour and Diet

Typically seen individually or in pairs to up to four, which is very small when compared to oceanic dolphins. More of a solitary species compared to oceanic dolphins

Diet: Carnivorous, feeding on over 50 species of fish, as well as crustaceans and even small turtles.

Echolocation: They rely on echolocation to hunt in murky water.

Reproduction

Mating occurs during the flood season; calves are usually born during the low water season when food is more abundant.

Gestation lasts about 11–15 months, and calves stay with their mothers for a long period to learn survival skills.

Conservation Status

Listed as Endangered by the IUCN due to habitat degradation, pollution (especially mercury from gold mining), accidental entanglement in fishing gear, and use in illegal bait fisheries.

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Arapaima

The estuaries of the Amazon and Essequibo basins are home to the Arapaima, a massive carnivorous fish. It has been documented that these fish can grow up to 3m in length and weigh roughly 90kg. With a torpedo-like Shape and large scales that are blackish-green in color, the Arapaima is engulfed in a hard mineralized outer shell. To breathe they exclusively rely on sucking in surface oxygen. They prey on twigs of therian smaller fishes, small stenochaetidae, and crustaceans. The Arapaima's stock is terribly exploited by humans because of the ulcers. Its tongue is processed to prepare traditional medicines, while nail files are created using its bony scales. Many people believe Arapaima is overfished due to a lack of population or resources.

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Electric Eel

Electrophorus electricus is classified as an electric fish, not an eel. The body of this fish is long and cylindrical, sporting a hefty figure of around 2m in height. It is the single largest member of the Gymnotiformes clan. The lips of the eel are deeper, gray and range from yellow to orange for the stomach. This fish can produce electricity using the three pairs of its abdominal organs. Both low and high voltage electric discharges are generated by the fish. Powerful release is mainly used by the eel

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Giant Otter

Pteromata brasiliensis is a carnivorous land mammal which dwells in the waters of the Amazon River. The species name suggests it is the longest member of the weasel family. It can reach a length of 1.7 m. The giant otter, like other mustelids, is social and lives in family units that range in size from three to eight members. The giant otter is diurnal. It's diet mainly consists of fish but can also include turtles, snakes, small caimans, and crabs. The noisiest of all otter species, the giant otter is also highly territorial. Sadly, rampant poaching of the species for its luxurious fur has decimated populations of the giant otter, which has led to its IUCN status of “Endangered”.

Pacu

A group of several species of omnivorous freshwater serrasalmid fish from the Amazon basin is called pacu. They appear to be like piranhas, but the pacu displays a different type of dentition. Unlike piranhas, the pacu has much squarer and straighter teeth with a less prominent underbite. The pacu is also more reliant on plant material. Pacu also grows larger than piranhas. Specimens that are over 1 m long and more than 40 kg in weight have been found. Pacu has also been introduced to other parts of the world. Pacu are often sold to home aquarium owners as "vegetarian piranhas”. These fish are also caught in game fishing and commercial fishing operations.

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Piranha

The word ‘piranha’ brings to mind the image of ferocious, river-dwelling fish that lie in wait for unfortunate victims for their next meal. Piranhas mostly reside in freshwater bodies in South America, including, but not limited to, the Amazon River, alongside the horrors and legends it has given rise to. Folklore suggests that any living, sentient creature venturing into the waters rich with piranha shall get mercilessly attacked and devoured. Regardless of how sketchy such claims may sound, they are very much exaggerated claims. While some fatalities have occurred due to alleged piranha attacks, most attacks only lead to superficial injuries, minor cuts, and bruises. Contrary to their villainous and bloodthirsty reputation, piranhas are omnivorous and consume a mixture of plant matter and animal life. In terms of bite strength, piranhas are said to possess some of the most powerful bites compared to other bony fish.

 Green Anaconda

Eunectes murinus contains the longest anaconda, along with another heaviest non-venomous boa species worldwide. E murinus can reach lengths of 5.21m, weighing anywhere between 30 - 70kg. Known as the green anaconda, this snake has an olive green base with black blotches running along the entire length of its body, and the head has orange-yellow stripes along the sides. These snakes reside in the Amazon basin slow slow-moving streams, swamps, and marshes. While they may be slow-moving on land, the water is a different story, where they move quite fast. They wait just below the water’s surface for their prey to show itself, which is then struck at the moment when it is detected. Once they capture their food, they wrap their body around it to constrict it until it suffocates and dies. The green anaconda captures many different forms of prey, such as mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, etc.