20 unexplained mysteries of the Amazon

Pink dolphins, whose official name is the Amazon river dolphin, can be found through the Amazon river basins in Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, and Venezuela. These creatures can only be found in freshwater and the population is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. For a bucket list experience, take a Delfin Amazon Cruise and you may get the chance to swim next to these magical creatures.

Learn about the mysteries scientists still can’t explain.

According to National Geographic red-bellied piranhas, found in lakes and rivers throughout South America, including the Amazon, are not man-eaters. It’s extremely rare for these sharp-teeth creatures to go after humans. Instead, these fish travel in groups (there can be up to 100 of them in a school) in order to be efficient hunters. They eat mainly shrimp, worms, and molluscs.

These scary-looking spiders may seem like their poison can take down a human, but the reality is a bite from one is not all that different than a bee sting. They mainly hunt at night and like to dine on insects, but are also known to eat frogs and mice, too. The way they eat their prey, however, is unusual: tarantulas use their legs to hold down their target then they inject it with paralysing venom – finally, they bite the prey with their fangs and suck up the bodies through their mouth.

While boas are often made out to be the villain, these slithering snakes don’t actually break the bones of their prey by crushing them. Instead, they wrap their bodies around their target so the victim’s lungs can’t expand and the prey suffocates. But don’t worry, they usually hide in the trees of the Amazon where they hunt for rodents, birds, lizards, frogs and monkeys.

While most animals camouflage themselves to blend into their surroundings, the poison dart frog is brightly coloured to warn off would-be predators. Their bright hues – ranging from blue, red, yellow, and green – make these tiny creatures a sought-after sighting in the Amazon. But don’t be fooled by its beauty: their skin secretes a poison that can paralyse – and in some cases – kill its prey. Poison dart frogs are endangered by climate change and a shrinking habitat.

Read about more of the biggest unsolved mysteries easily explained by science.

The Amazon region got its name from a Spanish soldier named Francisco de Orellana. In 1541, de Orellana was the first European to explore the area and reached the mouth of the river in 1542, according to Britannica. He returned to Spain with tales of the gold and cinnamon he found there. But he was also attacked by tribeswomen who were protecting their territory. They were so fierce he called them Amazons, a reference to female warriors in Greek mythology and the name stuck.

The Amazon has lost 17 per cent of its rainforest over the past five decades, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Converting the forest into land to raise cattle is the top reason for the decline in the rain forest. Deforestation is more common in areas where more people live, but it’s also on the rise in more remote areas after the discovery of natural resources such as gold and oil.

Residents of Brazil’s capital, Sao Paulo, have been breathing in black smoke due to widespread wildfires in the Amazon region. In 2019, forest fires were up 84 per cent from the year before – a record number, the Washington Post reported. Why? Wildfires are common during the dry season, and farmers have also been clearing land in the rainforest for agricultural purposes.

Sure, the prospects of piranhas and parasites were intimidating, but it didn’t stop a Slovenian man from becoming the first person to swim the entire length of the Amazon River in 2007, Time reported. It took Martin Strel 66 days to accomplish the nearly 5310-kilometres journey. He was 50 at the time and his diet included daily consumption of Slovenian wine.

Scientists were baffled in February 2019 when a dead humpback whale was discovered near the mouth of the Amazon River. The whales typically migrate back and forth between the poles, according to the New York Times. But this whale was about 6400 kilometres from its expected feeding grounds. The scientists hypothesised that the whale may have gotten separated from its mother.

Now, find out some weird facts most people don’t know.

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Source: RD.com