With a territory that covers nine countries, it is home to the largest biodiversity on the planet: there are more than 40 thousand species of plants, 1,300 species of birds, 3 thousand types of fish, 430 different mammals, and 2.5 million species of insects! besides being very important for life on the planet, it is the largest tropical forest in the world! Thinking about this, I brought here 7 curiosities about the Amazon Forest! Follow the text and learn more. 🌳🌎
- The second longest river in the world
The Amazon River is the second longest river on our planet, second only to the Nile River. Its length is so large that it is almost the same distance between the center of Brazil and the center of Mexico! And there are researchers who dispute this information, also reclassifying the source of the Amazon, which would make it bigger even than the Nile!The Amazon River originates in Peru and flows into the Atlantic Ocean near the Tocantins River in northern Brazil.
- The greatest aquatic biodiversity of all the rivers in the world
Another curiosity about the Amazon Rainforest are its aquatic biomes and the vast fauna that exists there. Check out some of the species of the world’s largest aquatic biodiversity: manatees, pink river dolphins, and the Amazon turtle, have a look:
3. The giant wave
Still talking about the curiosities about the Amazon Forest, let’s talk about something unique: its waters. The word pororoca, of Tupi origin, means “to cause a big bang”, and was adopted to refer to one of the most impressive phenomena of nature, which occurs when the sea invades a river in the form of a big wave that crashes against the river current.
The pororoca, this giant wave, can reach up to 4 meters high and last up to an hour and a half, advancing 50 kilometers into the river! In the Forest region, this phenomenon usually happens at the mouth of the Amazon River.
And did you know that many surfers venture into surfing the pororoca? Even very experienced surfers, who participate in giant wave championships, say that the experience of surfing the pororoca is very difficult. This is because, unlike ocean waves (which last, at most, 40 seconds), the pororoca can be surfed for over an hour, making it totally exhausting. And therefore, even more dangerous than a giant sea wave! 🌊
4. The giant snake
The Sucuri, also known as Anaconda, is one of the most illustrious residents of the Amazon Rainforest. 🐍 It is considered the largest snake in the world in terms of weight and length, reaching up to 9 meters in length and weighing up to 135 kilos!
5. Amazonian Peoples
Among all the curiosities about the Amazon Rainforest, its native peoples cannot be left out, can they? According to the 2010 Census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), about 306,000 indigenous people live in the Amazon, most of them living in rural areas.
6. Third-largest cat in the world
Native to the Amazon Rainforest, the jaguar, which weighs between 56 and 92 kilograms (56 to 92 pounds) and measures between 1.12 and 1.85 meters (4 to 6 feet) tall, is considered the largest feline in South America and the third largest in the world! Incredible, isn’t it? 🐆
Considered the queen of the forest, the jaguar is a solitary animal that hunts mainly at night
7. Huge insects!
Finishing our list of curiosities about the Amazon Rainforest are the insects! Did you know that in the Amazon Forest there is a centipede that feeds on frogs, birds and even snakes? It is the Giant Centipede, which besides eating crickets, can eat rats and other animals much bigger than it. Moreover, it can live up to 10 years!
Another very interesting insect that lives in the Amazon Forest is the Giant Centipede Spider. It is the largest spider in the forest, measuring an average of 30 centimeters.
