The Amazon jungle is home to numerous species that make up twenty percent of those found on the planet. With an area of ​​two and a half million square miles, representing two thirds of South America, the Amazon rainforest spans nine countries: Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Guyana.

The Amazon rainforest, considered the world’s largest natural resource, makes up more than fifty percent of the earth’s total rainforest.

Known as the lungs of the earth, it produces more than twenty percent of the Earth’s oxygen; more than any other single source. As such, it is a vital source of the air we breathe.

Its canopies are home to the iconic toucan with its short, thick neck and large, colorful bill in combinations of red, black, blue, white, and red. Additionally, the Amazon rainforest is home to more than a third of all bird species found on Earth. Many of which are in danger of extinction due to the invasion of man and the deforestation of the tropical forest.

In addition to its abundant bird population, the Amazon rainforest is also home to the capybara. At two feet tall and weighing over a hundred pounds, the capybara is the largest rodent on the planet. An endangered species, it is an excellent swimmer, spending most of its days and nights, in and under water. The capybara exists primarily on a diet of aquatic vegetation, melons, gourds, and grass.

The largest mammal in the Amazon rainforest is not a land animal, as you might suspect, but lives in the Amazon River and its tributaries, the Amazon manatee. Also known as sea cows (reputation earned by their herbivorous habits and spending most of their days grazing). Some have even supposed that they saw mermaids when they encountered the Amazon manatee.

Considered the most beautiful of all the creatures of the Amazon jungle is the mythical pink Amazon river dolphin. Suffering the effects of the development of the Amazon rainforest, the Amazon pink dolphin is a species in serious danger of extinction due to the contamination of its habitat by agriculture, mining and industry. Local fishermen do not see the dolphin for its beauty due to its habit of tearing holes in its nets to steal its catch.

A beautiful, but deadly, resident of the Amazon rainforest is the jaguar. An excellent hunter and natural athlete, the jaguar grows up to six feet in length and can weigh up to two hundred pounds. Naturally adept on land or water, the jaguar can climb trees or run in search of its prey, or swim after aquatic prey such as pirarucú or turtles.

A less attractive, but just as dangerous, resident of the Amazon rainforest is its largest predator, the black caiman. With no natural enemies other than man, it can grow up to twenty feet long and weigh over three thousand pounds. It has been known to eat giant river otters, capybaras, and even humans.

Of course, the Amazon rainforest, with its diverse animal population, is home not only to large predators, but almost microscopic ones as well. One of the deadliest is the poison arrow frog. Harmless if left alone, it possesses the most powerful toxin known to man. Its toxin can kill up to a hundred people. Amazon Indians have long harvested the frog for its poison, which they use on the tips of their arrows when hunting.

The Amazon is a healthy environment for the legendary anaconda, which grows throughout its life. The largest ever caught was approximately twenty-eight feet long with a girth of forty-four inches and is estimated to have weighed nearly five hundred pounds.

The most infamous of all the wildlife in the Amazon rainforest is undoubtedly the piranha. The most feared and best known of all rainforest creatures is the red-bellied piranha. Feeding in large schools, they can converge and devour prey such as alligators, anacondas, and jaguars with their sharp teeth. However, contrary to popular myths, attacks on humans are extremely rare.