#1 Sun Halos
Sometimes itÂÂ’s not whatÂÂ’s actually going on in the Amazon; itÂÂ’s what going on high up above it. The northern hemisphere may have its northern lights, but the Amazon has something known as sun halos. These rainbows, which form around the sun, are the result of sunlight interacting with the ice crystals floating around high up in the atmosphere. You wonÂÂ’t always see them when youÂÂ’re down there, but you just might
#2 Hello, Darkness My Old Friend
In the lushest parts of the Amazon, the canopy is really thick. And, by really thick, we mean REALLY THICK. In fact, the canopy in these places can actually succeed in blocking out 99% of sunlight, leading to a very dark jungle floor where all kinds of interesting animals and plants thrive. This sun-blocking effect (which is, in truth, an absorbing effect) is perhaps the most important role the Amazon and other rainforests play in regulating the EarthÂÂ’s temperature.
#3 The Jesus Lizard
No, weÂÂ’re not talking about that band your hipster buddy in the thrash rock band enjoys, although we are talking about the animal from which that band derives its name. If you look at the picture above, we bet that you can figure out why these creatures have come to be known as Jesus lizards. ThatÂÂ’s right! It is possible for these reptiles to literally walk (or, more accurately, run) on water. Although, they eventually have to swimÂÂ… But, itÂÂ’s cool while it lasts, right?
#4 ThatÂ’s A Big Rainforest!
The Amazon is absolutely enormous, a fact thatÂÂ’s hard to appreciate even when youÂÂ’re looking at it on the map. How big is it? It covers just over 2.12 million square miles. ThatÂÂ’s large enough to cover more than half the territory of the United States, which includes Alaska, Hawaii and other protectorates. For another comparison, the country of Australia only covers 2.97 million square miles.
#5 Dynamite Trees
Like we mentioned, the Amazon is home to a variety of strange plants an animals. One of the strangest may be the dynamite tree, which is also known as a sandbox tree. What makes it so strange? In order for these trees to spread their seeds, they bear fruit. Now, instead of dropping to the forest floor when it becomes ripe, the fruit actually explodes, which sends seeds hurtling as far away as 150 feet.
#6 Poison Dart Frogs
Amphibians are the coolest, arenÂÂ’t they? Well, while you might want to get up close and personal with a glass frog to check out its heart, youÂÂ’ll definitely want to stay away from these nasty little buggers. Sure, theyÂÂ’re brightly colored and interesting to look at, but just a simple touch could cause instant paralysis that will almost certainly lead to death. They donÂÂ’t call them poison dart frogs for no reason, you know?
#7 Candiru Fish
Poison dart frogs sound pretty bad, donÂÂ’t they? Well, there just one of many dangerous animals that youÂÂ’re likely to encounter in the Amazon. However, you have the advantage of being able to see the poison dart frog. The candiru fish? Not so much. These little buggers are incredibly tiny, and theyÂÂ’re vicious parasites. Do you know what they have a proclivity for? Human orifices, and weÂÂ’re not talking about your mouth and your nostrils. WeÂÂ’re talking aboutÂÂ… You get the picture.
#8 The Bodele Depression
“This is a list about the Amazon,” you say. “So, why are we talking about a stretch of desert located thousands of miles away in Chad?” you ask. Well, thereÂÂ’s simple reason. Transatlantic winds carry the sand and dust from the Bodele Depression all the way across the Atlantic Ocean and to the Amazon, fertilizing it. Were it not for this stretch of desert, the Amazon would likely not even exist.
#9 Electric Eels
Danger! Danger! High voltage! When you touchÂÂ… An electric eel! Although these creatures are called eels, theyÂÂ’re actually a species of knife fish. But, they look like eels, and swim like eels, so weÂÂ’ll just call them eels! Aside from using its zapping power to attack the things that it wants to eat, it will also use its electricity to light up the water so that it can see where itÂÂ’s going. Crazy little buggers, arenÂÂ’t they?
#10 Mysterious Plants
ThereÂÂ’s a popular misconception these days that science has managed to pretty much figure out everything that there is to know about the world, and that explorers have discovered all that there is to explore. This isnÂÂ’t the case. Consider the plants of the Amazon, which have been the source of nearly one-quarter of all of the drugs we use today. Over 99% of the AmazonÂÂ’s plants have yet to fully studied and analyzed.
#11 Uncontacted Tribe
The flip side of science and explorers having yet to find everything there is to find in the world is that there are still tribes of people that have not had contact with the outside world for centuries. A recent expedition to the Amazon uncovered one such tribe, which was photographed by airplane. Can you imagine what it must be like to live in the deepest parts of the Amazon, to have had no contact with modern technology, and to see a plane up in the sky? Mind blowing!
#12 The Rio Hamza
Everyone knows about the Amazon River. In fact, weÂÂ’ve discussed a lot of aspects about it thus far. But, did you know that thereÂÂ’s another river in the Amazon thatÂÂ’s as equally important. ItÂÂ’s called the Rio Hamza. Good luck trying to find it on a map, though. This river is actually completely underground, is much wider than the Amazon, and carries over forty times the amount of water than the Thames in England.
#13 Anacondas
The anacondas that you may be familiar with are the kind that donÂÂ’t want none if you ainÂÂ’t got buns, hun. In the Amazon rainforest, specifically in the river that bears its name, anacondas are very real and can be very dangerous. These kind donÂÂ’t care about the size of your posterior. Instead, theyÂÂ’re more interested in you a potential food source and can use their powerful muscles to literally squeeze the life out of you.
#14 Pink Dolphins
WhatÂÂ’s cuter than a regular dolphin? How about a pink dolphin, a fresh-water variant of the dolphins youÂÂ’re familiar with, that lives in the Amazon River? Admittedly, you may not find these creatures as cute as the real deal, as they have humps on their backs instead of fins. But, theyÂÂ’re pink! So, thatÂÂ’s got to count for something, right? And, you may even find one thatÂÂ’s REALLY pink, if itÂÂ’s one that inhabits the deeper waters of the Amazon River.
#15 Glass Frogs
If you spend enough time in the Amazon, youÂÂ’re sure to so a diversity of frogs like you never imagined. Some of them are colorful, some camouflaged, and some are even incredibly poisonous. The coolest of them all, however, may be the glass frog, which has completely translucent skin, allowing you to look directly at its internal organs. Seriously, look at that thing up above, how cool is that?
