Why is the Amazon river so unique?

The Amazon River flows for more than 6,600 km, and with its hundreds of tributaries and streams contains the largest number of freshwater fish species in the world. Equally impressive are the unfathomable numbers of mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles4 found across the biome.



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The Amazon River flows for more than 6,600 km, and with its hundreds of tributaries and streams contains the largest number of freshwater fish species in the world. Equally impressive are the unfathomable numbers of mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles4 found across the biome.

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The Amazon River is by far the world's largest river by volume, carrying more than five times the volume of the Congo or twelve times that of the Mississippi. It drains an area nearly the size of the forty-eight contiguous United States and has over 1,100 tributaries, 17 of which are longer than 1000 miles.

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Underground river 'Rio Hamza' discovered 4km beneath the Amazon. Covering more than 7 million square kilometres in South America, the Amazon basin is one of the biggest and most impressive river systems in the world.

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It has a wide range of biomes from untouched forest, to alpine zones, to big cities to a delta. This means there are a huge range of places that you could potentially swim - how safe each of those is, is very very dependent on where it is.

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In the waters The biggest water-dwelling mammal, and probably the biggest mammal in the Amazon altogether, is the Amazonian Manatee. A distant relative of the elephant, the Amazonian Manatee can grow up to 2.8m and weigh up to 540kg, with the female usually larger than the male of the species.

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The Amazon river carries a lot of sediment (particles of mud and sand), which gives the water a muddy-brown color. Its largest tributary (branch), the Rio Negro, or black river, is filled with chemicals washed out of soil and plants, making the water very dark.

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In areas where vast inland waterways are insufficiently policed, these kinds of vessels can be an easy target for pirates. These conditions are particularly common in the Amazon areas, where locals call these criminals 'river rats'.

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The Amazon River is the second-longest river in the world. Running through the Amazon Rainforest in South America, it is more than 4,000 miles long and home to many different animals and plants. The Amazon River has over 1,100 tributaries, rivers or streams that are connected to a larger river or lake.

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'Cow of the Amazon' An omnivore, the pirarucu can grow up to three meters (9.8 feet) long and weigh over 200 kilograms (440 pounds). Caught with nets and harpoons, the giant fish is relatively easy to spot and kill as it needs to surface to breathe about every 20 minutes.

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