10 DEADLIEST River Monsters Of The Amazon!

Hi, it’s Katrina! From the biggest snakes on the planet, to sharks that just might surprise you as you go for a swim, here are 10 of the deadliest river monsters of the amazon!

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10. Giant Leech
One look at the Giant Leech and you might think you’re watching an episode of The X-Files, but no. This creature is real and it lives in the Amazon. The species was discovered in 2007, when one was removed from the nose of a young girl in Peru. The attending doctor sent the specimen to a colleague at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, who was not able to figure out which family of leeches it belonged to.

9. Green Anaconda
Pound for pound, the Green Anaconda is the largest snake in the world. The Anaconda isn’t just a creature from the movies. They live in rivers, swamps and marshes of the tropical rainforests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Even though they have a bad reputation for attacks on humans, reports of them eating humans are extremely rare (unless of course, you are keeping one as a pet. Then it is at your own risk).

8. Payara
Just because the Payara is small, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pack a big bite. In fact, the fish gets its nickname, Vampire Fish, from the dagger-like fangs that protrude from their lower jaws. Bright silver in color, the fish put those fangs to good use, using them to impale their victims. But their teeth are just the beginning. Known for their acrobatic jumps, lightning-fast movements and brute strength, these fearsome little fish can actually grow to over 40 pounds.

7. Sawfish
Picture a shark with a long snout that has a flattened blade for its nose and studded teeth and you'll know exactly what a Sawfish looks like. The largest of the shark-like rays, there are five species of Sawfish, with the largetooth sawfish even reaching some 25 feet in length!! Some have been found that weighed between 1100-1300 pounds, but it could be even more.

6. Arapaima
A sleek, freshwater fish that is native to the Amazon River, the Arapaima is a broad shaped fish with a bony head and a dorsal fin that stretches along their back towards their tail. One of the most fascinating things about it, is that it can breathe air. Usually with a copper green head, the Arapaima is found in the rainforest rivers of the AMazon Basin and nearby lakes and swamps. One of the world's largest freshwater fish, these giants can reach 9 feet (2.75 meters) long and weigh up to 440 pounds (200 kilograms).

5. Pacu
Although the Pacu is known as the vegetarian piranha, what’s most scary about them is their teeth. As you can see they don’t have pointed fangs, like the Payara. But their teeth look shockingly human. With two sets of blunt molars that are used to crack nuts and grind up plants, the Pacu might give you more of a fright if it happens to bare its teeth, rather than from its potential for attack.

4. Black Caiman
If you came looking for a giant predator, look no further than the Black Caiman. While caimans and alligators are both members of the Alligatoridae family, Caimans live in the warm, freshwater marshlands and rivers of central and South America, most notably the Amazon Basin. A way to tell them apart is to look at the shape of their snout- when alligators and caimans close their mouth, only the teeth in the upper jaw are visible because they have an overbite, like us. The upper jaw consequently has quite a smooth jawline.

3. Bull Shark
If you thought swimming in freshwater meant you wouldn't run into a shark, think again! Bull Sharks can actually thrive in both saltwater and freshwater thanks to their specially developed kidneys that can sense the change in salinity of the water they are swimming in.

2. Red-Bellied Piranhas
A freshwater fish, the piranha is well known for its sharp teeth and carnivorous nature. But with so many species with a wide range of diets, does every piranha deserve its bad reputation? Inhabiting the freshwaters of South America from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela up to the Parana River in Argentina, approximately 30 species of piranhas can be found in South America today.

1. Poison Dart Frog
Sometimes, deadly things come in small packages. Take the Poison Dart Frog. They are the most poisonous animal alive and are so lethal that native hunters use them to make poison darts. Hunters from a tribe in Colombia regularly hunted birds, monkeys and other animals using poison darts, taking the poison from the bright yellow frogs to construct the deadly projectiles.

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