Rainforest Facts you Need to Hear

Did you know?

About the Amazon River Dolphin

Amazon river dolphins, also known as Boto, Bufeo, or Pink River Dolphins, are the largest species of river dolphins in the world, and can reach 185kgs (408 pounds) in weight and 2.5m (8 feet) in length.

They have small eyes and poor eyesight (because they live in murky waters) but they have an organ called a Melon that they use for Bio Sonar (Echolocation).

In traditional Brazilian folklore, the Pink River Dolphin has the magical ability to transform into a handsome man during the full moon and join in human festivities. The Man/Dolphin wears a white suit and a hat to cover it’s untransformed fins, and woos the most beautiful woman it can find into going with him to the bottom of the river to become impregnated and then transforms back into a dolphin the next morning. It is a myth commonly used to explain pregnancies out of wedlock and children who are raised by single mothers are often called “Children of the Boto“.

Inia geoffrensis – Photo Credit: Nortondefeis

About the Amazonian Jaguar

The Jaguar (Panthera onca), also called Spotted-Panther and Black-Panther (for the melanistic variant) is a large mammal present in most of the American continent, but the majority of it’s populations live in Brazil. Not to be confused with the Leopard (Panthera pardus) which is more commonly found in Asia and Africa, the Jaguar is the third largest feline after lions and tigers, and the biggest feline prevalent in the American continent.

It is mostly found in tropical rainforests and its presence in an area is usually correlated to the presence of water (for a feline it has a remarkable love of swimming). It has an especially powerful bite for a large feline, which permits it to bite through the hard shells of reptilian animals like crocodiles or turtles. It is estimated that out of all the Spotted-Panthers in America, 50% are in Brazil and they can be found in every Brazilian biome.

It is a Super-Predator, meaning it is at the top of the food chain and most of the time it’s only predator are humans, although eventually a Jaguar can be taken down and eaten by a very lucky or very brave crocodile or large snake. They are very important for the environment because they keep the populations of smaller mammals under control. They usually are very solitary creatures and are most active during twilight.