What's so terrible about the Amazon River? Why does no one dare to swim in it?

Previously, the long-lasting fire in the Amazon rainforest attracted people's attention . This was the first time that many people paid attention to this dense jungle in South America and the river that flows quietly through it, the Amazon River.

The Amazon River as seen from the International Space Station

In fact, the Amazon River is quite famous in river rankings, and its "horror level" has always been among the top.

If we compare the Amazon River to the Yangtze River in my country, how is it more powerful? Why do some people say it is extremely scary and no one dares to swim in it? Next, let us go into the mysterious Amazon and see what secrets are hidden in this river.

The lush rainforest surrounding the Amazon River

Amazon River and Yangtze River

First of all, in terms of length, the Amazon River is the second longest river in the world , and our Yangtze River ranks third.

Secondly, in terms of water flow, the Amazon River can be said to crush other rivers, because its river flow can reach 219,000 cubic meters per second. Even if the flow of other major rivers such as the Nile River and the Yangtze River are added together, there is still a big difference.

Previously, some scholars compared the flow of the Amazon River and the Yangtze River and found that it would take seven Yangtze Rivers to equal the flow of one Amazon River . This shows that although the length is not much different, the flow is indeed very different.

Schematic diagram of Amazon River flow

In addition, the Amazon River covers a larger area than the Yangtze River. It has 15,000 tributaries and a drainage area of ​​approximately 6.915 million square kilometers , which is almost the same as the land area of ​​Australia.

It is also because of this that if the Yangtze River is only considered the mother river of the Chinese nation, then the Amazon River can be considered the mother river of most of the people in South America .

Amazon River Basin Map

From the comparison of the above natural conditions, the Amazon River is indeed better. However, this river is not really famous for these, but for its biodiversity .

Some rivers often breed some unique species based on their special hydrological conditions, such as the Yangtze sturgeon that was previously declared extinct in China. The Amazon River not only has a large number of special creatures, but the entire biological population is also extremely rich .

Map of important species in the Amazon River

Because of this, the Amazon River is also known as the Kingdom of Life , where a large number of fish, aquatic mammals, etc. live . They live very comfortably in an environment away from human disturbance, forming a relatively stable ecosystem.

From this perspective, traveling to the Amazon River should be a very enjoyable experience. Why do people say that it is actually very scary?

Schematic diagram of the Amazon ecosystem

Why is the Amazon River so scary?

In fact, the most amazing thing about the Amazon River, and what makes people afraid of it, is the variety of creatures . I believe many people have seen movies about giant pythons eating people and giant crocodiles chasing people. Maybe you think these movies have no prototypes, but in fact the Amazon River and the Amazon rainforest are the real prototypes .

First, let's talk about the "Amazon Anaconda" that gives people goosebumps when they think of it. This guy lives in the Amazon River, and often lives in shallow water . According to current research, the length of the Amazon Anaconda is at least 5 meters, and the diameter of its body is about the same as the width of an adult man's torso .

Imagine that you are sitting on a boat and passing through a shallow water area. You thought there were only some small fish and shrimps underwater, but then a big guy swam past you. Its body was as thick as a bucket, and its mouth could open 180 degrees . Anyone who saw this would probably just want to return the same way and never want to travel here again.

Size comparison between humans and Amazon anacondas

The second is the caiman, which is at the forefront of the food chain in the Amazon River. A video of a Chinese alligator eating snow cakes attracted everyone's attention a while ago, and many people lamented that it was simply "the shame of the crocodile world." As a small to medium-sized crocodile, the caiman is extremely ferocious despite its small size .

This guy's hunting strategy is to hide at the bottom of the water and wait quietly, then suddenly appear to deal a fatal blow to other animals. Of course, it is also proficient in the death roll that all crocodiles know.

Amazon River "River Overlord" - Black Caiman

Finally, let's talk about the famous strange fish in the Amazon River. The first one is the piranha that likes to fight in groups. This fish not only has sharp teeth, but is also very sensitive to the smell of blood. As a typical carnivorous fish, they will not only eat other small fish and shrimps, but also other creatures that stray into the river .

There have been many news reports of piranhas attacking cows and humans. Their attack power is very strong. More importantly, although piranhas are not big in size, they are very good at attacking in groups . In this case, the prey they attack will often quickly become a "skeleton" , and the hunting scene is particularly scary.

Seemingly "ordinary" piranhas

In addition, there are many terrifying fish such as electric eels and parasitic catfish , all of which live in the Amazon River.

It can be seen that with these creatures around, swimming in the river is simply courting death . And because the Amazon River contains a high amount of mud, we cannot see the bottom of the water, we can only see the water area of ​​about a few dozen centimeters. Many terrible creatures are quietly lurking in the depths of darkness .

Boat trip on the Amazon River

Their original intention is to give their prey a fatal blow, and if humans insist on intervening, they will also attack humans . In addition, due to the complex topography of the deep Amazon River, few people have set foot there. Over time, the animals have long regarded this place as their own territory .

At this point, some people may wonder why humans don't head for the depths of the Amazon River? You know, although the Yangtze River's external conditions are not as good as the Amazon River, the Yangtze River uses its water to irrigate the land and feed countless people along the coast . Logically speaking, the Amazon River's flow and length can also achieve this.

Ecological environment along the Yangtze River

The Amazon is not suitable for human habitation

First of all, from the perspective of climate, the area around the Amazon River is extremely hot and humid , which is difficult for humans to accept. Many people who have explored the Amazon rainforest said that when they entered it, they felt like their noses were covered with a wet cloth, which was no less than staying in a humid swimming pool .

The Amazon River evaporates trillions of tons of water every year

Secondly, the Amazon River has an unreasonable flood season . The plains where the Amazon River flows are not only flat but also very low in altitude. This means that when the flood season comes, the coast will be flooded .

It would be fine if they could evacuate in advance, but the problem is that the Amazon River is too long and has many tributaries, so real-time monitoring is actually very difficult . In this case, people along the coast may be swallowed up by the flood if they fail to evacuate in time.

Finally, some creatures in the Amazon River can spread diseases crazily. According to data, three of the world's four major infectious diseases are here, namely yellow fever, dengue fever and malaria . These diseases, which are spread by mosquitoes, can easily infect people living here, and these diseases are also a great threat to travelers.

Therefore, if you have sensitive skin and hate mosquitoes, you should not easily go to the Amazon River Basin for fun. There are too many harmful insects here, and even spraying mosquito repellent will not work . The only option is to "fully arm" yourself and leave no part of your body exposed, which may help avoid many attacks.

Amazon rainforest's "deadly killer" Longyan chicken

It is worth mentioning that from the perspective of ecologists, the above factors that are not conducive to human survival seem to be a protective net deliberately added by the "Creator" to the entire Amazon region . You know, there are very few uninhabited areas on the earth, and the natural environment of places where humans have set foot is often changed .

For us, it is natural to want to make these places more suitable for ourselves. But for the creatures living in these ecosystems, they need some threats to drive humans away, preferably to make humans feel scared. Today, the Amazon River has achieved this goal. It has armed itself with a large number of ferocious creatures to warn humans not to wander around when they have nothing to do .

The Amazon River is home to the most unique ecosystem

However, even so, it is difficult to stop the determination of human beings to create the world. Many people have always held the heart to conquer this mysterious river and this mysterious rainforest. Especially after discovering the large amount of mineral resources contained in it, this kingdom of life that armed itself has long been in crisis .

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