The infamous piranha!

The Amazon River of South America empties more water into the oceans than any other river. Because of its location near the Equator, life teems in the river and surrounding forests.

One of the most misunderstood animals that lives in the river is the piranha fish. Folk tales have started that the schools of piranha will attack any animal (even man) venturing into the river. What causes the piranha to attack? The smell of blood. (Remember, to find the secret answer, move your mouse pointer to the right of the question mark. Then depress and hold down the left mouse button, and move it to the right. Presto!) Movies have shown piranha turning cows into skeletons instantly, but a piranha will only attack if it smells blood. Then, like sharks and most other fish, they go into a feeding frenzy. Obviously, with such big teeth, it doesn't take long for a school of piranha to eat even larger animals. The huge anaconda! Another recent movie has shown the Anaconda snake that lives on the edges of the Amazon River as a vicious man-eater. Once again the movie goes beyond the truth. Anacondas are huge constrictors, meaning that they crush their prey by coiling around them. They could kill a human being, but they are looking for smaller prey, and will generally hide, or go into the water if a human approaches. Why are tree frogs so brightly colored? To let other animals know that they are poisonous. Pretty, but poisonous! These frogs are generally small and brightly colored, and many have suction cups on their toes to help them hold onto slick surfaces near the water. Not all frogs are poisonous, of course. But if you do handle a poisonous frog, you must be careful to wash your hands thoroughly afterward. And tree frogs are not the only colorful animals in the forest. Parrots come in many beautiful colors, but not to warn other animals that they are poisonous. They can escape danger by flying up into the trees. Male birds are colorful in order to attract the female birds. The macaw is one of the prettiest birds in the world, and they are regularly sold in pet stores here in North America. Pet parrots can have a very long life, outliving several owners.

There are many monkeys in Central and South America. They tend to have prehensile tails, which means they can actually grab tree branches with their tails to help them when they are grabbing for fruit just out of their reach. What is the largest snake in the world? The green anaconda.

The monkeys of Central and South America are called "New World" monkeys, while those monkeys in Europe, Africa and Asia are called "Old World" monkeys. They can let out the most amazing sounds, but the howler monkeys are probably the noisiest of all. There are thousands and thousands of different kinds of animals and plants in the Amazon River basin. Unfortunately, many of these animals and plants are in danger of becoming extinct because many people are burning the forest down along the sides of the Amazon. Let us hope that we can solve the problem of forest burning before we lose any animals to extinction. Return to South America.