Editing Amazon River (section)

== Flora and fauna ==
{{see also|Biodiversity of Colombia#Amazon natural region}}

=== Flora ===
{{category see also|Flora of the Amazon|Trees of the Amazon rainforest}}

=== Fauna ===
[[File:Schwarzer Pacu Colossoma macropomum Tierpark Hellabrunn-1.jpg|thumb|The [[tambaqui]], an important species in Amazonian fisheries, breeds in the Amazon River.]]
{{see also|:Category:Fauna of the Amazon}}

More than one-third of all known species in the world live in the [[Amazon rainforest]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20757099~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html |last=World Bank |title=Brazilian Amazon rain forest fact sheet |date=15 December 2005 |access-date=16 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503151515/http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20757099~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html |archive-date=3 May 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> It is the richest tropical forest in the world in terms of [[biodiversity]].<ref name=Albert;Reis>{{cite book|date=March 2011|location=[[Berkeley, California]]|editor-last1=Albert|editor-first1=James S|editor-link1=James S. Albert|editor-last2=Reis|editor-first2=Roberto E|editor-link2=Roberto Esser dos Reis|title=Historical Biogeography of Neotropical Freshwater Fishes|url=https://www.ucpress.edu/books/historical-biogeography-of-neotropical-freshwater-fishes/hardcover|url-access=subscription|language=en-US|edition=1|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|doi=10.1525/california/9780520268685.001.0001|isbn=9780520268685|jstor=10.1525/j.ctt1pp29c|oclc=644018311|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006051051/https://www.ucpress.edu/books/historical-biogeography-of-neotropical-freshwater-fishes/hardcover|archive-date=2024-10-06|access-date=2011-12-19}}</ref> In addition to thousands of species of fish, the river supports crabs, algae, and turtles.

==== Mammals ====
[[File:NOVO AIRÃO.JPG|thumb|[[Amazon river dolphin]]]]

Along with the Orinoco, the Amazon is one of the main habitats of the ''[[boto]]'', also known as the [[Amazon river dolphin]] (''Inia geoffrensis''). It is the largest species of [[river dolphin]], and it can grow to lengths of up to {{cvt|2.6|m|ft|sp=us}}. The colour of its skin changes with age; young animals are gray, but become pink and then white as they mature. The dolphins use [[Animal echolocation|echolocation]] to navigate and hunt in the river's tricky depths.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amazon River Dolphin |url=http://rainforest-alliance.org/kids/species-profiles/river-dolphin |publisher=Rainforest Alliance |access-date=20 March 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301063907/http://rainforest-alliance.org/kids/species-profiles/river-dolphin |archive-date=1 March 2011}}</ref> The ''boto'' is the subject of a legend in Brazil about a [[dolphin]] that turns into a man and seduces maidens by the riverside.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cravalho |first1=Michael A. |title=Shameless Creatures: an Ethnozoology of the Amazon River Dolphin |journal=Ethnology |date=1999 |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=47–58 |doi=10.2307/3774086 |jstor=3774086}}</ref>

The [[tucuxi]] (''Sotalia fluviatilis''), also a dolphin species, is found both in the rivers of the Amazon basin and in the coastal waters of South America. The [[Amazonian manatee]] (''Trichechus inunguis''), also known as "seacow", is found in the northern Amazon River basin and its tributaries. It is a mammal and a herbivore. Its population is limited to freshwater habitats, and, unlike other manatees, it does not venture into saltwater. It is classified as vulnerable by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.livescience.com/27405-manatees.html |title=Manatees: Facts About Sea Cows |work=Live Science |access-date=17 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617115739/https://www.livescience.com/27405-manatees.html |archive-date=17 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Amazon and its tributaries are the main habitat of the [[giant otter]] (''Pteronura brasiliensis'').<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z0zfBQAAQBAJ&q=The+Amazon+and+its+tributaries+are+the+main+habitat+of+the+giant+otter+(Pteronura+brasiliensis).&pg=PA36 |title=Forests |last=Balliett |first=James Fargo |year=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-47033-5 |language=en |access-date=15 October 2020 |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102052634/https://books.google.com/books?id=z0zfBQAAQBAJ&q=The+Amazon+and+its+tributaries+are+the+main+habitat+of+the+giant+otter+%28Pteronura+brasiliensis%29.&pg=PA36#v=onepage&q=The%20Amazon%20and%20its%20tributaries%20are%20the%20main%20habitat%20of%20the%20giant%20otter%20(Pteronura%20brasiliensis).&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Sometimes known as the "river wolf," it is one of South America's top carnivores. Because of habitat destruction and hunting, its population has dramatically decreased. It is now listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which effectively bans international trade.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.arkive.org/giant-otter/pteronura-brasiliensis/ |title=Giant otter videos, photos and facts – Pteronura brasiliensis |website=Arkive |language=en-GB |access-date=2 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107031811/http://www.arkive.org/giant-otter/pteronura-brasiliensis/ |archive-date=7 January 2018 }}</ref>

==== Reptiles ====
[[File:Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) (8990193853).jpg|thumb|The [[green anaconda]] is the [[List of largest snakes|heaviest and one of the longest]] known extant snake species.]]

The [[anaconda]] is found in shallow waters in the Amazon basin. One of the world's largest species of snake, the anaconda spends most of its time in the water with just its nostrils above the surface. Species of [[caiman]]s, that are related to alligators and other crocodilians, also inhabit the Amazon as do varieties of turtles.<ref name=AnimalDiversity>[http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paleosuchus_palpebrosus/ Cuvier's smooth-fronted caiman (''Paleosuchus palpebrosus'')] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023064202/http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paleosuchus_palpebrosus/ |date=23 October 2017 }}</ref>

==== Birds ====
{{category see also|Birds of the Amazon rainforest}}

==== Fish ====
[[File:Piranha1.jpg|thumb|[[Characin]]s, such as the [[piranha]] species, are prey for the [[giant otter]], but these aggressive fish may also pose a danger to humans.]]
[[File:Neon tetra 333.jpg|thumb|The [[neon tetra]] is one of the most popular aquarium fish.]]

The Amazonian fish fauna is the centre of diversity for [[neotropical fishes]], some of which are popular aquarium specimens like the [[Neon Tetra|neon tetra]] and the [[Freshwater Angelfish|freshwater angelfish]]. More than 5,600 species were known {{as of|2011|lc=y}}, and approximately fifty new species are discovered each year.<ref name=Albert;Reis/>{{rp|308}}<ref name=Wohl/>{{rp|27}} The [[arapaima]], known in Brazil as the ''pirarucu'', is a South American tropical [[freshwater fish]], one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, with a length of up to {{convert|15|ft|m|order=flip}}.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070724-giant-fish.html Megafishes Project to Size Up Real "Loch Ness Monsters"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903123613/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070724-giant-fish.html |date=3 September 2009 }}. ''National Geographic''.</ref> Another Amazonian freshwater fish is the [[arowana]] (or ''aruanã'' in Portuguese), such as the [[silver arowana]] (''[[Osteoglossum bicirrhosum]]''), which is a predator and very similar to the arapaima, but only reaches a length of {{cvt|120|cm|sp=us}}. Also present in large numbers is the notorious [[piranha]], an omnivorous fish that congregates in large schools and may attack livestock. There are approximately 30 to 60 species of piranha. The [[candirú]], native to the Amazon River, is a species of parasitic fresh water [[catfish]] in the family [[Trichomycteridae]],<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/92428/candiru |title=Candiru (fish) |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |access-date=18 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718090841/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/92428/candiru |archive-date=18 July 2014}}</ref> just one of more than 1200 species of catfish in the Amazon basin. Other catfish 'walk' overland on their ventral fins,<ref name=Wohl/>{{rp|27&ndash;29}} while the [[kumakuma]] (''Brachyplatystoma filamentosum''), aka ''piraiba'' or "goliath catfish", can reach {{cvt|3.6|m|ft|sp=us}} in length and {{cvt|200|kg|sp=us}} in weight.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eGGqGYEQXDkC&pg=PA31 |title=Fish Conservation: A Guide to Understanding and Restoring Global Aquatic Biodiversity and Fishery Resources |first=Gene S. |last=Helfman |page=31 |publisher=Island Press |year=2007 |access-date=28 March 2016 |isbn=978-1-59726-760-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208041731/https://books.google.com/books?id=eGGqGYEQXDkC&pg=PA31 |archive-date=8 February 2017}}</ref>

The [[electric eel]] (''Electrophorus electricus'') and more than 100 species of electric fishes ([[Gymnotiformes]]) inhabit the Amazon basin. River stingrays ([[Potamotrygonidae]]) are also known. The [[bull shark]] (''Carcharhinus leucas''), a [[euryhaline]] species which can thrive in both salt and fresh water, has been reported as far as {{cvt|4000|km|sp=us}} up the Amazon River at [[Iquitos]] in Peru.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.loyno.edu/lucec/natural-history-writings/bull-sharks-carcharhinus-leucus-coastal-estuaries |title=Bull Sharks, Carcharhinus leucus, In Coastal Estuaries {{!}} Center for Environmental Communication {{!}} Loyola University New Orleans |website=www.loyno.edu |access-date=2019-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804011530/http://www.loyno.edu/lucec/natural-history-writings/bull-sharks-carcharhinus-leucus-coastal-estuaries |archive-date=4 August 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Butterflies ====
{{see also|List of butterflies of the Amazon River basin and the Andes}}

==== Microbiota ====
Freshwater [[Microorganism|microbes]] are generally not very well known, even less so for a pristine [[ecosystem]] like the Amazon. Recently, [[metagenomics]] has provided answers to what kind of [[Microorganism|microbes]] inhabit the river.<ref name="amazonMetagenome">{{cite journal |vauthors=Ghai R, Rodriguez-Valera F, McMahon KD |title=Metagenomics of the water column in the pristine upper course of the Amazon river |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=8 |pages=e23785 |year=2011 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0023785 |pmid=21915244 |pmc=3158796 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...623785G |display-authors=etal |doi-access=free}}</ref> The most important [[Microorganism|microbes]] in the Amazon River are [[Actinomycetota]], [[Alphaproteobacteria]], [[Betaproteobacteria]], [[Gammaproteobacteria]] and [[Thermoproteota]].