Aquatic Reptiles & Mammals

Aquatic Reptiles & Mammals

Reptiles
The Amazon holds a number of species of caiman that feed mainly on insects, fish and each other. The biggest species will also eat mammals including man, but man eaters are now uncommon because of hunting. Hunting has also greatly reduced the abundance of turtles in Amazonian rivers. During the 19th century turtles were a staple part of the diet for communities such as the town of Tefe. Amazonians used to capture the adults and keep them alive in ponds until they were required for the pot. They also used to travel out to the sandy beaches used as nesting sites by the turtles to collect the eggs.

Snakes are also common in aquatic habitats including both boa constrictors and the famous anaconda, which is the largest snake in the world. The anaconda is particularly aquatic and is known to eat caiman.

The forest floor and the branches of trees are home to the monitor lizards. These are carnivores and can attain lengths of more than 1 metre.

Media browser - click on picture to select
Close up of the head of an Amazonian freshwater turtle	One of the smaller species of Amazonian freshwater turtles	The head of a large caiman waiting in a lake for a prey species to enter the water
Boa constrictor in a tree in flooded forest	Monitor lizard retreating into the forest	A large anaconda killed at Boca do Mamiraua in the Mamiraua reserve near Tefe. Photograph supplied by Dr Marcio Ayres - Projeto Mamiraua

Mammals
There are three diving mammals living in Amazonian waters, two species of dolphin and one species of manatee. Both the dolphin species are common and are frequently seen by travellers on riverboats. The smaller species, called the tucuxi, is similar to typical marine dolphins and tends to inhabit the main river channels. The larger species, called the boto, is a highly specialised species that enters flooded forest and is easily able to hunt amongst trees. Both species eat fish and are important predators of both open water and bottom living fish. They are often observed feeding on catfish.

The Amazonian Manatee is now an endangered species although once it was found in thousands. It is a quiet herbivore which avoids humans. At one time thousands of these animals were captured each year. Their flesh was eaten in Holland and their skin was used to make fan belts!

Media browser - click on picture to select

Botos fishing in a blackwater lake

Amazonian manatees - a distant relative of the elephant that feeds on floating meadows. After heavy human hunting the species has become uncommon

Media browser - click on picture to select
Botos fishing in a blackwater lake	Amazonian manatees - a distant relative of the elephant that feeds on floating meadows. After heavy human hunting the species has become uncommon