Amazon Rising
From shimmering piranhas to electric eels, explore the Amazon River basin—the largest river system and rainforest on Earth! Experience a year along the great river, watching its floodwaters rise to tree-top level, then recede back to its banks, leaving the land renewed. See how fishes and frogs, tarantulas and turtles, birds, snakes and people, too, have adapted to and thrive in the yearly cycle of wet and dry.
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HIDDEN!
Flat as the river bottom, huge freshwater rays are further camouflaged by their patterns.
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TOXIC!
Tiny poison dart frogs don't have to hide. Their bright colors advertise that they're toxic.
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HUGE!
Growing up to 10 feet long, the arapaima is one of the world's largest freshwater fishes.
Seasons of the river
From cacao to caimans, the Amazon is renowned for its dizzying array of plant and animal species. Annual flooding transforms the forest into a place where fishes swim among trees and find new opportunities for food and shelter. The species that have evolved in this rich setting are interlinked in complex connections of predator and prey, plant and pollinator, producer and user. The whole ecosystem depends on the continued survival of each of its parts to remain healthy.
Amazon Rising audio guide
Hear how anacondas, arapaimas and electric eels are adapted to their rainforest homes.
Tiger Ray
Tambaqui
Amazon Milk Frog
Brazilian teal
Caiman Lizard
Mata Mata Turtle
Arapaima
Red-bellied Piranha