Natures deadliest animals in brazil - Essay Example

ul research shows, however, that nature’s deadliest animals in Brazil are much more dangerous to other animals in their habitat, than to human beings. One of the creatures that is the most deadly in Brazil is a relatively common fish called the piranha. It is usually quite small, between 15 cm and 26 cm in length and it is very plentiful in the Amazon region. (St Louis and Chandler, p. 111) Its normal behavior is to scavenge for food from dead fish, plants and insects in the river and so it plays a useful role in cleaning up the environment.

People very rarely are attacked by piranha but when a large mammal is attacked, it can be extremely shocking, since the piranha come in great numbers and nibble at the body. The reputation of this fish is actually much worse than its real nature, because it usually avoids human beings and concentrates on smaller prey. Only one particular situation can be very dangerous for humans, and that occurs when the river is low. Piranhas can get trapped in tributaries or lakes that get cut off from the main river.

This means that their food supply disappears and in that case they will attack almost anything because they are desperate for food. It is noted that “confirmed accounts of human fatalities caused by piranhas are extremely few, but plenty of Amazonian river folks have scars or missing fingers to testify just how sharp and vicious those little triangular teeth can be.” (St Louis and Chandler, p. 104) Many people are afraid of another small creature, which is technically an insect rather than an animal, namely the spider.

In Brazil there are several species of the biggest spiders of all: tarantulas. These include the Brazilian yellowbanded, the Brazilian salmon, the Brazilian black and the Brazilian graysmoke, as well as many others which are common across the South American continent (Tarantula facts website). The way that tarantulas capture and kill their prey is quite disgusting from a human point of view, but