Sundarbans—the name itself casts a magic spell over innumerable adventurous around the globe. It is indeed a surreal feeling to be sailing through the brackish water, amidst the dense jungle that has been an abode to the majestic Royal Bengal tigers and some of the most venomous reptiles on earth. If you are still wondering in the dark about this region, here we have got 11 amazing points that will illuminate your knowledge about this region.
11. World’s largest Mangrove forest
Sunderbans National Park is the largest mangrove swamp in the world. This place is distinguished by the productive growth of littoral mangrove vegetation. They grow best in these salty coastal waters. So here goes another reason to love our country!
10. Globe’s largest Delta
This Archipelago is the world’s largest deltaic forest. It is also known as the Bengal Delta or the green delta which is formed by the amalgamation of the two rivers, Ganga and Brahmaputra. It is spread out in an area of almost 1,330 square kilometer in India. If you think that there isn’t any natural zone in India to be celebrated, you’ll be pleased to hear that this evergreen land of mangroves was awarded as a “UNESCO World Heritage Site”.
9. Sundarban- Home of Royal Bengal Tiger
These dense evergreen delta-forests are homes to the majestic and fiery Royal Bengal tigers.The Sunderbans Tiger reserve is known to have the largest number of tigers in the entire world.
8. Nature’s own land
This Tropical delta is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. As you perforate into the forests, the serene environment unfolds its enigmatic beauty. During the summer the petals of the Genwa bejewel flower blossoms over the Emerald islands. The other dominant floral species are crab like red flowers of the Kankara and the yellow blooms of Khalsi.
7. A conglomeration of islands
If you thought that by ‘conglomeration’ of islands we mean five, six or ten islands then you are mistaken. This Ganga – Bramhaputra delta which is the abode of sundarban is an archipelago of 54 tiny islands!!
6. A prograding delta
The Sundarban Delta with geo-genetic link to the tectonic Bengal Basin is one of the world’s widest, deepest and most tectonically active deltas. The Sundarban Delta Complex and its surroundings have dynamic physiographical and geomorphologic features. Extensive thick layer of floodplain deposits, rise of sea level and due to various other geographical conditions, the deltas have prograded in phases.
5. A sight to behold
Sundarban stands out to be the largest tangle of mangrove wetland in tropical Asia. The ideal time to experience the mystic serene of this wonderful deltaic region is between Septembers to march.
4. One of India’s largest Fishery board
It is an important and distinctive natural resource endowment and is famous for its brackish water fish production and marine fisheries.Sundarban Development Board is conducting a Fishery project covering an area of 50 hectare.
3. Photographer’s paradise
These emerald islands have their own charm to mesmerize the sight of the photographers as they travel the serene jungles of sundarbans. The forests are the hub of various migratory birds such as Siberian cranes, yellow wagtail, wood sandpiper, Eurasian golden oriole and many more. Among all, the most incredible sight which the photographers die to capture is the royal glace of the stately Bengal tigers. Indeed a scene to behold!
2. Beware of the Reptiles!
From poisonous and vicious snakes to wimpy chameleons and salamanders to beasty crocodiles, if you like to steer clear of reptiles, then think twice before visiting this place. However, if you are a sucker for pristine nature, then the sight of crocodiles sun bathing on the banks of the back waters will surely blow you away!
1. Depot of adventurers
If you love traveling through dense forests with wild animals and even wilder nature surrounding you, then sundarbans is simply your place to be.
The Amazon rainforest is inhabited by rare and unique lifeforms, including some of the world's most dangerous creatures.
The poison dart frog, found in the Amazon, is one of the world's most dangerous creatures.
Visiting the Amazon rainforest is the coveted dream of many nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts from around the world. However, visiting the world’s largest tropical rainforest is not free of dangers as the forest houses some of the most deadly creatures known to us (and maybe deadlier ones yet to be discovered). The Amazon is home to the mighty jaguar, the powerful green anaconda, the highly toxic poison dart frogs, the shocking electric eels, flesh-eating piranhas, and more. Thus, visitors to the Amazon are advised to be cautious and well aware of their surroundings at all times during their visit to the rainforests. Here we describe some of the deadliest creatures of the Amazon and why we consider them so. However, in the end, we must remember that most of these creatures mentioned below are facing threats to their survival due to human activities. Now, who is deadlier, them or us, is a question we have to think over.
10. Amazonian Giant Centipede
The Peruvian giant yellow-leg centipede, or the Amazonian giant centipede, is one of the largest centipede species in the world. The creature is about 30 cm long and preys on a large variety of animals. Interestingly, the centipede’s diet is based not only on other invertebrates but it can also overpower and kill creatures larger than it in size like lizards, snakes, frogs, mice, bats, and sparrow-sized birds. The centipede’s primary weapons for killing prey are a pair of modified legs called forcipules. The centipede uses the forcipules to penetrate the body of the victim and inject a highly toxic venom into the bloodstream. The killer creatures can even climb the ceilings of caves where they can hold and manipulate their prey like bats with only a few legs attached to the ceiling. A four-year-old human child was reported to have been killed by the centipede’s venom.
9. Mosquito
For a visitor to the Amazon rainforest, mosquitos are perhaps the most dangerous creatures. Mosquitos thrive in hot and humid tropical environments and the Amazon rainforest provides the ideal conditions for these insects. The mosquitos might act as the vectors of pathogens that cause malaria and yellow fever. Tourists to the Amazon are advised to take all necessary precautions to avoid mosquito bites which include yellow fever vaccinations and mosquito repellant creams and other related preventive measures.
8. Wandering Spiders
The Brazilian wandering spider is the most venomous arachnid in the world. Even the scientific name of the spider Phoneutria means "murderess" in Greek. The spiders are called wandering spiders as during the night they prefer to crawl on the floor of the jungle looking for prey instead of building webs and staying in them. During the day, the spiders hide in various places including the banana plant. The spiders might also wander into human settlements where they might remain hidden in houses and cars. If disturbed by humans, they may bite. The small size of these spiders makes them even more difficult to detect. Until 1996 when an antidote was found, 14 people were reported to have died from the bites of the wandering spider. The venom of the spider causes extreme pain and inflammation, as well as loss of muscle control which might lead to respiratory paralysis and death. Bananas imported from South America have on rare occasions been reported to carry the wandering spider to other countries.
7. Jaguar
The third largest big cat species after the tiger and the lion, the jaguar is a charismatic animal of the Amazonian wilds. The jaguar is an obligate carnivore and is well adapted to kill. The diet of the jaguar is wide and varied and includes at least 87 species. Although humans do not feature in this diet, it is easy for a jaguar to kill an adult human being. The jaguar can actually take about any riparian or terrestrial vertebrate in South and Central America and exhibits a preference for large prey. Adult caimans, capybaras, tapirs, zorros, peccaries, deer, etc., are all potential prey for jaguars. The jaguar is an efficient killing machine which employs suffocation and deep throat-bite technique to kill its prey. Another technique unique to the jaguar is biting directly through the temporal bones of the skull and piercing the brain. In the case of caimans, the jaguar leaps onto the back of the prey and severs its cervical vertebrae immobilizing it. For smaller prey like dogs, a simple paw swipe is sufficient enough to kill. One can understand how vulnerable and helpless a human would be in front of this powerful predator. Since the Amazon forests are getting depleted at a rapid rate, chances of human-jaguar encounters are also increasing.
6. Electric Eel
A shocking danger lurks beneath the waters of Amazon River in Brazil. The electric eel is not a true eel but actually a knifefish capable of delivering a massive electric shock to those who threaten it. Three pairs of abdominal organs of the fish allow it to generate electricity enough to stun an adult human being. The eels use their electricity generating capacity to stun prey before consuming them. Fatal attacks on humans are rare but not completely non-existent. A single jolt could stun a human being enough to cause the person to stop breathing and drown even in shallow water. Multiple shocks could definitely trigger respiratory failure in humans. In the past, there are cases where the fish have delivered shocks strong enough to kill horses and even the stun an adult caiman.
5. Black Caiman
The black caiman is one of the biggest extant members of the Alligatoridae family. The massive predator lives in the lakes, slow-flowing rivers, and seasonally flooded savannas of the Amazon basin. It is regarded as the biggest predator of the Amazon ecosystem and feeds on a variety of birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals. The powerful creature is capable of taking in any animal that unknowingly ventures into its territory, and that also includes humans. Between January 2008 and October 2013, black caimans attacked 43 people but less than one-fifth of these attacks were fatal.
4. Bullet Ant
The bullet ant, named for its potent sting, is one of the creatures of the Amazon rainforest that is best avoided. These tiny insects are capable of bites that can trigger excruciating pain in the bitten area. The Schmidt sting pain index ranks the bullet ant's sting as the most painful with a "4+" rating above that of the tarantula hawk wasp. Some victims have claimed that the pain is equal to that of being shot by a bullet. Once bitten, the victim develops an all-consuming pain that can torment victims for as long as 24 hours.
3. Piranhas
A piranha is one of the most dangerous aquatic inhabitants of the Amazon river basin. The piranhas are freshwater fish infamous for their powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth. They have one of the strongest bites among bony fishes and the black piranha’s bite is one of the most forceful bites among vertebrates. The bite of the piranha can easily tear through all flesh including that of humans.
So, are piranhas man-eaters? Piranhas have been known to have devoured human flesh on a number of occasions. In 2015, a girl’s body partly eaten by piranhas was found in a the Maicuru River in Brazil. The girl was riding a boat with her grandmother and four other children when the boat capsized during a storm. It is still not clear whether the piranhas killed her or the piranhas fed on her after she drowned. Similar cases have been reported elsewhere. Despite the fish being reportedly so dangerous, humans have brought the fish to their tables and also created tools and weapons using piranha teeth and bones.
2. Poison Dart Frog
Poison dart frogs are perhaps the most deadly animals living on Earth. These brightly colored tiny frogs living in the Amazon might appear to be beautiful to us but the skin of some of these species harbor poison deadly enough to kill 10 adult human beings. The poison dart frogs receive their name from the darts or arrows coated with the toxin produced by these frogs that are used by the indigenous hunters to hunt animals and also enemies.
The golden poison frog is one of the most poisonous species of the poison dart frogs. The poison produced by these frogs is called batrachotoxin. The toxin is so potent that even in minuscule amounts, it can cause paralysis and death when it enters the bloodstream.
1. Green Anaconda
The green anaconda is a non-venomous constrictor found in the Brazilian Amazon and some other parts of South America. It is one of the most feared and revered species of the Amazon. The green anacondas live in swamps, slow-moving streams, and marshes of the Amazon where they remain nearly completely submerged in the water, waiting to strike on the unsuspecting prey that comes to drink the water. Although the snakes are sluggish on land, they are sleek and stealthy in the water. Once they catch their prey within their lethal coil, the prey’s last moments are near as the snakes suffocate their prey to death. Although no evidence has yet been recorded, the green anacondas have been often labeled as “man-eaters” with several unverified reports of humans being eaten by these giant snakes existing. Scientists conclude that it is not impossible for an anaconda to consume a human as these snakes eat prey that is tougher and stronger than humans. However, since humans and anacondas rarely interact, anacondas are not used to recognize humans as prey and thus the chances of anacondas eating humans is low.
The Amazon Jungle is the largest tropical rainforest on the planet. According to scientists, there are over 4,700 different animal species living in this mysterious jungle. However, not everything that has been discovered in the Amazon can be explained by science. Some discoveries that have come out of the jungle, even those with plausible scientific explanations, are downright bizarre.
Deep in the Amazon Jungle, spanning Bolivia and Brazil, researchers have discovered a series of large earthen rings. What is truly bizarre about the rings is that researchers have determined that the rings actually predate the Amazon rainforest itself.
Archeologists have been working to determine what the purpose of these rings might have been. What has left researchers baffled is how these rings contrast our perceptions of ancient peoples. Historians seem to agree that most ancient peoples lived in harmony with nature, and would never alter the land in such a significant way as the Amazon Rings suggest. Have we been wrong about these peoples all along? Or is there a more mysterious and unexplainable history behind these rings? Scientists are still struggling to answer these questions.
Zombies have a prominent place in popular culture, but it turns out that the Amazon Jungle is hiding its very own zombie species.
According to scientists, a specific type of fungus is responsible for creating what they call “zombie ants.” Various species of ant can encounter spores of the fungus on the jungle floor or be coated with them as the spores float through the air. The spores then make their way inside the ant’s body where they begin to grow.
Within a week or so, the spores completely take over the ant’s body, virtually controlling its actions and leading it to bite into leaves in particular locations in the jungle. This is similar to how a zombie in popular culture would be led to feed on humans by the virus controlling it. The ant then dies in a spot that is ideal for the fungus to reproduce, allowing it to create even more zombie insects.
This concept featured in Naughty Dog’s video game The Last of Us, whereby a parasitic fungal infection turns humans into zombie-like creatures intent on spreading the spores further.
The Boiling River of the Amazon was once thought to be a myth. Some said that a serpent spirit called Yacumama, or “Mother of the Waters,” created the scalding waters.
Few scientists or explorers have been permitted to visit the Boiling River, as it is protected by Mayantuyacu shamen who consider it to be a healing site. However, those who have gotten close report that the water’s temperatures can range from 120-200 degrees Fahrenheit. The mud along the river is so hot that if it were to touch your skin, you would receive a painful third-degree burn. Locals report that small animals are sometimes seen boiling in the water, their eyes cooked to a milky white.
No one can explain why the waters of the river have reached these boiling temperatures. The closest volcanic activity is over 400 miles away. There are many theories about the river, but none have proven to be correct, leaving the Boiling River shrouded in mystery.
There are tens of thousands of plant species in the Amazon Jungle. It is so crowded with fauna, that even in the middle of the day, the rainforest’s floor is steeped in darkness. With so many plants competing for light, the walking palms have developed a bizarre ability to keep themselves alive.
The trunk of these palms is suspended above the earth on a set of aerial roots. When a larger plant starts to steal its sunlight, the walking palm can grow new roots that allow it to slowly relocate to a better spot.
While the movement is too slow to be seen by the naked eye, this bizarre ability has granted the walking palms a somewhat mythical status. Some even compare the trees to the race of tree-like Ents in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series.
Are these trees sentient like the Tolkien’s fabled beings? Probably not, but some people still like to believe that the palms might be a mythical species.
With a dark, mysterious atmosphere, crawling with animals that most of us could never even dream of, it isn’t surprising that the Amazon jungle is home to several spine-chilling cryptids.
One such legendary creature is known as the Holadeira, or the sawtooth dolphin. The creature was spotted by biologist Jeremy Wade in 1993 when he was attempting to photograph the pink river dolphin. Wade photographed the creature twice, once in 1993 and again in 1994.
According to Wade’s description, the Holadeira is similar in appearance to the pink river dolphin; however, it has notches on its dorsal fin that look like the teeth of a saw. Wade spoke to locals, but none reported ever seeing such a creature.
Some biologists attempted to explain away Wade’s bizarre sighting as a pink river dolphin with a damaged dorsal fin, but Wade insists that it was something far more mysterious.
5. The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica
In the 1930s, the United Fruit Company was exploring in the Amazon Jungle for a place to grow bananas when they came across something surprising: numerous stone balls, ranging in size from a few inches to seven feet in diameter and weighing as much as 16 tons.
The spheres were not only perfectly round but also very smooth, suggesting that they were man made. Scientists that later studied the spheres determined that they were made from granodiorite, which must have come from the nearby Talamanca mountains. Evidence found near the spheres suggests they may have been created as early as 200 BC.
How had the rock been transported? How did primitive people create them with limited tools and technology? What was their purpose? These are only a few of the questions scientists have been unable to answer.
Some suggest that the spheres were created by an ancient race of aliens. Others believe that they are relics left over from the lost city of Atlantis. However, no one really knows the true origins of this archeological mystery.
There have been many large stone heads found in South America, which may make the Stone Head of Guatemala seem fairly banal compared to the other bizarre discoveries of the Amazon. However, some characteristics of this statue suggest a more mysterious origin.
Archeologists and historians studying the stone head noted that the face had a large nose, fine features, and thin lips more consistent with Caucasian peoples than the pre-Hispanic peoples that would have inhabited the area at the time the head was carved. Historians believe that there would have been no way for the local inhabitants to have any knowledge of Caucasian peoples at that time, leading many to speculate about the true origins of the stone head.
Some suggest that whoever created the Stone Head of Guatemala must have had knowledge not of this world. Some herald the sculpture as proof that extraterrestrials with a wider knowledge of the people of Earth must have visited the area.
When thinking about the Amazon Jungle, many people associate it with the poisonous snakes and creepy-crawly insects that live there. However, the Minhocão is one snake that is truly the stuff of legend.
Explorers visiting the Amazon as early as the 18th Century have documented the Minhocão. They describe it as a snake- or worm-like creature measuring 20 to 50 meters in length. Some even reported witnessing the creatures dragging horses and cattle into lakes and rivers.
These explorers discussed their sightings with locals, who told them the legend of the Minhocão, or “earthworm.” According to legend, animals are captured by the large creatures, often after rainstorms. Local people also claim that underground water sources were created by the tunnels of the Minhocão being flooded with water.
So far, the Minhocão seem to have eluded photographers, so the mythical creature remains a mystery.
2. The Amazon Rainforest Alien
Tourists are often attracted to the Amazon Jungle for its beautiful plant life and plethora of animals that can’t be seen anywhere else. However, two British tourists visiting the Manaus region in 2011 got more than they bargained for.
The tourists took a video of a group of children as they stood several yards away from the edge of the jungle. When reviewing the footage, they noticed an odd light coming from a gap in the trees. When examining the light, they noticed something even more startling to the left of the light: an alien figure standing in the trees. The alienappears to be stretching its back as it stands among the foliage.
Paranormal researchers were quick to defend the footage as legitimate, even noting that a research project established by the Brazilian government, Operation Prato, had sent military researchers to this same area to investigate possible evidence of alien visitors.
Is this footage a well-executed hoax or true evidence of alien life? We may never know for sure, but the video is certainly compelling.
You’ve probably heard of Bigfoot and Yetis, but the Amazon jungle actually has its own version of these hairy cryptids.
It is known as the Maricoxi. In 1914, British explorer Perry Fawcett encountered a group of the creatures when exploring the jungle. He described the creatures as ape-like. He claimed that they lived together in a village, used bows and arrows, and even communicated with each other using grunts. The nearby Maxubi tribe confirmed his sighting, adding that the creatures could be anywhere from 2 to 12 feet tall and were extremely aggressive toward humans.
These reports of the Maricoxi are terrifying, especially when compared to the stories often told of reclusive Bigfoots and Yetis that seem more inclined to hide than to attack. According to legend, the only way to scare away the Maricoxi is with a close-range gunshot.
In a jungle filled with unusual creatures, the Maricoxi is easily the most frightening.
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