17 Animals That Live Only in the Amazon Rainforest

Amazon River dolphin

Of the animals that live within the Amazon River itself, this pink freshwater dolphin is a crowd favorite. Also called a botto or pink river dolphin, these long-nosed creatures number in the tens of thousands, however, because of threats caused by dams and by water and food contamination from mining, the dolphin is classified as vulnerable by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Steps are underway to help. According to the Audubon Society, Peru created a new national park, Yaguas, in 2018 that encompasses 2 million acres of rainforest near the Colombian border to help protect pink dolphins and the Amazon’s other unique wildlife.

Giant otter

This endangered otter is found only in remote parts of the Amazon, where it’s estimated that only 2,000 to 5,000 remain. Habitat loss continues to threaten them, though most were wiped out by hunters wanting their luxurious fur. Jeremy Goodman, PhD, executive director of Roger Williams Park Zoo, describes the mammals as “one of the most endearing species” and “very loud.” You can see and hear them at his Providence, Rhode Island, zoo.

Bald uakari

Unique Amazon mammals also live in the rainforest trees throughout the river basin. The bald uakari is one of them. Their bright red faces look a little devil-like when they bare their teeth, and those jaws are powerful enough to crack open a Brazil nut. These short-tailed primates eat only fruits and veggies but are threatened by humans, who sometimes hunt them for food. A bigger risk for the primate is deforestation.

Gray woolly monkey

Gray woolly monkeys live at altitude in the fog forests of the Amazon, primarily in Peru and Brazil. About 18 to 23 inches long, they have a long thick tail and a potbelly. In fact, their name in Brazil is macaco barrigudo, which means “big-bellied monkey.” They’re currently classified as threatened, and are considered an endangered animal that could disappear in the foreseeable future. The New England Primate Conservancy predicts that this Amazon animal could see a 50% population reduction over the next 45 years due to Amazon Rainforest destruction.

Golden lion tamarin

The endangered golden lion tamarin, also called the golden marmoset, is found mainly in Brazil’s rainforests. As the rainforests are logged and turned into agricultural and industrial land, the primates are at serious risk, according to National Geographic. These cuties are about 8 inches long and have manes like African lions. A fun animal fact about this tree-dwelling primate is that they form social family groups versus living in isolation or in pairs.

Pygmy marmoset

Pygmy marmosets, sometimes called pocket monkeys, are even tinier than they appear because their fur is so fluffy. Weighing only 5 ounces, they could easily fit into the palm of your hand. They like to live high in the treetops, where they can find their favorite food: tree gum and sap. They’ll eat fruit and insects if necessary. They have a high infant mortality rate, due to starvation and falling out of trees, with only 25% of babies reaching adulthood. They’re one of the tiniest animals in the world, and certainly one of the smallest primates.

San Martin titi monkey

This tiny brownish-gray monkey is critically endangered. That’s just one step away from being extinct in the wild, according to the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. Humans are taking over these creatures’ territory to build roads, farms and housing, and the monkey is sold on the black market as meat. It lives only in north-central Peru. The Rainforest Trust calls the titi monkey “Peru’s most imperiled primate” and is raising money to create a conservation area to protect it.

White-faced saki monkey

Once you see a picture of a white-faced saki monkey, you’ll never forget this weird-looking animal. The males have a short-haired white face and a long-haired black body, while females are grayer and have a stripe on their face. They live in the trees of the Amazon Rainforest. These monkeys are strong jumpers and have been seen leaping more than 30 feet to escape a predator. Living nearby are various monkey cousins, including the brown-backed bearded saki monkey, which is found in Brazil’s Amazonian Rio Negro region.

Amber phantom butterfly

Living in the deepest shade of the Amazon Rainforest, from sea level to almost 5,000 feet, is the haetera piera butterfly, also called the amber phantom butterfly. This gorgeous insect’s wings are transparent, with a reddish or amber tint. They’re most easily spotted at dusk when—kind of a gross bug fact—they feed on rotting fruits and decomposing mushrooms on the forest floor.

Wire-tailed manakin

Many birds are endemic to the Amazon Rainforest too. The wire-tailed manakin is a blackbird with a bright yellow face and belly that looks like it’s wearing a red hood. Found only in the western Amazon Basin, it’s known for having one of the bird world’s most elaborate mating dances. These are a fun species for birdwatchers, thanks to their majestic appearance, but also because of their unique mating dance—talk about shaking tail feathers!

Blue-throated macaw

This large blue-green and yellow bird was thought to have become extinct in the 1980s, due to deforestation and poaching for the pet trade. But—plot twist—about 50 of the birds were found in Bolivia in 1992, according to the American Bird Conservancy. Blue-throated macaws like to nest in large trees, of which there are few remaining. So the American Bird Conservancy and its Bolivian counterpart have been working to designate land to protect them and encourage them to use nest boxes. These endangered animals have made a promising comeback; the macaws are adapting, and it’s estimated that the population is now around 350 to 450.

Guianan cock-of-the-rock

This 10- to 12-inch-tall bird lives in the rainforests of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil and is known for the distinctive half-circle crest on its head. The males are bright orange, and the females are olive-gray. In A Book of Rather Strange Animals, Caleb Compton describes the bird’s “dance-off” mating ritual. Females watch as around 40 males put on an elaborate courtship display, hoping to receive a peck on the back from a female, the sign that she’s chosen him. They’re a cousin of the Andean cock-of-the-rock, the national bird of Peru, which is also a distinct-looking animal.

Hoatzin

Hoatzin are about 25 inches tall and fairly easy to spot because they have a wide range in the Amazon Basin’s lakes and rivers. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology shares that “the hoatzin is such a bizarre and unique bird that it almost has to be seen to be believed.”

Black caiman

A less-friendly water dweller is the black caiman, considered one of the most dangerous animals in the Amazon. This immense alligator can grow 15 feet long, making it the Amazon Basin’s largest predator. They kill their prey, which includes deer and tapirs, in a grisly way—first drowning it and then swallowing it whole. As hatchlings, the caiman is preyed on by birds, rodents and other animals. The main threat to the adult black caiman is humans. We kill them for their meat and hide, cut down the trees supporting their food and burn their swamplands.

Arapaima gigas

Also swimming through the Amazon and its tributaries, lakes and swamps is the arapaima fish. In Brazil, it’s called a pirarucu, and the name in Peru is paiche. This mega fish is one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, reaching lengths of 10 feet and weighing 40 pounds. These are air-breathing fish that breathe with a coughing noise. Because of this, they stay close to the water’s surface, which makes them all too easy to catch with a harpoon—the arapaima’s main threat is overfishing.

Carachama

Another fish unique to the Amazon is the carachama, a type of catfish. It’s not exactly a looker, but the fish’s black and gray scales form a kind of armor protecting it from the other fish found in the Amazon’s rivers. It used to be a popular fish for soup and for grilling, but it is now illegal to fish for it in many areas. Today, pollution is the biggest risk to the carachama.

Green anaconda

Did you know that the green anaconda lives both in and out of the water? Another fun fact is that it’s the largest snake in the world weight-wise, at 20 to 30 feet long and more than 500 pounds, according to National Geographic. (The reticulated python can grow longer but weighs only half as much.) A member of the boa constrictor family, anacondas squeeze their prey and then swallow it whole, even something as large as a jaguar.

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Sources:

• World Wildlife Fund: “Amazon River Dolphin”
• Audubon Society: “Peru’s Newest Park Protects More Than 2 Million Acres of Amazon Rainforest”
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: “Giant Otter”
• Roger Williams Park Zoo: “Giant Otter”
• National Geographic: “Bald Uakari”
• New England Primate Conservancy: “Common Woolly Monkey”
• National Geographic: “Golden Lion Tamarin”
• San Diego Zoo: “Pygmy Marmoset”
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: “San Martin Titi Monkey”
• Rainforest Trust: “Protecting the Brazilian Amazon”
• Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute: “White-Faced Saki”
• iNaturalist: “Amber Phantom (Haetera piera)”
• Cornell Lab: “Wire-tailed Manakin Courtship Display”
• American Bird Conservancy: “Blue-throated macaw”
• Cornell Lab Birds of the World: “Hoatzin”
• Britannica: “Black caiman”
• National Geographic: “Arapaima”
• Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity: “Carachama”
• National Geographic: “Green anaconda”