THEY ARE THE WEIRDEST ANIMALS but they are Amazing

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5 Weirdest Animals in the Amazon Rainforest

A rainforest is a tough place for animals to survive — after all, it’s home to giant predators, venomous insects and frogs, dangerous waters, and poisonous plants. In order to live in such a place, animals have evolved in all kinds of strange ways. Here, we’ll explore the five weirdest animals in the Amazon rainforest, and look at why their unique adaptions work perfectly for them! All five, of course, live in the rainforests around our Tambopata lodges in Peru.

1. Candiru Fish

The frightening legend of the Candiru fish has traveled far and wide, appearing in tabloids and newspapers from time to time all over the world. Rumors had swirled around for years about the small Amazon fish attacking local people’s genitalia, drawn by the smell of urine.

Candiru Fish Peruvian Amazon

Then in the only documented modern case in 1997, a Brazilian man and a local doctor claimed that a Candiru fish had jumped out of the water and swum up his urethra! Later, researchers largely disproved these claims, noting that Candirus are unable to jump out of water or swim up to such a small opening, along with many other inconsistencies. So is there any truth to these wild stories? The Candiru isn’t actually drawn to urine, so Amazon, ahem, urinators don’t need to be worried. Scientists are still getting to the bottom of this strange jungle fish.

Learn more about the Candiru Fish on our animal page here!

2. Potoo Bird

On moonlight nights, you may hear the cry of “po-TOO, po-TOO” coming from deep in the jungle. These haunting sounds (listen to them here) come, of course, from the Potoo bird. There are several species of Potoo birds in the Amazon Rainforest. If you go looking for one, however, they’re incredibly hard to find without an experienced guide — their feathers match tree bark almost perfectly!

potoo bird in the Amazon

 

The birds are nocturnal, waking at dusk to hunt moths and other insects. They have huge eyes — perfect for spotting flying bugs — and giant, gaping mouths to catch them. This, along with their weird calls, makes the Potoo bird a truly otherworldly, strange bird.

Learn more about the potoo bird on our animal page!

3. Tarantula

You knew this one was coming, didn’t you? But while Tarantulas look undoubtedly creepy due to their huge size and furry legs, their appearance isn’t the weirdest thing about them! In fact, I include the family of large spiders here for their odd behavior.

Tarantula by Paul Bertner

The Peruvian Chicken Spider, a type of Tarantula, is a common sighting in the Tambopata jungle. Photo by Jeff Cremer.

Tarantulas have decidedly interesting habits, especially when it comes to mating. Male Tarantulas spin a flat silk web on the ground, then rub against it to release semen. Then, he absorbs the liquid into his pedipalps, short leg-like limbs, to store it. Later, he finds a receptive female and inserts it into an opening into her abdomen. As soon as he’s done, the Tarantula flees so that the aggressive female doesn’t attack or try to eat him! Quite a spider romance.

Learn more about the Tarantula on our animal page here!

4. Hoatzin

If you catch a glimpse of a Hoatzin perched near an oxbow lake in the Amazon, you might wonder what you just saw. Was that a wild turkey? A dinosaur? A Precolumbian god? What the heck was that, and why did it smell that way? The stinky, beautiful Hoatzin is without a doubt one of the rainforest’s most interesting creatures.

Hoatzin by Jeff Cremer

A Hoatzin near the Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake, just upriver from the Posada Amazonas lodge.

The colorful Hoatzin eats leaves, which make it smell a bit like an Iowa farm — like lovely hay, or stinky manure, depending on your nose. They’re awkward, ungainly birds, clomping around lakeside trees — from their movement to their diet, they don’t have much in common with other bird species. In fact, the Hoatzin does look a bit like a dinosaur, and many scientists see it as clear proof of the evolutionary connection between reptiles and birds.

Learn more about the Hoatzin on our animal page here!

5. Piranha

Even folks with little knowledge of Amazon wildlife know (or think they know) all about the Piranha — the villain of the rainforest, right? But the scientists who study the fish work hard to separate fact from fiction. The reality of the fish is even more fascinating than its Hollywood “bad boy” image.

 

Piranha tambopata tours amazon jungle lodge

During our Oxbow Lake Visit, guests get the chance to fish for Piranhas. Piranha photo by Merin McDivitt.

Piranhas are pretty small, but their infamous teeth are indeed impressive. They actually resemble the tooth enamel of sharks’ teeth, and the largest types can bite with 72 pounds of force! As for their diet, the toothy fish mainly chomp down on other fish, seeds and bugs, and sometimes other Piranhas. Occasionally, they might nibble on a mammal, but this usually happens when the larger creature is already dead or dying.

Learn more about the Piranha on our animal page here!

So there you have it, and hopefully, you know a bit more about the jungle’s weirdest creatures.

By Merin McDivitt

  • What our guest say

    • Valuation Excellent
    • 5/5

Paul H August 2026

FineSpitz August 2026

Jack Looney August 2026

Ching Han Toh August 2026

Maggie Kwok August 2026

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Adam C June 2026

We had an excellent 5 night stay at TRC with two couples. The remote Lodge and accommodation are unique especially with the open walls to the jungle in the rooms. The guides were first rate with superb knowledge and their ability to spot fauna in the dense jungle was incredible. We saw many species of monkeys; macaws, parrots, tapirs, etc.. even lucky enough to spot a jaguar. Food and service was really good. While not cheap it was I think very good value for money. We really enjoyed all the hikes and citizen science activities as well, he trips on the river and the clay licks. Overall amazing experience! As it’s the jungle not a zoo, you can’t guarantee that you’ll see everything all the time so allow enough days to properly explore. Read all

A once-in-a-lifetime experience in the middle of the rainforest. From airport pickup in Puerto Maldonado to the lodge and back, everything was exceptionally well organised. Communication was clear throughout, with the team always explaining what would happen, where to be and what to take care of. The staff at both HQ and the lodge were incredibly attentive, making the entire stay feel completely carefree. At this price point, this is the level of service you expect, but it is still impressive to experience it in such a remote setting. The food was another highlight: very well curated and balanced, with plenty of options at every buffet and, surprisingly, we never had the same dish twice. Read all

This was an excellent experience!! Highly recommend if you’re interested in visiting the Amazon Rainforest and Tambopata region. Especially happy with our guide Miguel, who was highly professional, informative, and organized. It was an immersive adventure and we got to see so many unique plants and animals. 10/10! Read all

Amazing experience at Refugio Amazonas. Rooms were comfortable and clean. Great buffet spread every day. Staff were friendly and attentive. Our guide Alan was very informative. Overall would definitely recommend a visit! Read all

We stayed 3 nights at Posada Amazonas during our summer trip to Peru, and it was definitely one of the biggest highlights of the whole journey. The staff were incredibly warm and welcoming. Our guide, Joss, was professional, friendly and amazingly knowledgeable. Sometimes it honestly felt like he could communicate with the animals — he could spot black caimans or giant river otters from hundreds of metres away! The excursions were unforgettable. We saw beautiful macaws, giant river otters, capybaras, sloths, tarantulas, an anaconda, different species of monkeys, toucans and so much more. I especially loved the rainforest walks and joined both the daytime and night walks. Every walk felt completely different, and you never knew what you might find. What also made the stay special was the lodge’s involvement in scientific and environmental projects. There was a talk every evening, and we learned a lot about the rainforest and its wildlife. We also joined the “Discover New Species” activity and helped search for possible new species of tiger moths — such a fun and memorable experience. The lodge itself is definitely rustic luxury rather than a city-style 5-star hotel. There is no air conditioning or hair dryer, but the hot shower, fan and hammock in the room were all very comfortable and suited the rainforest setting perfectly. And surprisingly, the internet connection was excellent — even the boats had Starlink! One of the things I appreciated most is that Posada Amazonas is a collaboration between Rainforest Expeditions and the local Indigenous community that owns the land. Many community members are directly involved in running the lodge, and you can really feel how much the staff care about and are connected to this rainforest, which is part of their ancestral home. If you are looking for an authentic, educational and truly memorable Amazon rainforest experience, I highly recommend Posada Amazonas. We absolutely loved our stay. Read all

The Tambopata Research Center (TRC) offers a well-organized immersive rainforest experience within the Tambopata National Reserve. The TRC and its accommodations put a spin on the term creature comforts by keeping guests comfortable while they commune among the creatures within the rainforest. I appreciated, through what I observed and the interactions I had, the attentiveness of the TRC team members. They knew their guests and seamlessly organized a lot for our benefit. The center assigns guests to a small group with a dedicated guide. In my case, Erick Arguedas was a superb ambassador for all things living in the rainforest, in part because it was the environment in which he grew up. His role was to ensure we got the most out of our visit. Being a long-term TRC guide gave him the expertise he needed to easily fulfill this role. Read all

Our stay at Refugio Amazonas was a great experience from beginning to end. The entire trip was very well organized, and having a tour guide with you throughout the experience made everything easy and enjoyable. Our guides, Dennis and Tuto, were excellent. They both spoke English very well and did a fantastic job explaining the different birds, trees, plants, and animals we encountered. Their knowledge really made the excursions much more interesting and helped us appreciate the Amazon on a deeper level. The expeditions were definitely a highlight. I highly recommend the clay lick, sunset cruise, observation tower, river boat tour, and night walk. Each activity offered something different, and we were able to see so much wildlife. The food was also excellent. Everything was fresh and tasted great. I especially enjoyed the protein dishes, fresh fruit, and yuca potatoes. Considering how remote the lodge is, we were very impressed with the quality of the food. The rooms are very open to nature, which is part of what makes the experience so unique. We saw monkeys right from our room, along with many birds and lizards. We even had a frog visit our room at night—which was definitely an interesting Amazon experience! 😂 One thing to be aware of is that the walls between rooms are quite thin, so you can hear your neighbors at times. Overall, the entire experience was absolutely worth the trip. If you’re visiting the Peruvian Amazon, I would strongly recommend Refugio Amazonas. The wildlife, guides, excursions, food, and being completely immersed in nature made this one of the highlights of our Peru trip. 🌿🦜🐒 Read all

Our stay here was one of the favorite parts of our trip to Peru. One of the most memorable parts of the stay is how wonderful the guides were. We had two different guides during our stay: Jos and Jorge. Jos had an amazing connection with the birds, knowing all the bird sounds by ear, he could imitate most of them. His passion for the birds was evident when we went out to see them, and during a visit to look for macaws at the clay lick, he moved locations just so we would have the opportunity to see them. When we viewed them up close through a new blind that had been built, his joy was as much as ours, delighting as if it was his first sighting. Jorge had a beautiful spirit that he shared with us during our time with him. Growing up in the community there, he had so much knowledge about the plants and trees. He introduced us to a medicinal plant, and had stories about some of the different trees. We felt well cared for by both guides. We also enjoyed the nightly science talks, teaching us about some of the ongoing projects which helped us feel more connected to the area. The food was wonderful, and all the staff were extremely helpful throughout our stay. Read all

Amazing location and truly deep jungle. This organisation has three lodges and this is the nearest to Puerto Maldonado but don’t think that the wildlife here is any less than the lodges further along the river. We saw a LOT of different animals, birds and variety of colours. Well worth the stay. Read all

We stayed last february for 4 nights in the TRC lodge. I never could have imagined that I would explore the amazon in such confortable and immersive way. The lodge itself is such a luxurious place, in the middle of nowhere! The food was nicely curated everyday to offer new bits and pieces of the Peruvian cuisine. The absolute highlight of our stay here was for sure the activities and our guide Carmen, who accompanied us everyday! We were able to choose our everydays activities with our very reduced group and our guide. Carmen guided us on very activity, spotting and explaining what animals we saw and interesting facts about our surroundings. Her knowledge and excitement were so infectious that it would even make the sightings even more special! Read all

One of the most unique experiences we’ve had! You are deep in the heart of the Amazon and truly feel immersed in nature. Our guide Dino was awesome and taught us so much about the rainforest-he is like a walking encyclopedia, and his love for the forest really shows. Also very unique to listen to nightly talks from the research team-it really adds to the experience. Food was great and staff very friendly. Bring lots of bug spray and an adventurous spirit! Read all

The lodge was fantastic; they were very attentive to our needs. The dining staff brought special bread for my wife because of her celiac disease and offered to prepare dishes specifically for her to meet her dietary needs. The lodge guides were truly knowledgeable and went out of their way to help us see all the local wildlife. I especially loved the mosquito net service they provided. I was worried we’d be eaten alive, but their setup is fabulous; I had no concerns once I saw how they installed the impenetrable nets and curtains. The meals were as good as—or better than—anywhere else we ate in Peru. We saw the following animals: macaws, parrots, parakeets, pale-winged trumpeters, tamarins, caimans, capybaras, and a ton of insects on our night hike. Read all