Images

SU150024

10 Terrifying Creatures Of The Amazon River

The Amazon rain forest is an immense ecosystem, providing a habitat for creatures as weird and wonderful as the jaguar, the poison dart frog and the Jesus lizard. But it’s home to more than just the animals that prowl, swing, and slither through the trees. In the depths of the Amazon River, the largest river in the world, live creatures so amazing and so terrifying, that they make Jaws look like a nice, relaxing swim in the ocean.

10

Black Caiman

A black caiman is basically an alligator on steroids. They can grow up to six meters (20 feet) long, with bigger, heavier skulls than Nile crocodiles, and are the apex predator in the Amazonian waters. That means they are basically the kings of the river—they eat nearly anything they can get their teeth into, including piranhas, monkeys, perch, deer, and anaconda.

Oh, and yes, they totally attack humans. In 2010, a biologist named Deise Nishimura was attacked by a caiman while cleaning a fish on her houseboat, and while she managed to fight it off, it took one of her legs with it. This particular caiman had been living under her houseboat for eight months, evidently waiting for the chance to strike.

Green Anaconda

Continuing with the theme of gigantic reptiles, the largest snake in the worldmakes its home in the Amazon: the anaconda. While reticulated pythons are actually longer, green anaconda are far heavier; the females, generally larger than males, can reach 250 kilograms (550 lbs), grow to nine meters (over 29 feet) long and reach 30 centimeters (12 in) in diameter. They are not venomous but instead use their immense muscular power to constrict and suffocate their prey, which includes capybara, deer, caiman, and even jaguars. Preferring shallower waters that allow them to stealthily sneak up on their prey, they tend to live in offshoots of the Amazon rather than the river itself.

8

Arapaima

Arapaima, also known as “pirarucu” or “paiche,” are gigantic carnivorous fish that live in the Amazon and surrounding lakes. Encased in armored scales, they think nothing of living in piranha-infested waters—and they are pretty effective predators themselves, feeding on fish and the occasional bird. Arapaima tend to stay close to the surface, because they need to breathe surface air in addition to taking in oxygen through their gills, and make a distinctive coughing sound when they emerge for air. They can reach 2.7 meters (nine feet) in length and weigh up to 90 kilograms (200 lbs). These fish are so vicious that even their tongue has teeth.

7

Giant Otter

Heading up the “exactly what it says on the tin” category are the giant otters, who, as their name suggests, are very large otters. They are the longest examples of the weasel family, with adult males reaching up to two meters (over six feet) from head to tail. Their diet primarily consists of fish and crabs, which they hunt in family groups of three to eight members, and they can eat up to four kilograms (nine pounds) of seafood per day. Don’t be fooled by their cute looks, though—they are more than a match for the other animals on this list, with groups of them having been spotted killing and eating an anaconda. They hold their own against caiman as well. One family was seen devouring a 1.5 meter (five foot) caiman, which took them about 45 minutes. While their numbers are dwindling, mainly due to human intervention, they are among the most capable predators in the Amazon rain forest, hence their local name of “river wolves.”

6Candiru

The Amazon doesn’t only breed giants, and the small creatures are just as terrifying, at least if you believe the stories that surround them. Candiru are small, parasitic, freshwater catfish famous for launching themselves up the urethra of anyone foolish enough to urinate in the river, and getting lodged into the urinary tract because of the spines that run along their backs. While documented cases are rare, and there is some debate over whether these types of injuries occur at all, there is at least one documented case of a man requiring surgery to remove a candiru from his urethra—which had also attempted to burrow through to his testicles. However, the candiru usually preys on fish, attaching themselves to the larger fish’s gills with their spines and feeding on their host’s blood.

5Bull Sharks

While technically ocean-dwelling saltwater animals, bull sharks are quite at home in fresh water, too—they have been found as far down the Amazon as Iquitos in Peru, almost 4,000 kilometers (2,500 mi) from the sea. They have special kidneys that can sense the change in salinity of the surrounding water and adapt accordingly. And you do not want to meet one of these in the river; it is common for them to reach 3.3 meters (11 ft) in length and there have been reports of sharks weighing 312 kilograms (690 lbs). Like many sharks, they have several rows of sharp, triangular teeth andimmensely powerful jaws, with a bite force of 589 kilograms (1,300 lb). They’re also quite partial to a bit of human, being one of the most frequent attackers of people (along with tiger sharks and great whites). Combined with their habit of living near densely populated areas, this has led many experts to label them the most dangerous sharks in the world.

4Electric Eels

Electric eels are actually more closely related to catfish than eels, but you probably wouldn’t want to get close enough to one to find out. They can grow up to 2.5 meters (eight feet) long and can produce jolts of electricity from specialized cells called electrocytes arranged down their flanks. These charges can reach up to 600 volts, five times the charge of an average American plug socket, and enough to knock a horse off its feet. While one shock isn’t enough to kill a healthy adult human, multiple shocks can cause heart or respiratory failure, and it’s common for people to be stunned and drown after an eel attack. Many of the disappearances recorded in the region have been attributed to eels that have stunned their victims and left them to drown in the river. Luckily for our species, the eels, while carnivorous, tend to stick to eating fish, amphibians, birds, and small mammals. They locate their prey by sending out small, 10-volt shocks from their electrocyte cells, before stunning or killing them with larger shocks.

3Red-Bellied Piranhas

The quintessential terror of the Amazon River, so widely feared that they have inspired a number of questionable Hollywood movies, red-bellied piranhas are actually primarily scavengers. That’s not to say they won’t attack healthy creatures; after all, given that they can grow to be over 30 centimeters (12 in) long and swim around in large groups, they tend to be more than a match for most animals. Like all piranhas, red-bellies have incredibly sharp teeth, one row on each of their powerful upper and lower jaws. These teeth are interlocking, which makes them perfect for tearing and rending the flesh of their prey. Their fearsome reputation mainly comes from sights of their “feeding frenzies,” where groups of piranhas will congregate on their unlucky prey and strip it to the bone within minutes. These attacksare rare and are usually the result of starvation or provocation.

2Payara (Vampire Fish)

Anything with the name “vampire fish” should automatically be recognized as scary (even after Twilight), and payara are no exception. They are absolutely ferocious predators, capable of devouring fish up to half their own body size. Given that they can grow up to 1.2 meters (four feet) long, this is no mean feat. A large part of their diet is made up of piranhas, which should give you some idea of how tough these fanged fiends can be. They get their name from the two tusks that sprout from their lower jaw, which can grow up to 15 centimeters (six inches) long and which they use to literally impale their prey after viciously lunging at them. Their fangs are so big, in fact, that they have special holes in their upper jaw to avoid impaling themselves.

1Pacu

One animal certain to be far more terrifying to men than to women, the pacu is a much larger relative of the piranha, known for its distinctive, human-like teeth. Unlike most of the creatures on this list, the pacu is actually omnivorous, and a good part of its diet is comprised of fruit and nuts. Unfortunately for some pacu, “nuts” may not only mean things that drop from trees. Yes, that’s right: Pacu are alleged to have occasionally bitten off the testicles of male swimmers, with reports of men in Papua New Guinea being killed by pacu after the fish apparently mistook their genitalia for an easy snack. Oh, and don’t worry if you can’t make it to the Amazon to see these manhood-masticating monsters, because they’re already spreading into Europe.

                                                                                                         SU150114

BEAUTIFUL SAYINGS ON RIVERS

Choosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way, because you are unwilling to accept its loss. 

Any river is really the summation of the whole valley. To think of it as nothing but water is to ignore the greater part. 

What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt—it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else. 

The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare to let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.

Children of a culture born in a water-rich environment, we have never really learned how important water is to us. We understand it, but we do not respect it. 

And I count myself more fortunate with each passing season to have recourse to these quiet, tree-strewn, untrimmed acres by the water. I would think it a sad commentary on the quality of American life if, with our pecuniary and natural abundance, we could not secure for our generation and those to come the existence of . . . a substantial remnant of a once great endowment of wild and scenic rivers. 

To have some parts flowing free again . . . with deer grazing on its banks . . . ducks and geese raising their young in the backwaters . . . eddies and twists and turns for canoeists . . . and fishing opportunities such as Lewis and Clark enjoyed . . . would be the finest possible tribute to the men of the Expedition, and a priceless gift for our children. 

If you' re not beside a real river, close your eyes, and sit down beside an imaginary one, a river where you feel comfortable and safe. Know that the water has wisdom, in its motion through the world, as much wisdom as any of us have. Picture yourself as the water. We are liquid; we innately share water's wisdom. 

Water, water, water . . . There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount, a perfect ratio of water to rock. Of water to sand, insuring that wide, free, open, generous spacing among plants and animals, homes and towns and cities, which makes the arid West so different from any other part of the nation. There is no lack of water here, unless you try to establish a city where no city should be.

                                                                                                                                SU150114

THE RIVER TALES

Twenty bridges from Tower to Kew--
(Twenty bridges or twenty-two)--
Wanted to know what the River knew,
For they were young, and the Thames was old
And this is the tale that River told:--

"I walk my beat before London Town,
Five hours up and seven down.
Up I go till I end my run
At Tide-end-town, which is Teddington.
Down I come with the mud in my hands
And plaster it over the Maplin Sands.
But I'd have you know that these waters of mine
Were once a branch of the River Rhine,
When hundreds of miles to the East I went
And England was joined to the Continent.

"I remember the bat-winged lizard-birds,
The Age of Ice and the mammoth herds,
And the giant tigers that stalked them down
Through Regent's Park into Camden Town.
And I remember like yesterday
The earliest Cockney who came my way,
When he pushed through the forest that lined the Strand,
With paint on his face and a club in his hand.
He was death to feather and fin and fur.
He trapped my beavers at Westminster.
He netted my salmon, he hunted my deer,
He killed my heron off Lambeth Pier.
He fought his neighbour with axes and swords,
Flint or bronze, at my upper fords,
While down at Greenwich, for slaves and tin,
The tall Phoenician ships stole in,
And North Sea war-boats, painted and gay,
Flashed like dragon-flies, Erith way;
And Norseman and Negro and Gaul and Greek
Drank with the Britons in Barking Creek,
And life was gay, and the world was new,
And I was a mile across at Kew!
But the Roman came with a heavy hand,
And bridged and roaded and ruled the land,
And the Roman left and the Danes blew in--
And that's where your history-books begin!" 

                                                                                                             SU150114

GIRAFFE STANDING AT RIVER NILE

                                                                                                                                       SU150114

TOP 5 MOST DANGEROUS RIVERS

                                                                                                                               SU150114

HOW DO RIVERS CURVE?

                                                                                                                              SU150114

AMAZING UNDERWATER MARINE LIFE

             
                                                                                                                             SU150114

MONSTER FISHES FOUND IN RIVERS

MONSTER FISHES FOUND IN RIVERS

Trinity River, Texas, United States 

Congo River, Republic of the Cong

                                 

    Delger Muron River, Mongolia 

Okavango River, Botswana

                             
                                               

 Ebro River, Spain

River Nile, Uganda 

                                           

                                                                          SU150114

                                                                                                                                       

conservation

 
5 Simple Things You Can Do at Home

1. Run washing machines & dishwashers only when they’re full. Large loads = less water used. And save energy by turning off the auto-dry setting and letting your dishes dry naturally.
2. Keeping a timer in your bathroom will help you take a shorter shower. And please turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth. All that perfectly clean tap water is just going down the drain.
3. Turn off lights and unplug chargers. Water is used in all forms of energy generation. It can take over 4 gallons of water to keep a 60-watt light bulb lit for 12 hours.
4. Use biodegradable cleaning products. The water that goes down your drains will eventually flow into streams and bays.
5. Skip meat for one meal a week. It can take about 600 gallons of water to produce a hamburger. (Think of all the grain that’s grown to feed the cattle).

4. Simple Things You Can Do Online

1. Use social media to spread the word about the need to save water and save our water sources. Challenge your friends to match the actions you take.
2. Find out where your water comes from and urge others to do the same. Knowledge is power.
3. Use social media to ask your favorite brands what they’re doing to reduce their water use and their impacts on water sources.
4. Donate to support a community project that helps protect water for people and nature.

5 Simple Things You Can Do Outside

1. Plant a tree in your yard or a friend’s yard. Trees help keep soil in place – rather than flowing into our streams and lakes – and help slow water down, reducing flooding and enabling more rainwater to trickle down into groundwater supplies.
2. Take these steps to reduce your impact when it comes to your own yard and lawn:
   • Water your lawn or garden in the morning or the evening when the water will evaporate less rapidly. Adjust sprinklers to avoid the pointless watering of sidewalks or paved areas.
   • Sweep patios and sidewalks rather than hosing them, which wastes water and carries contaminants into freshwater systems.
   • Limit pesticide use. Pesticides are the only substances we intentionally introduce into our environment to kill living things, and besides being potentially dangerous to people, pets and wildlife, they’ll eventually be carried into our freshwater supply by runoff.
3. Make sure your hiking gear is free of plant matter when you head out into nature. Seeds of invasive plant species can hitch a ride on boots. Invasive species can cause many water problems, including absorbing more water than native species and sending erosion and bacteria into rivers and lakes.
4. Volunteer for a stream-clean up or wetland restoration event.
5. Take someone on a hike near a river or lake – or better yet, get in or on the water – swimming, kayaking, canoeing, etc. People protect things they care about.

SU150083

Two famous rivers of Goa-Zuari and Mandovi

ZUARI RIVER
The Zuari River is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. It is a tidal river. The Zuari originates at Hemad-Barshem in the Western Ghats. The Zuari is also referred to as the Aghanashani in the interior regions. It flows in the southern-western direction through the talukas of Tiswadi, Ponda, Mormugao, Salcete, Sanguem and Quepem.
Zuari is 92 km long, but is connected to other rivers and canals such as Mandovi river (62 km in length) and Cumbarjua Canal (15 km). The other rivers in Goa are shorter such as Terekhol (22 km), Chapora (29 km), Baga (5 km), Sal (16 km), Talpona (11 km), and Galgibag (4 km). Their lengths and widths vary with tidal and other seasonal flooding.
The Zuari and Mandovi Rivers form an estuarine system. They are the backbone of Goa's agricultural industry. The Cumbarjuem Canal linking the two rivers has enabled ships navigate to the interior regions to the iron ore mines. The waters of the Mandovi and Zuari both flush out into the Arabian Sea at Cabo Aguada, a common point forming the Mormugao harbour. The port city of (Vasco da Gama, Goa) lies on the mouth of the Zuari River
.


 MANDOVI RIVER
The Mandovi River/ Mahadayi River also known as Mahadayi' or Mhadei river, is described as the lifeline of the indian state of Goa. The river has a length of 77 km, 29 km in Karnataka and 52 km in Goa. It originates from a cluster of 30 springs at Bhimgad in the Western Ghats in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. The river has a 2,032 km² catchment area in Karnataka and a 1,580 km² catchment area in Goa. With its cerulean waters, Dudhsagar Falls and Varapoha Falls, it is also known as the Gomati in a few places. The Mandovi and the Zuari are the two primary rivers in the state of Goa.
The Mandovi enters Goa from the north via the Sattari Taluka in Goa and from Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka near the Castle Rock Rly. Stn. The Mandovi flows through Belgaum, Uttara Kannada in Karnataka and Cumbarjua, Divadi and Chodné in Goa, eventually pouring into the Arabian Sea. Mandovi joins with the Zuari at a common point at Cabo Aguada, forming the Mormugao harbour. Panaji, the state capital and Old Goa, the former capital of Goa, are both situated on the left bank of the Mandovi. The river Mapusa is a tributary of the Mandovi.
The Cumbarjuem Canal, which links both rivers, has made the interiors of the Mandovi accessible to ships carrying iron ore. Iron ore is Goa's prime mineral and it is mined in the eastern hills. Three large freshwater isles — Divar, Chorao and Vashee are present in the Mandovi near the town of Old Goa. The island of Chorao is home to the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, named after the renowned ornithologist Salim Ali. A regular ferry transports the inhabitants between the isles and the mainland.
Spanning across the Mandovi River near Panjim is the majestic Mandovi Bridge. The bridge collapsed in the 1980s before a new bridge was constructed to accommodate heavy transport vehicles. The Mandovi Bridge links the towns of Panjim to Porvorim. On 14 June 2014, the foundation stone for the third bridge, which would be the largest bridge in Goa, was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will span 3 km and will be 15 meters higher than the existing bridges and will be spaced in between the two.
During the winter months, the peak tourist season, special dusk cruises on the Mandovi - complete with serenading bands - add to the charm of the river.
The sharing of the waters of this river is a cause of dispute between the governments of Karnataka and Goa. The Karnataka government proposes to divert some water from the Mahadayi river to the Malaprabha river basin as part of the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project, as approximately 200 tmc feet of water flows into the Arabian Sea now without being used for anything. The Mahadayi Water Tribunal has to decide on the sharing of this river's waters between Karnataka and Goa. There needs to be built a dam in Old Goa and there needs to be allotment of water to the two states. Sharing justice may be 30:70.


                                                                                                       SU150083

Images of rivers

                         SU150024

Amazon River

Amazon River

The Amazon River is one of the greatest rivers in the world by so many measures; the volume of 

water it carries to the sea (approximately 20% of all the freshwater discharge into the oceans), the

area of land that drains into it, and its length and its width. it is one of the longest rivers in the world.

At its widest point the Amazon River can be 11 km/6.8 mi wide during the dry season. The area

covered by the Amazon River and its tributaries more than triples over the course of a year. In an

average dry season 1,10,000 square km of land are water covered, while in the wet season the flooded

area of the Amazon Basin rises to 3,50,000 square km. When the flood plains and the Amazon River

Basin flood during the rainy season the Amazon River can be up to 40 km/24.8 mi wide.

Because the Amazon drains the entire Northern half of the South American continent, including all

the torrential tropical rains that deluge the rainforests, it carries an enormous amount of water. The

mouth of the Amazon River, where it meets the sea, is so wide and deep that ocean-going ships

have navigated its waters and travelled as far inland as two-thirds of the way up the entire length of

the water.

    

SU150199

Importance of rivers in our lives

Importance of rivers in our lives:

Rivers have been very useful to men in all parts of the Earth since very early times. They provide water to slake the thirst of men, to fertilize their lands and to provide a means of communication for the goods that transport from place to place. Early civilisation began on the banks of the rivers of the world, such as the Nile and the Indus. These rivers provided the water, the people on their banks needed for all the purposes. As people in those early days did not have the transport facilities that we have today, they had to live close to the rivers and to draw the water that they needed. 

 Rivers not only provided water for their domestic needs and agricultural purposes, but also enabled the people to move from place to place among their banks. Boats or rafts were used to travel from one end of a river to another. In the same way, goods were also transported. While the transport of goods and the contacts of people between different parts of the same river, there were also many cultural exchanges. Thus, rivers helped to spread civilization.

It is true, however, the rivers have also caused misery and unhappiness to millions of people throughout history. They have also caused floods and destroyed lives and property in all parts of the Earth. For example, the Hwang Ho in China has been described as “the sorrow of China” because of the destruction that it had caused in the past.

But it should be realised that floods occur once in several years. Therefore, the damage that rivers cause is not so great as the benefits that they confer on humanity. Today, rivers continue to be used not only as a source of water for drinking and fertilizing the lands or as a means of transport but also as a source of electricity which has revolutionised society.  

SU150199 

10 longest rivers in the world

The 10 longest rivers in the world:

1.      Nile – The Nile River is 4,135 miles long. It is located in the continent of Africa, mostly in the countries of Egypt and Sudan. It flows north into the Mediterranean sea.

2.      Amazon – The Amazon River is 3,980 miles long. It is located in the continent of South America and flows through several countries including Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador. It ends at the Atlantic Ocean.

3.      Yangtze – Located in China, the Yangtze River is 3,917 miles long and flows into the East China Sea.

4.      Mississippi, Missouri – The river system of the Mississippi River and the Missouri Rivers is the longest river system in North America at 3,902 miles. It flows south into the Gulf of Mexico.

5.      Yenisei – The Yenisei River starts in Mongolia and flows through Russia to the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is 3,445 miles long.

6.      Yellow – At 3,398 miles long, the Yellow River is the 6^th longest river in the world, but only the second longest in China. It ends at the Bohai Sea.

7.      Ob, Irtysh – The river system of the Ob River and the Irtysh River is 3,364 miles long. It flows through Russia, China and Mongolia on its way to the Gulf of Ob.

8.      Congo – The Congo River flows 2,922 miles through several countries in Africa before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.

9.      Amur – The Mur River is 2,763 miles long. It flows through Russia, China and Mongolia and ends at the Sea of Okhotsk.

10.  Lena – The Lena River flows through ru8ssiaq on its way to the Laptev Sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is 2,736 miles long.      

SU150199