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all the glittering frogs, toads,
lizards and turtles that we found
along the river.
screamer, a large bird with a small
chicken-like bill and spiny structure
projecting forward from its crown,
is known for its quirky attributes.
It ies like a vulture, walks like a
duck and actually sounds like a
donkey; a noise that continued to
elicit laughter among our group no
matter how many times we heard it.
So much of the wildlife, from the
green tree iguana and three-toed
sloth to the long-nosed bat and
olive whip snake, artfully conceal
themselves to prevent predators
from finding them. hey seamlessly
blend into the environment,
appearing as parts of leaves, sticks
and branches. It took me some time
to train my eyes and even then,
I would have missed dozens of
creatures had not the guides pointed
them out. I realized quickly on that
the Amazon teems and pulsates
with life, even when you can’t see
anything moving. It’s a living,
breathing system; a complex
organism that never sleeps.
Our naturalist guides, Segundo and
Usiel, as well as our expedition
leader, Dennis, never ceased to
impress me with their eagle eyes
and encyclopedic knowledge of the
ma on. While on the skiffs, our
heads and bodies were in constant
motion. We jockeyed in position,
whipping our binoculars around in
every direction each time a different
bird was spotted. It was a dizzying
and dazzling experience that left
us in awe of the array of avian life
present. And although I am not
a birder, I took great satisfaction
in being able to recognize a few
species after a while, even having
enough confidence, for example, to
excitedly call out, “Yellow-headed
caracara at three o’clock.” The
reward was a nod from the naturalist
confirming the identity.
Though there are some large animals
in the Amazon, many are nocturnal
and remain inactive during the day
or choose to remain hidden. Monkeys,
however, are the exception. They are
out in full force, jumping and almost
free-falling from tree to tree high
up in the forest canopy. Their noises
identify them long before they’re
visible. We reveled in their sight and
took great joy in observing their
behavior. It’s hard not to fall in love
with the cute pygmy marmosets or
the owl monkeys and capuchins, but
I think the red howler got the most
attention for its amusing sounds
and mischievous antics.
The Amazon is also a dream come
true for butter y enthusiasts, with
more than 4,000 species of these
delicate creatures and some 20,000
species of moths. They are an
incredible sight, as they utter by
the water’s edge or along a jungle
trail adorned in their brilliant
apparel. They join the p arade of
amboyant insects such as the
rainbow grasshopper and the
pink-toed tarantula, along with
As it was high season and water
levels were high, we spent much time
on the river, as opposed to the land,
which provided an ideal perspective
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for spotting wildlife. It also gave
us a great opportunity to examine
creatures that reside within the
river itself, from the multitude of
exotic fish to the eely water snakes
and caiman. The pink river dolphin
was the star attraction. Born grey,
these dolphins become pinker with
age because their skin gets more
translucent, allowing the blood to
show through their bodies. When
we came upon a small pod of these
amingo hued, playful mammals,
everyone jumped up in the boat and
tried to take pictures of them. Most
of us were unsuccessful in capturing
that special Kodak moment, as the
dolphins spent only a nanosecond
above the water, teasing us with
their splendid color. Instead of being
frustrated, however, I decided to sit
back and fully absorb this
spectacular sight, taking my own
mental photos for later. The dolphins
reappeared several times during our
trip and even made an appearance
while we were swimming in the river.
Through observing and studying
wildlife is the main focus of an
Amazon riverboat journey, there
are so many other aspects to this
adventure. When we weren’t riding
in the skiffs in search of creatures,
our group visited villages and
interacted with the local people.
One morning, we went to a school
where we donated supplies, taught
the children the “Hokey Pokey” and
learned about the educational
system. Educational opportunities
are few for kids who grow up in the
Amazon, unless they opt to move to
the city of Iquitos, capital of the
Peruvian Amazon, where secondary