VIDEO: These Are the Most Terrifying and Deadly Creatures of the Amazon

If you think about all the animals that could instantly kill you in horrible, horrible pain then you will surely notice that most of them are in the Amazon rain forest.

According to listverse.com, 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.

This place is the type that is equally beautiful and dangerous and only those that are incredibly brave or really passionate about nature dare venture there. But those that go there and see everything they feel like they’ve been blessed.

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.

Continuing with the theme of gigantic reptiles, the largest snake in the world makes 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.

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.

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.

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.