Myths
Walking Palm (Socratea exorrhiza) Ecuador Forest of Clouds
https://www.ecuadorforestofclouds.org/walking-palms.html
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about the Amazon rainforest that deserve clarification. This page focuses on the more mundane myths—we’ll save the more fantastical legends like the Mapinguari or El Dorado for another time.
🌍 The "Lungs of the Earth"
Myth: The Amazon rainforest is a major source of the world’s oxygen.
Fact: The Amazon absorbs about as much oxygen as it emits (Chicago Tribune, 2019). Most of Earth’s oxygen comes from the oceans, particularly from phytoplankton (Oxford Biodiversity Network, 2021). However, the Amazon plays a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide and helping slow down climate change.
🌴 Walking Palms (Socratea exorrhiza)
Myth: Walking palms use their stilt-like roots to slowly "walk" by repositioning themselves.
Fact: There is no scientific evidence that these trees move this way. The idea is more myth than mechanism (Radford, 2009).
🐜 Army Ants
Myth: Army ants will eat people.
Fact: While they are aggressive and have painful bites and stings, army ants do not prey on large animals like humans. They primarily target insects and small animals (Ask an Entomologist, 2015).
🐛 Assassin Caterpillars (Lonomia obliqua)
Myth: One touch from an assassin caterpillar is instantly deadly.
Fact: Lonomia obliqua is venomous and has caused deaths, but most stings result in non-lethal symptoms. The danger increases with multiple stings or delayed treatment (Science, 1996).
🕷️ Goliath Birdeater (Theraphosa blondi)
Myth: The Goliath birdeater’s venom is deadly.
Fact: The bite is painful but not fatal to humans (Shulman, Britannica). In fact, this species is now sold in pet stores and kept by exotic pet enthusiasts.
🐟 Piranhas
Myth: If you fall into water with piranhas, they will devour you in a feeding frenzy within minutes.
Fact: Piranha feeding frenzies are rare and usually only occur when the fish are starving. When Theodore Roosevelt witnessed such a scene, it was likely a staged event with deliberately starved piranhas (Britannica; Greater Cleveland Aquarium, 2018).
🐠 Candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa)
Myth: If you pee in Amazon waters, the candiru will follow the urine stream and lodge itself in your urethra.
Fact: While candiru do feed on blood in fish gills (Breault, 1991), there is no credible evidence of them entering human urethras. This tale is considered an urban legend (Schulman, 2019).
🌲 Deforestation
Myth: Most deforestation in the Amazon is due to logging.
Fact: The majority of deforestation is caused by food production, especially beef and soy farming (World Wildlife Fund, 2018). Timber extraction plays a role but is not the leading cause.
References:
(August 27, 2019) Is the Amazon really ‘the lungs’ of planet Earth? No, it’s more like our sink. Chicago Tribune
(March 3, 2021) Rainforests are not the lungs of our planet Oxford Biodiversity Network
https://www.biodiversity.ox.ac.uk/
Radford, Benjamin (2009) The Myth of the Walking Palm Tree Skeptical Inquirer
https://skepticalinquirer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2009/11/p23.pdf
(July 1, 2015) Is there any truth to the rumor that ants eat cows, people, and crops? Ask an Entomologist
(October 11, 1996) Killer Brazilian Caterpillars Science
https://www.science.org/content/article/killer-brazilian-caterpillars
Shulman, Dylan. Goliath Birdeater Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/animal/goliath-birdeater-spider
Piranha Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/animal/piranha-fish
(February 16, 2018) How a president propagated a piranha myth Greater Cleveland Aquarium
https://www.greaterclevelandaquarium.com/how-a-president-propagated-a-piranha-myth/
Breault, J. L. (November 1991) Canduri: Amazonian parasitic catfish Journal of Wilderness Medicine Volume 2 Issue 4 Pages 304-312
Schulman, Jill Seladi. (May 23, 2019) Is There Really a ‘Penis Fish’ That Swims up the Urethra? Healthline
https://www.healthline.com/health/penis-fish
(2018) What are the biggest drivers of tropical deforestation? They may not be what you think World Wildlife Fund