Freeman Explore

  • Buy our Book!
  • A Year in the Wilderness
    • Bear Witness (Short Film)
    • Read the Book!
  • About
    • Videos
    • Media Resources
    • Media Archives
  • Education
  • Speaking
    • Speaking Resume
    • Testimonials
  • Expeditions

Tambaquis, piranhas and electric eels, oh my!

June 1, 2014 By Dave Freeman

This morning we pushed off from shore and let the current grab our bulging canoes. The swift current helped us travel 25 miles relatively easily. There were many small rapids, but we were able to navigate them with having to portage. A portage is when you have to carry your canoe and all your supplies around a rapid. We saw many animals today, including howler monkeys and lots of macaws. Hercilio caught a large tambaqui, which is a fruit-eating fish. It has large flat teeth that it uses to crush the seeds that it eats. Paul caught his first piranha. We are going to eat the tambaqui and piranha for dinner!

1401564640242

A howler monkey clambers down a branch along the riverbank.

We also paddled past a small Zoro Indian village today. We did not see any people, but we saw a palm thatch hut and a school boat tied to shore. The right side of the river belongs to the Zoro Indians. Eleven percent of Brazil has been set aside as reserves that are controlled by the indigenous people. Most of the indigenous people in the Amazon have regular contact with the outside world and many indigenous people live in towns or cities, have T.V., cars, computers, and other modern conveniences. However, anthropologists estimate that there are about 60 uncontacted tribes still living in the Amazon.
20140531142025

Dave shows off the sun protection provided by his ExOfficio BugsAway Cape Hat.

Brazilian Believe it or not! An electric eel surfaced alongside our canoe today. It is one of the Amazon’s most amazing critters —  It packs a punch and can send a 650-volt electric jolt that kills or stuns the fish it preys on.  That’s 6 times the voltage that powers your house and, as you know, even a shock from house wiring can be deadly.  Fortunately, electric eels don’t  generally choose people as prey.  However, a participant on a canoe expedition down this same river system about 10 years ago reported getting zapped by an eel while swimming.  Apparently, that eel just wanted to say hello because that lucky swimmer noted that the mild zap he got felt “mildly pleasant.”

20140531141916

Paul is super comfortable in his MTI Adventurewear Slipstream PFD and ExOfficio SolCool shirt.

Filed Under: Rio Roosevelt Centennial Expedition Tagged With: electric eel, ExOfficio, howler monkey, MTI Adventurewear, Piranha, tambaqui

Order our Book!

Recent Posts

April 29,...

April 29th, 2018

Wow! What a day! We started the day with a presentation at Westminster Church in Minneapolis, and th[...]

April 28,...

April 28th, 2018

Join us Monday April 30th for a live streaming Q and A through Kickstarter Live! We look forward to [...]

April 27,...

April 27th, 2018

Happy Friday! We have just ONE WEEK to go on our #PedaltoDC @Kickstarter. Join us in speaking loudly[...]

April 26,...

April 26th, 2018

As we pedaled down the last few miles of the Munger Trail today and then worked our way south on old[...]

April 26,...

April 26th, 2018

We are making a quick stop at the Post Office in Hinkley to sign and mail a book that someone reques[...]

Archives

  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • April 2015
  • December 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014

Contact Us

Do you have questions or comments? Perhaps you would like to join us on a wilderness adventure, or have us speak at your business, school, or event.

Contact us!

Connect with the us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
image

Copyright 2014 Freemans Explore · Log in

 

Loading Comments...