More beautiful than most wild places, the jungle is also more dangerous, and the jungle of the Amazon, John Coningham's home for over thirty years, sports hazards to make all travellers hesitate. Meet tocandira stinging ants, killer Hylesia caterpillars, deadly surucucu vipers, skin-crawling bicho worms, dog-eating giant otters, and many more creatures that await the unwary. By turns anecdotal and practical, the book tells tales of the jungle and most of its dark secrets. Armchair travellers and true Indiana Jones' will benefit equally from Coningham's unique expertise on life in one of the most dangerous natural habitats on earth.