The world's 'hottest river' that reaches near-boiling temperatures and can kill animals

If you find yourself in and you come across that looks enticing for a dip, do yourself a favour and test the temperature first. Whilst it might be incredibly humid where the Shanay-Timpishka is located, this river is not going to cool you down.

The Shanay-Timpishka is also known by another name that is altogether more frightening: 'The Boiling River'. In places, this mind-blowing natural phenomenon reaches almost 100C. The Boiling River has attracted scientists from around the world on a quest to discover its mysteries and the dramatic effects this has on the surrounding environment.

Scientists believe that the cause of the heating comes from deep sources buried far below the earth's surface. This heats up the water in the river, which is a tributary which feeds into the Amazon.

Animals and vegitation are most at risk at the hottest point of the river which is 5.5 miles along the river where it is shallowest, the temperature was once measured at 99c.

Scientists have discovered that the boiling river is a good place to investigate how climate change might affect ecoysystems in the Amazon. As global warming pushes up air temperatures these researchers realised that The Shanay-Timpishka could be used a natural experiment, a way to test science against conditions of the future.

"It's like doing fieldwork in a sauna," Riley Fortier, a current phd candidate at the University of Miami told the BBC

Despite the dangers and challenging working conditons, Alyssa Kullberg, a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (EPFL) enjoyed a field trip there.

"It was so magical," she told the BBC, recalling the first time she saw the steam coming off the surface of the river.

Along the hot part of the river the vegitation is damaged and some species of plants appear to be struggling.

"It was just really evident to all of us that there was a clear and noticeable change along the river," says Fortier. "The forest felt maybe scrubbier. There weren't as [many] big trees and it felt a little bit drier as well, the leaf litter was crunchier."

But some species like the giant Ceiba tree seem to be better at withstanding the extreme heat which may give scientists clues about how to surive on a .