Photo by Karine Aigner kaigner / The harpy eagle is one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world—with a wingspan of 6.5 feet (2 m), rear talons up to 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) long, and a body weight of 9-20 pounds (4-9 kg). Females are twice the size of the male. Photographing this creature at eye level from a 22-meter (yard)-high tower is nothing short of surreal. This magnificent rainforest predator inhabits Brazil's highest treetops. The elusive hunter has keen eyesight and hearing; like other owls, the harpy has a facial "disc" of feathers that can be raised and lowered at will, which helps direct sound to its ears, so it can better hear howler monkeys, armadillos, baby deer, and even peccaries in the rainforest. Threatened by severe habitat loss and human intervention, the harpy is a near threatened species, and an umbrella species: if the harpy’s home is protected, so are all the species living in its habitat. Follow me kaigner for more human-wildlife relationship stori...