Brazil is a country whose vast territory positions it as the 5th-largest
country in the world. It is located in a privileged area of the globe, whose
terrain and climate allow it to host different biomes that are very rich in
biodiversity, both in terms of flora and fauna. A jewel of nature that requires
a long time to discover and that will not be enough in just one trip.
On my first trip to Brazil I decided to set foot in 4 of the 6 different biomes in order to get an idea of the great natural wealth of the country and become aware of how much more it has to discover. Brazil is not only carnival, samba and soccer; Brazil is all the wealth provided by the Amazon, the Pantanal, the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, among others.
Atlantic Forest, primates
expedition:
The Atlantic Forest is a biome very rich in biodiversity but very badly treated. Unfortunately, it is highly fragmented due to human exploitation. In this part of the trip I moved to different areas of the State of Sao Paulo, one of the richest and most prosperous state in Brazil with the largest population and industrial activity in the whole country. Here, the terrain has undergone great human alteration and urbanization. Mankind footprint is very noticeable even in not urban land, since now vast plantations of eucalyptus, among others, invade the land.
Despite the fact that the different fragments of the original forest
have been protected for years, there are no connecting corridors between them,
isolating the animals that inhabit the area and separating the different
species increasing endemism in the area and threatening these species to
extinction because they live in very limited areas without the possibility of
expanding.
Black Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) in Buri
The first stop was Fazenda Garibaldi, near Buri. Here lives the black lion tamarin, or lion monkey. This species was believed to be extinct for much of the 20th century, but with luck, it was seen again in 1970, and is currently protected to prevent its disappearance. It is an endemism of the State of Sao Paulo, found mainly in Morro do Diablo, but also in other small isolated areas such as this place.
With the help of an expert guide, whose job is to monitor, conserve and study this species - among others in the area - we were able to find two families. This place has located several more families and the ones we saw are not the most sociable ones, although we went in their search because in recent days they were "in a fight" for territory, being able to increase the value of the encounter in terms of emotion and wave of information about the behavior of these animals. Unfortunately, we found them far from each other, but it was amazing to hear them scream with their unique low-pitched calls trying to defend the territory and jump from tree to tree around us. They are known to have the lowest-pitched calls of all the tamarins, using longer notes than other species. They use these calls to defend their territory, maintain the cohesion within the group, attract a mate or contact one lost individual.
During the walk we were also able to see a lot of birds. Right at the
door of the fazenda, the lapwings were nesting and attacked us when we
approached their nest. What in theory would protect the nest, directly points
us to its location, although due to the stress that the poor birds were
carrying, we did not want to get too close. Campestre Woodpeckers also nested
in the area. This bird is a very beautiful one, with a dark head and yellow
cheeks. It is a species of large and very territorial woodpecker that tends to
live in open areas, tropical savannah and grasslands.
Numerous parrots could also be heard and seen flying continuously over our heads.
In the late evening, we set off towards the next area, a 2-hour drive:
Carlos Botelho State Park, where an amazing expedition with muriquis was
awaiting us.
Southern Muriqui or Wooden Spider Monkey (Brachyteles arachnoides) in Carlos Botelho State Park
Carlos Botelho State Park protects a mountainous area of Atlantic Forest. The park contains more than half of Brazil's remaining population of the endangered southern muriqui, the largest primate in the Americas. As many other species, they are suffering from population declines due to, overall, their habitat destruction and the illegal hunting pressures for their bushmeat.
We headed to the private natural heritage reserve of Onza Parda, where
we were gonna stay for the next two nights.
The weather changed considerably. As it is mountainous and at higher altitudes with a lot of humidity, the temperature dropped to around 10 ºC (also, those days Sao Paulo was living an unexpected cold front). It caught me totally by surprise, so I was not carrying much suitable clothes. At least, I had just one change of “warm” clothes that I would need it for each day in the State Park. It was the beginning of the trip and I was already worrying if I had overlooked the weather in Brazil, carrying not enough warm clothes.
Mist and moisture filled the air and it kept sparkling and lightly raining continuously. At night, with a raincoat and a headlamp on, we did a night walk near the river to look for amphibians and others, but due to the cold front that Sao Paulo was suffering, the animals seemed to be more inactive than usual. Some strange insects, some frogs and different arachnids were all we could find, but it is far from being representative of the biodiversity of the place.
Next morning, at 5:00 a.m., we started tracking the muriquis. We were
accompanied by the expert guide from the Onza Parda campsite who led us along a
path through one of the valleys, meandering between the mountains. In complete
darkness, he was able to locate small hairballs in the highest crowns of the
trees above our heads. They were the muriquis sleeping, that we expected them
to activate in the first rays of light for the beginning of their day of
feeding and social relations within the family. But that day they were lazy.
Luckily, we had thermoses with coffee and bolo gelado de coco, an excellent Brazilian
coconut cake.
There were some insignificant movements of some individuals, but it
wasn’t until 10.30 a.m. or so that the muriquis began to move up the mountain.
At this moment, we left the beaten path to walk up the cliff and follow the
muriqui family. On many occasions, we were able to be on the same level as them,
where we did not miss a detail of their jumps from branch to branch, their long
meals and the little ones’ games. Southern muriqui are frugivores and sometimes
we were continuously bombarded with half-eaten fruit seeds. This species
plays a major role in seed dispersal and providing too, complementary foraging
opportunities for other threaten species as the tapirs.
Until noon we didn't stop going up and down the valleys to the rhythm of
these primates. The place itself has an incredibly beauty, typical of any
tropical forest, with abundant vegetation and an intense green color, which,
when the sun was visible, entered through the gaps in the branches, setting an
idyllic scene.
Black-fronted Titi (Callicebus nigrifrons) in Pedra do Baú
The next stop near Campos de Jordão is 5.30 hours of driving away. These are the consequences of the huge fragmentation of the Atlantic forest: from point to point to observe new species, the road can be so long.
Here we stay in a mountain refuge, in the Serra de Mantiqueira. We had a chalet in a privileged location that I
wouldn’t have found such a place if it weren't for the fact that it belonged to
a good friend of my guide’s family. The place was beautiful, teeming with
little birds and also vultures, both red-headed and grey.
To take advantage of the day after the long drive we went hiking through
the cloud forest, part of the Atlantic forest biome, totally different in
landscapes from Carlos Botelho. Cloud forest is a forest formation that
constitutes a type of rainforest that occurs at higher elevations and is
shrouded in low-level cloud cover for most of the year. A lot of orchids grew
on the trunks of the trees and the fog really gave truth to its name.
We went up to the Diamond Peak, but due to the fog we couldn't enjoy any
views. Many birds, some guans and some trace of peccaries were everything that
we found regarding the fauna. Next day it was time to visit an area closer to
São Bento do Sapucaí, to the Paiol Grande Park, where we tracked the
black-fronted titi and also enjoyed the views at Pedra do Baú.
Once inside the park we took one of the trails there, where on some occasion my guide had been able to see those adorable monkeys in a place with good view and visibility where the trees did not prevent a perfect observation of them.
The trail was really green, going through the forest and somewhat harder
than the rest we had already done before: it went up and down continuously,
with trunks in the middle of the path, which sometimes made it difficult to
look around in search of animals and not stumble. Along the way the sound of
the birds resounded throughout the valley and was relaxing and enveloping.
Toucans, trogons and parrots among others were seen from time to time.
Meanwhile, we continued on our way to reach the key area in good time.
Two species of primates inhabit this park, the black-fronted titi and
the robust capuchin, but our goal was just to find the callicebus, a more singular and distinctive species, also rare and harder
to see in the wild. When we approached the key spot, we searched for
vocalizations of these primates in the mobile in order to play it and attract their
attention to come closer to the area. We sat down to wait and, in just 5-10
minutes, I saw how a branch moved and a furry tail appeared. I thought of a
squirrel, but I caught my guide's attention anyway. There was a second branch
moving and a second furry and garish tail. That time I could tell that it
wasn't a squirrel, it was something much bigger. The black-fronted titi. I
wasn't sure, I expected them smaller, but yes, they were there. As soon as I
found a gap between the branches to see the animal completely, I could
distinguish them perfectly. Both, my guide and I jumped for joy, since it was
one of the expeditions with the most failure possibilities, and it was really
quick for them to appearing.
We looked for a place where the trees would not cover us and we enjoyed the titi family, which one by one were bumping into the same branches. Shortly after, as my guide predicted, the titis went to the good observation pass, an upper canopy that rose from the cliff edge to the same level as us. There was a wonderful view, and they were jumping from branch to branch on the tree crowns towards the other side. There, we had long moments of pleasant piece and calm, where the titis fed without rush. One of them, we could finally make out, was carrying one of the pups on it. These primates are very energetic and active. They are stuffed balls with a huge orange furry and non-prehensile tail, which makes you want to hug. Really one of my favorite ones.
When they disappeared into the left side of the forest, we lost sight of them. Right after that moment, a heavy rain caught us somewhat off guard, so we took shelter under some rocks. In about 15 minutes, the rain stopped and we returned to a place that we had seen earlier on our way with a good area devoid of trees blocking the view to the canopy. There we saw how the birds were appearing little by little after the rain. Several trogons made their appearance to our delight and also a red-breasted toucan.
Again, we wanted to attract the attention of the titis, turning back on
the vocalizations. In this case, it backfired on us. The recorded titi-calls attracted
a royal hawk – harpy eagle -, which made the birds disappear and also assured
us that that time, the titis would stay sheltered and out of easy sight, since
these raptors are their main predator. Black-fronted titis are particularly
vulnerable to raptor attacks when they move to the upper canopy to sunbathe on
cold mornings so they are used to be in alert. They have even a different alarm
call if the threat comes from canopy as the raptor, or the ground.
The hawk flew quite low several times, very close to where we were. Despite the fact that our opportunity to see the black-fronted titis again vanished, for me it was a very instructive and interesting experience being a witness of the change in the wildlife behavior. Feeling threatened, they sudden hid silently. We awaited a while longer, until we decided to do a standard hiking and be pleased by the spectacular views from Pedra do Baú.
After enjoying the views and resting for a while chatting, we heard
below where we were, in the area where we had spent the morning, the titis calls,
communicating among themselves. Instinctively, we looked at each other and ran
to the place. But once close, we realized that the sound was coming from deep
inside the forest and we decided to leave them alone and definitely leave the
place.
Buffy-tufted-ear Marmoset (Callithrix aurita) in Sitio Macuquinho
After the successful expedition of the titis, it was the turn of the Aurita. These tiny marmosets would be the most difficult primate to find from all the four species in our list, since they tend to be more frightened. Aurita is an endearing primate with skull-like markings on its face and pale tufts of hair over its ears, that’s why the common name is buffy-tufted-ear marmoset.
They are really endangered since their habitat has been deeply reduced and, even worse, other invasive marmoset species are hybridizing the indigenous one what could cause that all the pure wild Callithrix aurita will be wiped out.
We headed to Salesópolis, where Sitio Macuquinho was located. This is an excellent lodge for enthusiasts of birdwatching and where these small primates also can be found.
The place was spectacular and beautiful, and with feeders for birds. It
was dark when we arrived so we took the headlamps and we went to look for
amphibians and others some ponds near the lodge building and natural swamp in
the nearest trails. The area was a wetland, so amphibians were everywhere as
the sounds exposed, but it was hard to find any.
We woke up at early morning. The day was ugly, rainy, but that did not avoid us going in search of the Aurita. We spent half the morning walking the trails property of the lodge, using vocals and with eyes wide open. At one point I saw movement among the branches, bushy tails jumping from tree to tree, but it was a false alarm. They were squirrels, at least 6 or 7 individuals, something I had never seen in my life. I had always seen a solitaire individual or two at most. I was surprised and until we got closer and I saw them properly, I kept thinking that they were a family of monkeys, although their silhouette did not fit.
There was no luck and we went down to the lodge. During the awesome
breakfast I did not sit at all, since hummingbirds and tanagers did not stop
appearing. There were a explosion of blue, green, red and yellowish colors; endemic
tanagers such as gilt-edged tanager,
brassy-breasted tanager,
golden-chevroned tanager, Brazilian tanager and other ones more
extended through South America such as green-headed
tanager, swallow tanager, sayaca tanager, blue dacnis or golden-winged
cacique began to arrive at the feeders. A fully enchanting moment. Also,
some squirrel came to the feeders to “steal” food too. It was quite comforting
after the first frustrated attempt of the auritas
search.
We drove outside the property in the nearby woods, since the owner had told us during dinner that on the surrounding roads, Auritas are sometimes seen too. We stopped at few locations with the proper vegetation for the marmosets but there was no sign of their presence. It raining was not stopping and the searching was becoming uncomfortable, but we didn’t want to give up.
Luckily, the lodge’s owner passed driving and he was so kind to pointed
us a key trail, where it is more common to find them. Said and done. It was
arriving at that place, play the vocals once, and a few minutes later we saw a
family of Auritas, who must live in the area. They approached for seconds the
trees that lined the trail to find out what’s was going on. But it did not last
long. It was a fearful family and when they realized that no territorial threat
was set, they moved away to the further trees in the background canopy, deeper
in the forest. We could see their silhouettes jumping from tree to tree but
quite far.
We returned to the lodge to have lunch and enjoy the birds with better
lighting, since it finally stopped raining. This time I realized that there
were dozens of different species of hummingbirds hovered around the feeders.
Amazing.
It was time to go to the airport, happy to have found the Auritas despites the bittersweet feeling for having them just few seconds in the surroundings. Birdwatching, even so, made the visit a profitable day.
Surprisingly, when we were passing through a small neighborhood we spotted a “monkey” jumping near the light poles. We stopped the car immediately at the side of the road. It was a hybrid family of Auritas. One of the individuals, the head of the family, seemed to be a pure Aurita, while the vast majority was hybridized, possibly with the black-pencilled marmoset. Commom marmoset and black-pencilled marmoset are the main threatening species that are breeding with the buffy-tufted ear ones since they have been released from the pet trade into the area. As I commented before, these genetic mixing has become a real problem for the survival of Auritas as a species, whose pure-bred populations that are left are just a handful and they are also very isolated in small fragments of the Atlantic Forest.
As we were driving with a plenty of time to the airport, we could spent
a long time, observing this funny family, which was much more curious and more
used to the neighborhood people walking by the road, since they lived so close
to the town.
After the primate expedition success, I flew from Sao Paulo to Manaus to
embark on the Amazon River.
Amazon Forest:
The Amazon Forest, the lungs of our planet… or better said the main heat-trapping drainer due to the absorption of CO2. There’s not much to add about its environmental importance in both, climate and biodiversity of our world. It accounts for more than half of the planet’s remaining rainforest and it is home to more than half the world's species of plants and animals. But unfortunately it is also increasingly threatened by deforestation by, as always, human exploitation.
I flew to Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian Amazon. This is a big city surrounded by the forest. Just one road reaches the urban land, and it does not go to any other point of Brazil, but to Venezuela.
First day, we walked by the local market to be able to see the different river fish from the Amazon. There were many different species, quite curious the most of them; mainly they were quite big-sized and grey-reddish colors. The most surprising one for me was the pacú, with teeth that seem to be humans’.
We also visited the Museu da Amazônia – MUSA – and some of its trails in a private forest reserve on the outskirts of the city and within the Amazon jungle itself, and the Science Park - INPA -, an urban park – or urban “forest” -, which was closed to the public due to Covid19 situation but, that we had the luck to be offered a guided entry for a couple of hours. It was worth it. We were led to an area not normally open to the public where they kept recovering manatees. The Amazonian Manatee is the smallest of the four manatee species and it is currently classified as a vulnerable. Being a curious animal, it often comes up close to boat and river traffic and becomes an easy prey for hunters or involves itself in accidents with boats. They are hunted because its abundant meat and oil that can be got from it, despite the fact it is forbidden since 1973.
In addition, during the walk we got through an entire wild family of
Humboldt squirrel monkeys, a pair of white-faced saki and a female Parauaçu or
hairy saki. All this wildlife in an urban park. Amazing.
Next day, we embarked on a boat for a few days to navigate through the Amazon. I was sharing the trip with a group of people on this part of my visit to Brazil, so the activities were more standard and touristy. Some of them less focused on wildlife, such as the rubber factory and some visits to indigenous communities in the area.
From Manaus, you cannot embark on the Amazon and not see the Encontro
das Aguas (Meeting of Waters),
where the Black River and Solimões River meet and try to mix during about 6 km.
The colors of both rivers, so different between them, can be easily distinguished,
being the dark water coming from the Black River and the pale sandy colored
water from the Solimões. There, you can often see
tucuxis, the smallest dolphin on the world. The
Boto (pink dolphin) is not found so much in the area.
Stepping on the Amazon Forest is really exciting. During one morning we walked trails with the help of a local indigenous guide, where we learned about the vegetation, some indigenous customs or how they communicated with each other by drumming the huge samaúma buttress root, one of the largest and tallest tree from the forest.
Swimming in the Amazon is also a unique experience. The water is not cold at all and, since there is a lot of humidity that increases the sensation of heat, a bath in these waters becomes one of the most pleasant activities in the place.
Another incredible experience is to watch the afternoon storms that often occur. They fall fiercely and appear out of
nowhere, catching everyone by surprise. Boats
usually seek shelter until the storm passes because it causes small waves, so
standing in the middle of the river can be quite unpleasant due to the
continuous rocking. Interestingly, the tucuxis and even the
botos are easier to see at these moments. I
guess there are some possibilities that
they also look for less rough water to pass the storm, although it is just a
feeling.
Navigating on the river in a small boat is the easiest way to observe more animals, although don’t be wrong: the Amazon is not the ideal place to see countless wildlife, what it can sound something oddly enough. It is a jungle rich in biodiversity but in these ecosystems, the wildlife population density is not as enormous as in other areas and also the great variety and abundance of vegetation prevents them from being easily located and seen.
We were surprised to see quite a few hoatzins, a large and dumpy bird with orange mohawk and blue facial skin that live, normally in pair, on the lake edges moving clumsily around the waterside vegetation. Squirrel monkeys can also be seen frequently, at least, in the area near the old Ariau Towers. This is an abandoned hotel with towers and elevated rooms within the canopy of the rainforest that was very famous in their golden days. The monkeys were used to get easy food from humans, as the rooms of this hotel and the entire complex were situated within the canopy of the rainforest, up in the treetop. Obviously having monkeys around attracts clientele… so there were some breed areas around, so far from environmental sensitivity and ecotourism. Even now, current offspring of these monkeys that live as a family in the surroundings are still used to this type of activity, although it is totally prohibited.
In the Amazon River you can hardly see fish, because the water is dark, reddish in color due to the degradation of the leaves that accumulate on the bottom. One of the attractions of the area is the piranhas. On the boat we were spending these days, they offer the chance to fish them, and after that they cook them for dinner. Being a vegetarian, I did not participate, but I was able to see this fish up close, whose belly color changes depending on the area in which they live; they can be reddish, gray or darker. It is quite a pretty fish.
At night, you can observe the eyes of the yacare caimans in the area by
lighting them with a headlamp. We did a night out on a small island in the Anavilhanas-Archipel. We were able to
see some amphibians such as the cane toad or the tree-frogs; also, some birds
such as an owl, the giant kingfisher or reptiles such as an adorable baby
yacare caiman and a parrotsnake. Some pale-throated sloths were at the top of
the highest treetops, but they were hardly distinguishable at all.
The botos are the true pink-colored river dolphins, the largest one, and inhabit this area of the Amazon. The texture of the body is robust and strong but flexible and, unlike in oceanic dolphins, the cervical vertebrae are not fused, allowing the head to turn 90 degrees.
A few companies and some private citizens welcome botos to their properties, offering easy food. These animals remember the place and go back again for these “snacks”. These people get profit attracting the tourists to get into the Amazon water and bath really close to these animals, which jump for the fishes, make them visible to the guests. Luckily, they don't lose their wild instinct because the amount of fishes they are offered is a very low percentage of their diet. We went tone of those places near Manaus. The initial idea was to go to another place, to a woman’s private property, into much more wilderness. It is quite unknown and not overcrowded and with fewer protocols of using safety floats and things like that. The thing was that due to the recent crisis caused by Covid19, the woman was not sure if the dolphins would be appeared or not around ‘cause she stopped going to the specific point since there were no tourists at all. I would not recommend the new place, with many protocols and very unnatural. We got into the water with floats to be able to see them properly. Even if they are a few meters from you, the dark water avoids their sighting until you are so close that you could even touch them… It is exactly the reason they feed them in front of you: to make them jump out of the water what’s the only way you can see them. Despite its small eyes, this species seems to have good eyesight in and out of the water and it has a “melon” on the head, whose shape changes by muscular control using it for biosonar to locate itself. Very funny and interesting animal.
My feelings in here were bittersweet because I felt in an internal
conflict. I don’t like that much this kind of activities, and I prefer to watch
the animals in the wild and trying not to interfere in their behavior; but at
the same time, I was glad to be able to see these dolphins due to their
peculiarities. I guess I would have felt much more comfortable in the first
location we had in mind but, at the end of the day, it would have been almost
the same for the animal, just with wilder false sensation for us not wearing
the swimming floats. Anyway, it wasn’t my decision to go there or not, since I
had joined a group so finally I decided to enjoy as much as possible the
experience.
One of my favorite moments in the Amazon was to sail on one Igapó. This
is the local word used for the blackwater-flooded forest in the Amazon biome. This
ecosystem is primarily characterized by seasonal inundation caused by abundant
rainfall. In September it has a lot of water, but not enough to prevent small
boats from navigating on it. There are no possible words to describe this
place. The trees are half submerged, and it is also possible to observe traces
of algae and different clear evidence that in the rainy season, water increases
its level in meters, covering much more but just the top of the top canopy. The
reflection of the forest fools you, since the water is completely calm, with no
movement at all, creating a spectacular mirror effect. Also, the sound of the
birds and the leaves falling in the igapó surrounds you and it became a magical
and relaxing trip.
In short, the Amazon is spectacular and, in my opinion, you can get much more enjoyment out of it than we did, but obviously, all these experiences were worth it too. I would have stepped more the forest, doing some more longest and wilder trekkings into the jungle –of course, with local people guiding-, as well as have avoided the most touristic activities that we did and done more real exploring.
The Mato Grosso Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world. At least, it was; in the last 20 years, this extension has been reduced due to climate change and I am not sure anymore if it has lost the first place right now. Now the central part of Mato Grosso is dry, and this fact becomes very noticeable with the changes in its vegetation. Similarly, the other areas have also lost volume of water. The fauna has adapted, increasing the number of animals from drier lands, such as peccaries, rheas, wolves, anteaters, coatis, etc. and considerably reducing wetland species such as many of its birds, for example the iconic jabirus (known by the locals as tuyuyús), storks, ibis, etc.
The Pantanal is still a refuge for emblematic wildlife. This massive wetland has the largest concentration of crocodiles in the world, with approximately 10 million yacares caimans. It is also a refuge for the jaguars, the largest feline in the Americas. Here there is the highest density of jaguars anywhere in the world. They preferences for hunting yacares in the shore of the rivers, makes the Cuiabá River the best place for spotting this beautiful and majestic animal in the wild all around the planet. The Pantanal is also home to the biggest parrot, the hyacinth macaw or also the giant otters. Sighting these breathtaking wildlife helps attract the 1 million tourists who visit the Pantanal every year.
After landing in Cuiabá, still one-hour-and-a-half
drive was left until the entrance of the park. The fabulous Transpantaneira was
waiting for us. This road is a link between the city of Poconé and the town of
Porto Jofre. It's 147 km long and crosses no less than 122 bridges, most
of them of wood. The road provides good opportunity for wildlife watching,
especially in dry season, as it was the occasion. It crosses the northern part
of the Mato Grosso swampy terrain. Once you get to Poconé, the road is no
longer paved and soon it arrives at the sign that welcomes you to the Pantanal.
The northernmost part is somewhat drier, full
of termite mounds. The landscape is unique, giving in some places the
impression of a cemetery, transforming the numerous termite mounds into
tombstones. In the most flooded areas, yacares accumulate in hundreds, if not
thousands; In many areas, the river bank cannot be seen due to the large
population of these reptiles basking in the sun. Some
capybaras can already be seen even in cattle terrain. The jabirus begin to
appear, almost always in pairs (as I have heard, years ago there were living in
hundreds); roseate spoonbills, herons of all kinds, ibis and wetland birds were
not lacking. Although their number dropped substantially, for someone who has
never been to the Pantanal, it is still amazing. After a while, the vegetation
transforms, giving rise to scrub and other dryland vegetation. Animals are no
longer seen in such a high population, although it is always a good idea to be alert
for what may appear. Deer keep showing up; there are two main types seen in the
road: the pampas deer and the marsh deer, but there are other smaller species
too as the brocket deer. We were paying attention in case we could see an
anteater, but we did not have that much luck.
In the Pantanal, the most popular way to travel is staying in private farms (fazendas), whose owners have decided to exploit them for tourism due to the large amount of fauna living in the area, which is the main attraction of this huge wetland. Around 95% of the Pantanal is under private ownership, the majority of which is used for cattle grazing; just less than 5% of the wetland is protected by the government. Bird and wildlife photographers, naturalists and biologists or nature-and-biodiversity enthusiasts like me are the main kind of tourists you find in this area.
The fazenda where we stayed is
located in a privileged 8000 hectares area with abundant population of mammals, like tapirs, anteaters and deer, among many others, besides hundreds of species of birds, due to
its perfect state of preservation.
Beside the lodge building had feeders for birds helping to exploit
ornithologist and birdwatching tourism. At 6:30 am the feeders were filled and it was the ideal moment
for scarier birds to appear, such as the toucan, both, toco, the largest one,
and chestnut-eared araçari. Both very gorgeous
birds but the toco toucan is out of this world! It has a yellow-orange enormous
bill that makes impossible to believe how its weight can be balance with the
toco body, since it looks excessive. But this bill is
really lightweight because it is made by keratin. The showy “blue” eyes seem
like a toy-like eye to me; but what appears to be a blue iris is actually thin
blue skin.
Throughout the day different species of cardinals, doves, tanagers, seedeaters, flinches or guans remained in the area. Even the crested oropendola, mainly black with a chestnut rump and a tail which is bright yellow and is wide open in flight what makes it really charming and attractive. In the trees around the fazenda, numerous parrots including macaws could be seen too.
In our stay, we also find out some grey vultures eating a newborn calf who, I think, it was born dead during the night. It was difficult to stare at them eating the newborn eyes and hearing the mother cow moos that it did not understand what was happening.
This fazenda uses ancient cattle
ways as base for the current trails of access the different routes for wildlife
observation (vehicle or/and on foot) and has a famous natural waterhole known
as “the waiting point” which is usually a good place to see the fauna,
appearing to drink, especially at sunset. The long-awaited one is the tapir,
but it is far from being the only one. Late afternoon, you are driven there and
discreetly await the animals to approach.
In one of my mid-day walks day,
taking advantage of a cloudy day, I followed one of the trails that led into
the forest and I began to see movements in the branches. First of all, I ran
into a family of macaco prego or tufted capuchins that quickly disappeared,
going into the deep forest, leaving behind just one black howler monkey, which
I don't quite understand what it was doing in the same area as the prego and in
solitary. It was the only howler I have seen in Brazil during my stay there.
Following the trail I came across another family of capuchins. These were quiet
and calmer, feeding in the trees. My presence, instead of scaring them away,
made them alert and they approached me with small cries and somewhat abrupt
movements from time to time. Taking me as an intruder, they tried to make me go
back and leave, although they never became aggressive, only somewhat
challenging. It was very interesting and entertaining because I could observe
them from a shorter distance. While I was taking pictures to them and I was
amazed watching them, I heard noise and noticed movement behind me, among the
branches. I turned and there it was a stunned brocket deer that had gone out to
the slight-open area where I was. It paralyzed for a second surprise by my
presence and then it resumed its way and left. Going a little further, I came
to the bank of a stream with some yacare caimans, and right on the opposite
bank, a nest of jabirus with the male and female in it and an ibis that was singing
its call continuously. A nice walk that became very productive and enjoyable,
helping to walk off the lunch too, that in these places used to be served as a
buffet.
At about 3:30 p.m. we got into an open vehicle to make our first safari in the fazenda property. We hadn't even been there for 5 minutes, when in a palm tree, the carandás, on our left side, we had our first gift: a pair of hyacinth macaws was feeding from the nuts inside the coconuts just a few meters from us; right up to us. These birds are the most precious and the largest macaw. Some time ago, these macaws could cost millions of dollars to have them as a pet. Its intense blue color couldn’t leave anyone indifferent. Luckily, now they are being protected. Northern Pantanal is one of the last refuges for these amazing birds. In this fazenda they carried out work in mapping and planting new tree seedlings, to provide sustenance for nests of the Hyacinth Macaws, especially Manduvi trees.
Following the route we come across mammals such as a crab-eating fox or coatis; other birds such as a white woodpecker, guans and tanagers. Alsos countless waterbirds such as jabirus, ibis, herons, kingfishers or storks; as well as raptors such as the great horned owl, a great black hawk, a savanna hawk or quite a few of crested caracaras. Also, hundreds of the iconic yacare caimans in the small ponds of the wetlands.
We also saw the greater rheas.
These birds are the "American ostriches", but smaller. Both genders
are colored in a grey-brownish tone and do not present sexual dimorphism at all.
Fortunately, we could see these slender running birds even with their offspring.
Once in the waiting area of the waterhole, we watched how different birds such as jacanas or wood rails approached one by one to drink. I had the feeling that, until the first animal to arrive did not go away, the next one did not appear…and then it was the turn of a red-footed tortoise. Then I had to make the joke that we wouldn't see any more animals that day, since their slowness predicted that it would stay there until nightfall. Luckily it wasn’t like that, and surprisingly, a six-banded armadillo appeared. This animal is very difficult to see, since they are tremendously fearful. Some sound or movement made it alert and it left in seconds before reaching the pond, although it would return a while later in a hurry to drink and go away as fast as possible.
Some more birds and an agouti gave way to the most awaited moment. Minutes before the sunset, a female tapir appeared accompanied by its baby. They were there quietly, walking and drinking until nightfall. The wait had definitely been worth it.
The next day we returned to the
place, we did not have such luck with the tapirs, but other types of animals approached,
such as a family of coatis, which gave us a show on the highest branches of the
trees, few toco toucans, guans and egrets.
Before dinner, the safari continued with the headlights and spotlights from the vehicle. We found brocket deer and a couple more of female tapirs and their offspring; a multitude of nightjars and crab-eating foxes, some rhea sleeping and the shining eyes of countless yacares. We also saw, but with some difficulties, three capybaras that were hanging around near a pond and that we would see again on the way out of the fazenda in our leave.
Before going to sleep, I always took the headlamp in hand to walk on my own; I was able to observe a solitary tapir that was eating not far from the lodge and some coatis.
In the mornings before the sun came up, I took the headlamp again and take a mini-walk around the booths. Coatis, surprised by the light, stayed by my side each day. They always wandered there in the dark, probably scavenging for scraps of food.
At dawn, vultures, parrots, giams and toucans were more easily observed in the trees around the lodge building. Once, a crab eating fox approached the area quite early. With a little patience and giving it time to nearly trust, I was able to keep it just a few meters away, since it was quite curious. Of course, once it was closer to a meter and a half or so, it itself would get scared and back away to try to approach again and so on.
Also, near the building they caught
a Mato Grosso lancehead, a highly venomous pitviper widely distributed across
South American and particularly abundant in lowland areas in the Pantanal
wetlands. They had it in a pail to let it free far from the lodge next day.
On a walking route accompanied by a
local worker, we were able to see some kingfishers, ibis, egrets, some more capuchin
monkeys and a family of black-tailed marmosets, a new primate species on the large list of my
sightseeing in this trip... Also, pampas deer
from the top of a tower, a pygmy owl and
many other animals mentioned above.
Next stop was continuing southern on the Transpantaneira to the Cuiabá River, in the Porto Jofre area. A jaguar expedition was waiting for us. This place is possibly the only place in the world where the sighting of this "cat" is practically guaranteed. It is customary to go on a boat safari on the river, looking for wildlife and focused on this huge cat on its banks. As there are numerous boats, a large area is covered in their search and when some of them spots one jaguar, they are immediately notifying by radio to the rest of boats. I often felt we were alone in the river, but when a jaguar appears we realized that was quite far from the truth. Numerous boats ended up stopping in the key spot, trying to position themselves in a good place to get a good sight of the big cat. The Pantanal holds the densest population of jaguars, estimating between 4,000-7,000 jaguars in the Pantanal alone. In this area we were told to have 60-80 individuals and local guides can distinguish most of them by their rosettes (their black spots shaped like roses), which are like fingerprints for humans, unique and identifying. We were very lucky and we got to see four individuals in the couple of days that we were there. In general, we saw them walking along the sandy banks or going in and out of the vegetation, which formed like tunnels on the riversides.
The last individual we found, very close to the small
jetty of our lodge, offered us a true moment of a National Geographic
documentary. After swimming along the bank and climbing back on a branch, it stared
at a place full of water
hyacinth, an aquatic plant. Then, it came down from
the branch quietly and "disappeared" into the water among the
water hyacinths… Suddenly, a splash noise, water splashing everywhere and a big
commotion caught our attention. We witnesses first-hand how the jaguar hunted a
yacare caiman that tried to resist for a few seconds.
It came out of the water with the yacare bitten
on its throat. The jaguar got motionless for a while to finish suffocating it,
and then it dragged it and raised it to jump up the bank. Simply magnificent.
But in the Cuiabá River, not only jaguars live. Giant
otters roam the area. We were lucky to see them fully active, fishing and
eating their first morning snack, very early in the morning. This kind of
otters is the most vocals;
they were constantly screaming, barking and wailing to communicate with each
other. They showed great skill when fishing; they
didn't miss a single attempt. Just one meter or so from the boat, it was captivating
and really surprising to see these enormous animals playing and fishing.
Their tremendous teeth were some kind terrifying; a
bite from this animal surely causes significant damage. Better not
disturb them.
In addition to these two highlights, you can see some snakes such as yellow-tailed cribo or the anaconda. We saw three anacondas: two of them fleetingly, one on the road that crossed really fast; and another one, really large, hidden within the vegetation of the river bank. The third one was stretched out on a sandy area with the jaw full of blood, but not as large as the other ones.
At least, we could enjoy capybaras really close and wandering around the accommodation; as well as in the river.
Around the accommodation, there is so much life too; it was easy to see capuchin monkeys, macaws, caracaras and ibis. It was funny to see the monkeys, very curios and not stopping eating mangos and other fruits, throwing the bitten fruits over your head.
Obviously you also find yacare caimans, jabirus, kingfishers, herons, many others water birds and, as an infrequent but very interesting animal, we could see a tree porcupine and proboscis bats.
The Pantanal is spectacular and a paradise for animal
lovers. We weren’t able
to see the anteater, easier to see in Mato Grosso do Sul (area that is pending
for the next trip). Likewise, at my next stop in the Cerrado, I was able to
enjoy their encounter on numerous occasions.
El
Cerrado: Serra da Canastra and Caraça
After the Pantanal, I was looking for a different landscape, a different ecosystem from those seen until then. The Cerrado is a vast territory of tropical savanna, around 2 million km2. One of the main characteristics of this ecosystem is the deep ground that is able to maintain water inside during the all year around. We went to the state of Minas Gerais to the Serra da Canastra National Park. The park preserves the headwaters of the São Francisco River, which flows east from the park.
On this part of the trip, I left the group who was with me in Amazon and Pantanal and I met a local guide on my own. My guide from the primate expedition could not come this time for his main work schedules, so he sent his childhood friend, a biologist, who came with his wife. The change was not an impediment to follow the plan: look for the anteater and the lobo guará (local name for the maned wolf).
In the Cerrado, in addition to some beautiful waterfall walks, we went
on a safari in a 1990 car, just like in the Atlantic Forest: totally authentic
and non-mainstream at all. We were driving slowly inside the natural park of
the Serra da Canastra, attentive to any movement that we could detect. Vegetation
is mostly rocky fields and Cerrado, with clumps of riparian forest in the
valleys and ravines. Between the Cerrado savanna-like and the gallery
forest is an area of vegetation known as the wet campo with distinct up- and down- slope borders where tree
growth is inhibited due to wide seasonal fluctuations in the water table. Being
mainly grassland and savanna with low vegetation, with some occasional small
trees, it helps to have an extend view of the area and cover long distances with
the naked eye from the road.
To get there we had a little problem finding the right
door and we ended up changing the order of the routes, but it didn't matter. To
spend the first night in São João
da Canastra, we had to cross the park itself, which closed at 6:00 p.m. and we
were running out of time. We had some adventure to climb certain areas where a
4x4 seemed to be necessary but thanks to the girl's ability we were able to drive
up. Really soon, I suddenly saw an anteater. I made the car stop immediately,
in an instinctive way. It was amazing, I could sight it perfectly: the large
size of the animal, which was also outlined dark against the yellowish bushes
and grass, could not go unnoticed. We took the camera and carefully went out of
the car. We got into the bushes until we were a few meters from it. I was in a high,
I didn't think I'd find it so fast. The animal was digging up using its fore
claws really quietly. What surprise me more was its long bushy tail, which was
full of coat hair that makes it look as larger as its body. Later it turned out
that we could see a couple or three of individuals per day but the first one
is always a unique experience.
A few minutes later we found another one, very close
to the road. This one
was more fearful, the fur was something different,
darker, possibly a juvenile. In addition, when we went cross-country to
approach the giant anteater, we found endemic plants, fruits, insects and
reptiles. It is obvious that getting off the road always enriches the
experience.
Different kinds of birds could be seen very often: cock-tailed tyrant, burrowing owl (or shoco), fork-tailed flycatcher,
different woodpeckers, parrots and toucans; with a little luck, red-winged
tinamous or the red-legged seriema can been spotted.
Burrowing owls are active during the day, and they keep themselves in alert when someone’s around and fly short to catch the attention and makes you follow it far from their nest in burrows. These burrows can be distinguish easily if your are closed to it, since the entrance is maintain dirt from dung. They even bring dung from other animals to attract insect near their nest and have access to a quick meal.
Campo flickers, the “yellow” woodpecker, appeared on
the road as we drove, but also further inland. This woodpecker can nest both in
trees, as we saw in the Atlantic Forest or either in the ground or termite
mounds, as here in the grassland of the Cerrado. As we were walking off-road,
they sometimes screech out of the bushes, but they were waiting until the last moment to do it, so being
just inches away from them. These sudden shrill calls before flying out of
there used to make the heart skip a beat every time and I must say that it was
not helpful at all in approaching “silently” to the anteaters.
In this ecosystem we can also find rheas. We just saw one
individual. Sometimes we went into the valleys to the wooded area that grows
around the aquifers and streams. The crested caracaras accompanied
us throughout the whole visit to Canastra; they were everywhere We stayed in São João Batista da Canastra, entering through the
entrance number 1 (porteria 1) and
visiting the spring of the São
Francisco river, the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian
territory.
One morning, we decided to do a trekking to the Jota
waterfall (cachoeira do Jota) before the National Park opens its doors. This
waterfall has a beautiful environment. We were followed by two dogs from the
small miner village where we were staying- There, we were shocked to see
movement behind the water. A flock of great dusky swift rested there. These birds
used to roosts on the walls behind the cascade of
falling water. This curtain of water protects their nest, but sometimes it can
be a threat when the torrents of water change the path and destroy their nest.
At night, numerous toads and frogs came out
in São João Batista da Canastra. In São Roque de Minas, the rhinoceros beetles
were the ones that at nightfall invaded the small
alleys and in the surroundings of the houses where the lights were on.
D’Anta waterfall is another famous spot in this National Park
(waterfalls are the main attraction in this park, for the standard tourists).
It is a beautiful green area and a nice trekking with some spectacular views.
The last anteater we saw, which was in an area with taller bushes that made it difficult to see it from the car, made us doubt at first. We saw one, then we thought they were two, then again just one… At least, few meters away from them, we could finally tell it was a female with it baby on its back. The little one did not move from above, strongly hooked, while the mother fed. We got as close as we could so as not to scare them and enjoy the moment until it went away towards the valley.
After that, we went to cook and eat at an “off-road”
waterfall that we found by chance. A beautiful place to spend the hottest and
worst hours for the wildlife search.
We could not see any deer, which are animals that inhabit the area, but they are not
as easy to see as on the Transpantaneira road, since they usually roam the most
wooded areas in the valleys, making sighting difficult. Other mammals despite the giant anteaters are difficult to spot too, but
we found some footprints of the maned wolf.
After Canastra we drove to Caraça. The Sanctuary of Caraça is a place of religious pilgrimage but it also attracts tourism for its trails in the middle of the mountains where the ecosystem of the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest overlap and mix. We went there to assure the maned wolf. In this place, after dinner, they usually leave out food at 7:30 p.m. so the maned wolf used to approach there almost every night and sometimes, other animals such as tapirs or wild dogs too (but never at the same time or day). To be able to participate in this wolf awaiting, staying that night in their dormitories is mandatory, since visitors must be out at about 5 or 6 pm.
The place is really gorgeous. The nature is a paradise and the
sanctuary is also cute. The surroundings are full of birds, overall of guans
and finches that are not afraid of humans anymore; also the crested oropendolas
(or yapú) which are really funny due to their vocals. They make bizarre
gurgling noises and even a descending call reminiscent of sliding one's hand on
a piano. They can also imitate other sounds they have heard and learned. These
ones in Caraça were sounding like a videogames or slot machines. It really made
you smile and even laugh. They are unmistakable.
Staying at night is worth it. On the first night, before nightfall and
when it was not yet forbidden to wander around the front area –of the wolf
awaiting-, we were lucky enough to see the wolf in the forest, close to the
sanctuary. It arrived early that day. We were entertained with the birdwatching
around there and then, the guans started
to make quite a load noise. I looked down the valley and there was the wolf.
We crouched down so as not to scare it away and we were lucky enough to even see
it hunting a mouse. We saw it move oddly, searching through the bushes and
finally, at the first attempt, it caught and ate a small mouse. Its movement
was akin to a fox rather than a wolf. It is guided by sound, with its large
ears, and not by sight. Although, is it a canine; in fact, the largest canine
in Brazil. This wolf is strangely beautiful, with strangely long legs and a
black mane on its back. Seeing it in the natural environment, acting totally
wild, was a gift to us. Likewise, while waiting for the food time at evening,
it did not disappoint either. When the wolf was coming, somehow in alert, to
get the food and running off to eat it elsewhere, we could watch it closely and
calmly: its movements, its fur, its beauty. Truly, it is an animal that
deserves to be seen.
Next evening, it did not appear. In its place, the tapir did, but much later. Unfortunately, we did not see it, since we decided to do a night tour on our own.
The trails in Caraça are many. We went first to a waterfall, the Cascatinha. Before arriving to the
waterfall and following curiously the footprints of
many mammals in the wet land, we found an off-trail pond. There were fresh
large animal tracks: deer’s and capybaras’ for sure. They also seemed to be
tapir’s; and, surprisingly, a footprint of 5 fingers... maybe a puma?
It was also noticeable that it would be a spot full of
life, where anurous would fill the place at night. There, we could already
listen to many frogs sounds but it was impossible to spot even one. We
also found a small snake, a false jararaca, a non venomous snake but similar in
appearance with the jararaca, a highly venomous pit viper. Definitely, we felt
it like it was an interesting spot to come back when the sun would go down.
Later we climb to the Cap
Sagrado Coração through a little traveled path. We rested enjoying the views on
top and the different birds, reptiles and invertebrates we were finding in our
way. We came back to the sanctuary by the beaten track with excellent views to
the sanctuary.
Our “night expedition” to the pond was really
enjoyable. We were not sure if it was permitted but we took the lightheads and
we start walking the trails we did in the morning while the rest of the people
were waiting for the maned wolf again and who did not seem to be around that
night.
We did not see any large mammals, but we did have the
experience of feeling how the sound environment was filling up with frog songs
when getting closer to the pond; different and multiple songs, being
able to feel that you were approaching a “pure life” place. We saw a lot of species, singing, mating, feeding... It was a
spectacle.
The Cerrado expedition was quite an experience. It wasn't as teeming with wildlife as the Pantanal, but the contrasting ecosystem and landscapes and our close encounters with the giant anteaters and the maned wolf are more than rewarding.
This was the last part of my first visit to Brazil,
where there is still a lot to see and discover. A huge country rich in
biodiversity, which I hope, they will learn to preserve and respect and they
have me back soon.
Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis); Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis); Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae); Azaras's capuchin or hooded capuchin (Sapajus cay pallidus); Bare-eared squirrel monkey (Saimiri ustus); Black howler (Alouatta caraya); Black Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus); Black-fronted Titi (Callicebus nigrifrons); Black-tailed marmoset (Mico melanurus); Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis); Brown-brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira); Buffy-tufted-ear Marmoset (Callithrix aurita); Bush dog (Speothos venaticus); Collared-peccary (Pecari tajacu); Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus); Crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous); Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla); Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis); Greater capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris); Guianan squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus); Hairy Saki (Pithecia hirsuta); Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni); Humboldt's squirrel monkey (Saimiri cassiquiarensis); Ingram's squirrel (Sciurus ingrami); Jaguar (Panthera onca); Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus); Marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus); Pale-throated sloth (Bradypus tridactylus); Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus); Proboscis bat (Rhynchonycteris naso); Red-brocket deer (Mazama americana); Red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta leporina); six-banded armadillo or yellow armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus); South American coati or ring-tailed coati (Nasua nasua); South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris); Southern Muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides); Tucuxi (Sotalia fluviatilis); Tufted capuchin (Sapajus apella); White-faced saki or Pale headed saki (Pithecia pithecia);
Amazon kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona); Amazon kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona); Bare-faced curassow (Crax fasciolata); Bare-faced ibis (Phimosus infuscatus); Bare-faced ibis (Phimosus infuscatus); Black vulture (Coragyps atratus); Black-backed water tyrant (Fluvicola albiventer); Black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis); Black-capped donacobius (Donacobius atricapilla); Black-collared hawk (Busarellus nigricollis); Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax); Black-goggled tanager (Trichothraupis melanops); Black-goggled tanager (Trichothraupis melanops); Blackish rail (Pardirallus nigricans); Black-necked araçari (Pteroglossus aracari); Blue dacnis or turquoise honeycreeper (Dacnis cayana); Blue-and-white swallow (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca); Bluish-grey saltator or blue-gray saltator (Saltator coerulescens); Boat-billed flycatcher (Megarynchus pitangua); Boat-billed heron (Cochlearius cochlearius); Brassy-breasted tanager (Tangara desmaresti); Brazilian ruby (Heliodoxa rubricauda); Brazilian tanager (Ramphocelus bresilius); Brazilian teal or Brazilian duck (Amazonetta brasiliensis); Brown-crested flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus); Buff-necked ibis (Theristicus caudatus); Buff-throated warbling finch (Microspingus lateralis); Burnished-buff tanager (Stilpnia cayana); Burrowing owl or shoco (Athene cunicularia); Campo flicker (Colaptes campestris); Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis); Cattle tyrant (Machetornis rixosa); Chaco chachalaca (Ortalis canicollis); Chestnut-eared araçari (Pteroglossus castanotis); Cobalt-rumped parrotlet or blue-winged parrotlet (Forpus xanthopterygius); Cock-tailed tyrant (Alectrurus tricolor); Cocoi heron (Ardea cocoi); Common ground dove (Columbina passerina); Common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor); Common potoo, or poor-me-ones (Nyctibius griseus); Crested caracara (Caracara plancus); Crested oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus); Crested oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus); Dusky-legged guan (Penelope obscura); Ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum); Ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum); Fish hawk or osprey (Pandion haliaetus); Forbes's blackbird (Anumara forbesi); Fork-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus savana); Giant cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus); Giant cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus); Gilt-edged tanager (Tangara cyanoventris); Golden-chevroned tanager (Thraupis ornata); Golden-collared macaw or yellow-collared macaw (Primolius auricollis); Golden-winged cacique (Cacicus chrysopterus); Grayish baywing (Agelaioides badius); Great black hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga); Great dusky swift (Cypseloides senex); Great egret (Ardea alba); Great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus); Great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus); Great potoo (Nyctibius grandis); Greater rhea (Rhea americana americana & R.a. araneipes); Green ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis); Green kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana); Green-and-rufous kingfisher (Chloroceryle inda); Green-barred woodpecker (Colaptes melanochloros); Green-billed toucan or red-breasted toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus); Green-headed tanager (Tangara seledon); Green-winged saltator (Saltator similis); Grey heron (Ardea cinerea); Grey-breasted martin (Progne chalybea); Grey-cowled wood rail or grey-necked wood rail (Aramides cajaneus); Grey-crested cacholote (Pseudoseisura unirufa); Grey-fronted dove (Leptotila rufaxilla); Guira cuckoo (Guira guira); Harpy Eagle or royal-hawk (Harpia harpyja); Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin); Hook-billed hermit (Glaucis dohrnii); Hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus); Jabiru or tuyuyú (Jabiru mycteria); Lesser kiskadee (Philohydor lictor); Long-tailed tyrant (Colonia colonus); Magpie tanager (Cissopis leverianus); Maguari stork (Ciconia maguari); Maroon-bellied parakeet (Pyrrhura frontalis); Masked water tyrant (Fluvicola nengeta); Monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus); Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata); Neotropic cormorant or olivaceous cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum); Olivaceous woodcreeper (Sittasomus griseicapillus); Orange-backed troupial (Icterus croconotus); Orange-fronted yellow finch (Sicalis columbiana); Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis); Peach-fronted parakeet (Eupsittula aurea); Picazuro pigeon (Patagioenas picazuro); Pinnated bittern (Botaurus pinnatus); Plain-bellied emerald (Chrysuronia leucogaster); Planalto hermit (Phaethornis pretrei); Plumbeous antvireo (Dysithamnus plumbeus); Plumbeous ibis (Theristicus caerulescens); Purplish jay (Cyanocorax cyanomelas); Red-capped cardinal (Paroaria gularis); Red-cowled cardinal (Paroaria dominicana); Red-crested cardinal (Paroaria coronata); Red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata); Red-winged tinamou (Rhynchotus rufescens); Ringed kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata); Roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris); Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja); Ruddy ground dove (Columbina talpacoti); Rufescent tiger heron (Tigrisoma lineatum); Rufous hornero (Furnarius rufus); Rufous-bellied thrush (Turdus rufiventris); Rufous-collared sparrow or Andean sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis); Rufous-tailed jacamar (Galbula ruficauda); Rufous-throated sapphire (Hylocharis sapphirina); Rusty-margined guan (Penelope superciliaris); Saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola); Sapphire-spangled emerald (Chionomesa lactea); Savanna hawk (Buteogallus meridionalis); Sayaca tanager (Thraupis sayaca); Scaled dove or South American zebra dove (Columbina squammata); Scarlet flycatcher or austral vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus); Slaty-breasted wood rail (Aramides saracura); Smooth-billed ani (crotophaga ani); Snakebird (Anhinga anhinga); Solitary cacique or solitary black cacique (Cacicus solitarius); Solitary tinamou (Tinamus solitarius); Sombre hummingbird (Eupetomena cirrochloris); Sooty-fronted spinetail (Synallaxis frontalis); South American great horned owl (Bubo virginianus nacurutu); Southern lapwing (Vanellus chilensis); Southern mealy amazon or southern mealy parrot (Amazona farinosa); Southern rough-winged swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis); Southern screamer (Chauna torquata); Spix's guan (Penelope jacquacu); Streamer-tailed tyrant (Gubernetes yetapa); Striated heron or mangrove heron (Butorides striata); Stripe-tailed yellow finch (Sicalis citrina); Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias); Surucua trogon (Trogon surrucura); Swainson's flycatcher (Myiarchus swainsoni); Tawny-bellied seedeater (Sporophila hypoxantha); Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco); Tropical kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus); Tropical screech owl (Megascops choliba); Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura); Turquoise-fronted amazon (Amazona aestiva); Undulated tinamou (Crypturellus undulatus); Unicolored blackbird (Agelasticus cyanopus); Violet-capped woodnymph (Thalurania glaucopis); Wattled jacana (Jacana jacana); Wattled jacana (Jacana jacana); Whistling heron (Syrigma sibilatrix); White woodpecker (Melanerpes candidus); White-bellied nothura (Nothura boraquira); White-eyed foliage-gleaner (Automolus leucophthalmus); White-eyed parakeet or white-eyed conure (Psittacara leucophthalmus); White-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi); White-lined tanager (Tachyphonus rufus); White-rumped tanager (Cypsnagra hirundinacea); White-throated hummingbird (Leucochloris albicollis); White-throated seedeater (Sporophila albogularis); Wood stork (Mycteria americana); Wren-like rushbird (Phleocryptes melanops); Yellow-billed cardinal (Paroaria capitata); Yellowish pipit (Anthus chii); Yellow-rumped cacique (Cacicus cela);
Amazon lava lizard (Tropidurus torquatus); Anaconda (Eunectes murinus); Arrau turtle or South American river turtle (Podocnemis expansa); Black-spotted Skink (genus mabuya); Boettger's sipo (Chironius flavolineatus); Golden teyu (Tupinambis teguixin); Green iguana (Iguana iguana); Jungle runner ameiva lizard, green ameiva or Amazon racerunner (Ameiva ameiva); Mato Grosso Lancehead (Bothrops matogrossensis); Red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius); Rio Tropical Racer, false jararacá (Mastigodryas bifossatus or Palusophis bifossatus); Six-tubercled Amazon River turtle or six-tubercled river turtle (Podocnemis sextuberculata); Spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus); Tropidurus itambere; Tropidurus oreadicus; Two-striped forest-pitviper, parrotsnake, Amazonian palm viper, or green jararacá (Bothrops bilineatus); Yacare caiman (Caiman yacare); Yellow-footed tortoise or Brazilian giant tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus); Yellow-spotted river turtles or Taricaya (Podocnemis unifilis); Yellow-tailed cribo or indigo snake (Drymarchon corais);
Amphibians:
Baoruco hammer frog (Eleutherodactylus armstrongi); Brachycephalus izecksohni; Burmeister's leaf frog and common walking leaf frog (Phyllomedusa burmeisteri); Cane toad (Rhinella marina); Demerara Falls tree frog (Boana cinerascens); Dendropsophus minutus (lesser treefrog); Fine-lined tree frog (Boana leptolineata); Phyllomedusa tetraploidea; Saddleback toads (Brachycephalus); Scinax catharinae; Smoky jungle frog (Leptodactylus pentadactylus); Tiger-legged monkey frog (Pithecopus hypochondrialis); Triped snouted treefrog and long-snouted treefrog (Scinax squalirostris);
Fishes:
Armored catfish (Pterygoplichthys sp.); Myleus pacu; Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus); Pancake stingray (Heliotrygon gomesi); Peacock bass or Brazilian tucunaré (Cichla); Pirarucu (Arapaima gigas); Red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri); Redtail catfish o Pirarara (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus);
Arthropods:
Army ants (Eciton burchellii); Bullet ant (Paraponera clavata); Bush cricket (Tettigoniidae); Jumping spider (salticidae); Leafcutter amd (Atta sexdens); Mhorpo helenor; Owl butterflies (Caligo); Sara longwing (Heliconius sara); Stick grasshoppers (Milenascopia gen. nov.; Proscopiidae); Tarantula (Theraphosa stirmi); Tiger beauty (Tigridia acesta);
No comments:
Post a Comment