As we drove into the dude ranch where we were staying after 13 hours in transit, we were beyond exhausted. But the minute the first person saw a caiman, we were all on high alert. If you can see a caiman from the road, what else could be there! We saw more than we could have imagined just in our ride, in the dark, to the dude ranch. The next days were almost surreal with the amount of wildlife we saw and the activities we got to do. But before I go into too much more detail, I will at least first tease you with this picture.
-
-
This is indeed the stunningly beautiful hyacinth macaw. When we first saw them, I couldn't take my eyes off them because they looked so out of place in their landscape. Imagine a dusty brown ground with not-so-green bushes and few trees scattered here and there. And then all of a sudden, boom! There are these brilliant blue birds with bright yellow accents just sitting there staring at you! I have to say I was taken aback. We noticed that they were never alone, and when they would fly, they would almost look harmonious as if they knew exactly when the other ones were going to flap their wings. I felt like I couldn’t take enough pictures to capture their beauty.
-
The Pantanal is one of the largest wetlands in the world, and it has four seasons: dry, flooding, wet and draining. During the dry season, which we were there for, there are small ponds scattered throughout the landscape that support all kinds of life. Researchers have found that the biodiversity is higher during the dry season than the wet season, although there is by no means a lack at any time of the year. The ranch owners told us that sometimes during the wet season the only way to get to their ranch is by boat! Needless to say, we were glad to have been during the dry season when we could walk around at our leisure. -
Now what I know you've all been waiting to see, the wildlife! I tried to get all the correct names, but I’m sorry if I leave a couple out because I already forgot them. Here we go:
-
-
-
The capybara, largest rodents in the world, were just too cute for their own good. They really could care less that we were there and went on with their business no matter how much of a fuss we made over them. Most of the groups had young, so that was interesting to see as well. Some quick facts: they are herbivores, they like to spend some time in the water, and they are apparently poached to sell their feet as souvenirs.
-
-
This here is a coati, but I don’t know too much more about them. They kind of looked like a cross between a fox and a raccoon, but they really had too much of a unique look to be compared to something entirely.
-
-
These guys were pretty cool, and while you can’t help but feel a little fear as you see thousands of eyes reflecting back at you when you take a night hike, they really are as docile as crocodiles can get. This is the only known crocodilian from the Pantanal and they call it a caiman. During the dry season, they congregate at the receding pools of water to take advantage of the concentration of trapped fish. They could be seen sunning themselves on the banks of these ponds as well as in the water. Apparently they pose little threat to humans unless you mess with their young, which is the case with many animals.
-
-
Now introducing the tuiuiu, the best onamonapia I’ve ever encountered (this is the sound they make)! Also known as the jabiru, this regal bird has a greater wingspan than my height, and you couldn’t help but stare in awe when it started to fly. It is the largest wading bird in the Pantanal.
-
-
The red-crested cardinal. I obviously couldn’t help putting this guy on here because this is our mascot! He was a pretty neat little guy, and it looked as though he was very confident in himself:)
-
-
Unfortunately I didn’t write down the name for this frog, but it was such a neat find I couldn’t resist! These guys aren’t easy to find, which is to their benefit, but it makes for a long night hike.
-
-
-
My best pictures during our stay at the Pantanal were of the monkeys. The common Brazilian name of this species is macaca prego, or nail monkey. The first day we saw a troop of monkeys attack a huge bird nest and raid it of its eggs. The next couple of days we just observed different behaviors such as jumping to different trees, interacting with each other, and eating fruits. They were the cutest things to watch, but they got a little rowdy if we got too close.
-
Other activities in the Pantanal included mist netting for birds, playing card games at night, and going horseback riding. I’m pretty sure that this ecosystem was the favorite of the group, and it was a bittersweet goodbye as we headed back to Curitiba. A few days of catching up with logistics in the city, and then we are all off to our internships!
Comments