Wildlife of the Pantanal
The world's largest tropical wetland: Jaguar paradise of the world, and quite a bit more.
It finally happened: After visiting more than 80 countries, I finally made it to South America. Specifically, starting in Chile, but my next destination was Brasil, including the northern Pantanal, and for no particular reason at all this area will be the subject of my first blog post from the continent.
The Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland, covering almost 200,000 sqkm over parts of Brasil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site and a Ramsar wetland.
I limited myself to the northern part in the Brasilian state of Mato Grosso, but there is a chance I’ll be back for more…
There are a few reasons to visit this rather remote part of Brasil, but one stands out above all: It’s the best place in the world to see Jaguars, and that was also my primary goal. So after a long trip from Santiago and landing in Cuiaba in the morning, no time was wasted and I was off to meet my amazing guide Guilherme from Pantanal Photo Tours for the 5h drive south towards Porto Jofre. The so-called Transpantaneira road is somewhat dusty and bumpy, but provides a first glimpse of wildlife, especially in the dry season, and we indeed spotted our first bird species and a good amount of caimans in the various water ponds. There was once a plan to extend the road through the entire Pantanal for several thousand kilometers, but that never happened - probably for the better.
It was an unusually cloudy and cool day - something extremely rare during this time of the year, and I would soon realize I should have enjoyed it a little more, as the next 5 days would become very hot and dry.
Arrival Greetings
We arrived at the small harbor of Porto Jofre (barely a village) and climbed into our little boat on the way to the Panoramico, the houseboat that would become home for the next few days.
I knew that this area was famous for Jaguar sightings, but I was barely prepared for what was going to happen - within 15 minutes on the river we saw not one, but three Jaguars on the river bank: a mother and her two teenage cubs.
Luckily my camera was in my hands - I’ve learnt a few lessons over the years to always be ready. Hoping this was an indicator of the days to come, we arrived at the houseboat at sunset.
Giant River Otters are a Thing!
Sunrise from the houseboat as we got into our little boat to start exploring the Cuiaba river on the first day.
After this very early morning start, one of our first sightings was a Tapir from afar, but these shy animals disappear into the bush quickly after drinking - we were going to get another chance later though. Instead, an animal I didn’t have on the radar made an appearance: the Giant River Otter. These endangered mammals can grow almost 2 meters in length, and live in small family groups.
Their size starts to truly stand out when they are out of the water (a rare sight), such as this one close to their den. We saw three different family groups in total.
Poaching for pelts was a huge issue for the species in the past. There are only 5000 or so individuals left in the wild, but the Pantanal supports a healthy population. They are apex predators, eating anything from fish to even small caimans, and are incredibly noisy, as I witnessed first hand - when agitated or trying to communicate, they vocalize very loudly and the video I recorded is rather hilarious.
A more common sight is the Yacare caiman - it’s also the reason Jaguars are abundant here and often easy to spot while they explore the river banks in search for an unsuspecting individual that could make a good dinner. It is estimated that there are around 10 million individuals in the Pantanal alone. One less if we deduct the one on the right…
Another caiman seen from the roof of the houseboat - let’s say you shouldn’t put your hand out too far while walking along the sides.
Beautiful varied vegetation and riverbanks make up the landscape here - the diversity of flora is incredible and its growth is primarily limited by the water-stressed dry season.
The Hunt
My second day had the most incredible sight of the trip in store. We had been following this female Jaguar slowly exploring the banks of a small channel for more than one hour, with just one other boat joining us. She was on the hunt and looking out for caimans resting in the hot midday sun, and we anticipated she might go for a large one we spotted exposed on a little sandbank. However, a few dozen meters before reaching it, she disappeared in the thick bush, and we almost thought she missed it - only for her to come around from the other side, carefully approaching.
She took cover in the bushes, and waited for a few seconds. From this moment on, things happened quickly. One leap towards the caiman, which sensed the approaching danger and tried to make its move into the river - but the second leap was enough for her to land on top of the reptile, now both in the shallow water. A bite through the skull delivers a fatal brain injury - Jaguar’s have the strongest bite of any cat - and the caiman does not stand a chance anymore.
Although the caiman was larger and heavier than her, she dragged it up the river bank without much struggle. Not surprising, looking at those muscles… She disappeared into the vegetation and the entire spectacle was over. There are just 4 seconds between the first leap and the photo to the left.
After having seen a snow leopard hunt this was another piece of evidence of why cats - big or small - truly rule the planet.
The Quiet Parts
With some Jaguar sightings under my belt, including a hunt, I was happy to spend some serene early mornings in the smaller side channels of the rivers, enjoying the soft light and birdlife waking up - worthwhile when the main rivers get a little more crowded with dozens of boats cruising up and down in search for Jaguars.
The Pantanal is a bird paradise, and my guide helped me identify quite a few, from left to right:
Black-capped donacobius, Black-backed water-tyrant, Great kiskadee, and the Wattled jacana.
A capybara going for a swim in the channel. These large rodents (the largest in the world in fact) make up another major part of the local Jaguar diet.
Two more beautiful birds: the Orange-backed troupial and an Anhinga.
Jaguar Things
But you can’t spend time here without feeling the urge to go back and look for the big cats and see more of their behavior…
In the Water
Jaguars are extremely good swimmers and don’t mind the water - in fact, they enjoy a splash every now and then to cool themselves. Of course, it’s also part of their primary hunting ground, with caimans and capybara often trying to escape into the river.
Typical hunting means scouting on the riverbank as it gets hotter during the day, hoping to spot a caiman sunbathing, and timing the jump right. With some patience it’s not uncommon to observe these hunts, but more often than not, the action is hidden by the thick vegetation, such as on the right side - this Jaguar actually caught a smaller caiman and pulled it back into the thickets, but none of the struggle was really visible to the many boats surrounding it.
Another interesting observation was this juvenile male, which we followed for a couple of hours. He disappeared frequently, only to show up again few hundred meters on another river bank, sometimes even crossing the channels - we named him “flash”. His youth also showed in his inexperience, two or three caimans he had his eyes on were easily warned as he noisily went through the bushes and wasn’t as clever in his approach as the adult female earlier.
After a swim, a little shake is needed to dry yourself… Jaguars also need their scratch posts - this female found the biggest one available to sharpen her claws.
The Piquiri River
Although most of the action takes place on the larger Cuiabá River, one of its tributaries became a little hidden gem for us during these days, with fewer boats, beautiful riverbanks, and one or the other animal we had not seen before.
The prime example was this Brazilian Tapir having fun playing in the water, and even swimming towards us, showcasing its rather peculiar facial features, with the long distorted nose and wide ears. They are quite large and weigh over 200kg, but are still the smallest and also least vulnerable of the tapir species - vulnerable nonetheless.
A few more sights: A king vulture with its colorful head, a tayra, a rather unknown animal not often seen out in the open by the river, two Jabiru storks, and what I suspect is a green Iguana, who felt a little blue that day…
We also spotted this female here, drinking from the water during the last light of the day.
Two of the Pantanal’s famous bird: a Sunbittern, rather dull until it opens its wings showing the beautiful pattern (my guide told me he had a client spending two days just trying to get this photo, but I was lucky to just randomly take it) and the iconic Toco Toucan.
Wildfires are common issue in the Pantanal - while in many cases a good thing to revitalize the vegetation, they sometimes get out of hand. In 2020, over 20% of the wetland was destroyed by fires. During my time here, wildfires were also heavily reported in the news, but in fact were not an issue at all in terms of visiting the northern part. A hazy sunset on one of the days and the occasional evidence of past fires is all that you notice. Other threats to this paradise are more evident all around, such as the increased use for farming, as 99% of the land here is privately owned.
As with literally any place in the world, plastic reaches to this end of the planet as well. A Jaguar playing with a plastic bottle was one of the more sad sights I got to witness, seen here observed by one of the many touristic boats moving up and down the river, which is admittedly another problem for the ecosystem. Having said that, tourism can generally play a positive role here, with farm owners shifting from cattle and agriculture to instead protecting their land and turning it into lodges as a source of income.
As we left the houseboat back to the car in the early morning, the time on the river ended like it started: With another Jaguar sighting, most likely of the same female mother called Madaleina. She was named by my guide, who won this right by being the first one to spot and identify her a few years ago! The first sighting clearly was indeed an indictor of what was to come, with a total 22 sightings of (I believe) 15 different Jaguars in 5 days, with 2 successful hunts and a few attempts. It was almost too easy, but this is the ultimate big cat paradise - not to mention the birdlife and everything else. The Pantanal adventure wasn’t quite over yet, as I still had two days on land, for a slightly different environment.
Back o
n Land
Although its rivers are the area’s main attraction, there are a few animals you can more easily spot here…
Especially during this time of the year, fewer water sources make the Pantanal less of a wetland, and more of a barren dry area. I had two days to spend at a local lodge halfway between Porto Jofre and Cuiaba, with two goals in mind…But first, the drive had a few encounters with the Pantaneiros - the local population generally associated with cow herding - in store, such as this one crossing one of the many wooden bridges that are necessary in the wet season.
The amazing mix of Cambará and Tabebuias trees blooming in their rich colors. The flowering season just ended, but I still found a few beautiful examples.
Two female howler monkeys and a baby in the morning light. Notice the left one using its strong tail to grab the tree while scratching itself with the leg. Howler monkeys derive their names from its strong vocalizations which can be heard up to 2 km away - usually in the early morning at dawn. They are near threatened.
Another threatened species of monkey that can be found here is the capuchin - a little more engaging and active than howlers, they often come to the ground in search for food and water, while howlers remain arboreal most of the time and rest for the majority of the day.
Hyacinth Macaw
One of the main attractions and a goal to see for me was this pair of threatened macaw, currently nesting. The tree was literally opposite the door of my room, giving me a good opportunity to observe them flying in and out. It’s the largest flying parrot species, reaching around 1 meter in length.
Their nesting behavior is highly interesting, and very vulnerable: they rely on the manduvi tree, which when older than 60 years starts to feature sufficiently sized holes that the macaw can enlarge and fill with wood chips on the bottom. They then lay only one or two eggs, which are incubated for a month, and it takes another 110 days for the young to leave the nest. The chicks then depend on the parents for 6 more months and only reach sexual maturity after seven years. There’s a lot that can go wrong in this cycle, which is why they are endangered.
Only a few thousand remain in the wild, spread over three separate distant populations mostly in Brasil. However, they are still commonly found as pets all around the world, and are held in many zoos as well.
The area is full of different bird species, and although I’m not a “birder” (but you bet there were a few groups staying here who took their sightings very seriously and had daily reviews), I can appreciate interesting species such as the hummingbird (so small and quick it’s almost impossible to catch one on camera) and the woodpecker to the right.
But of course there are also a few more mammals to be found here, such as this Coati. Related to raccoons, their different species are widespread in South America, and sometimes even kept as pets.
The Ocelot
The second main reason to visit this place though is to find this territorial solitary spotted cat.
Ocelots are definitely one of the most beautiful felidae, which in the 60s and 70s meant their fur became a preferred choice for coats and other clothing until the trade was banned in most markets, although it is still not eradicated.
This little meeting was rather interesting to observe. In the end both parties decided that a peaceful separation was in everyone's interest.
It is more than rare to see an ocelot this close and calm and be able to take such photos in the wild, but on occasion things are sometimes also a little too good to be true. I will leave the rest unsaid because I’m not a huge fan of the practice. Seasoned wildlife photographers will know what that means, others can happily message me. Regardless, it was a special feeling and still a privilege, and for a cat lover, I’m happy to have seen one more species.
To finish off this blog, below is a short video of some of the animals encountered on this trip. Special thanks to Dan for helping me organise this South America journey - contact him if you plan a trip like this.
