Wildlife of the Pantanal Wetlands of Brazil
Travel to the Pantanal from the comfort of your own home with these recent wildlife photos we captured in the world’s largest wetlands.
When you think of the Amazon Rainforest in South America, do you picture jaguars, toucans, capybara, macaws, and other exotic wildlife? While it’s true that the Amazon Rainforest is home to more species than any other ecosystem, it’s extraordinarily difficult to spot much wildlife because the dark, dense foliage and leaf litter provides endless hiding spots.
So where can you spot these breathtaking creatures? Just next door, in the Pantanal!
What is the Pantanal?
The Pantanal is a region containing the world’s largest tropical wetland and the world’s largest flooded grasslands. It is located mostly within Brazil, but parts of it do extend into Paraguay and Bolivia. It covers an area around 70,000 square miles (195,000 square kilometers), about the size of the state of Washington. This precious environment is recognized as a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
When should I go?
Each year from November to April, the Pantanal basin floods with rainwater, creating a super highway for the millions of caiman who call the interior of Brazil home. In addition, piranha, giant river otters, and green anaconda thrive, was well as semiaquatic mammals such as capybara and tapir.
As the water recedes and the landscape becomes drier (May to October), you can see plenty of wildlife gathering at local waterholes and riverbanks, including the South American jaguar. The Pantanal is home to other fascinating mammals like the giant anteater, the lesser anteater (southern tamandua), capuchin monkeys, agouti, coatis, and crab-eating foxes. In addition, these wetlands are home to almost 500 species of birds, including the hyacinth macaw, toucans, kingfishers, jabiru storks, anhingas, spoonbills, greater rheas, curassows, and more.
Our favorite time to visit is in October, where you can still see jaguars along the Cuiaba River near Porto Joffre, but the occasional drizzle takes the edge off of the heat and the crowds of tourists have departed.
How do you get to the Pantanal?
The easiest way is to fly into nearby Cuiaba’s Marechal Rondon International Airport from Sao Paulo (2-hour flight). From there you can be in the Pantanal in a one-hour drive!
Small group tours to the Pantanal
Stay tuned for news of our upcoming Wildlife Wonders of South America journey, which will feature the Pantanal. In addition we’ll visit Peninsula Valdes in Patagonia to see southern right whales, penguins, elephant seals & more, and we’ll also spend time in the cloud forest outside Mindo, Ecuador, famous for its birds! Or perhaps you’re looking for a private tour of the Pantanal. Email us and we can help you put together a plan with a fantastic local guide.
In the meantime, please enjoy these photos of the Pantanal from late 2020, where we encountered 7 jaguars (over 3 days and 11 sightings), 7 tapir, about a million capybara, and 108 species of birds!
Want to go to the Pantanal with us?
We’re planning a 2023 Wildlife Wonders of South American journey that includes the Pantanal. Click the button below to be notified when registration is open for that adventure!
Small group tours to the Pantanal
Stay tuned for news of our upcoming Wildlife Wonders of South America journey, which will feature the Pantanal. In addition we’ll visit Peninsula Valdes in Patagonia to see southern right whales, penguins, elephant seals & more, and we’ll also spend time in the cloud forest outside Mindo, Ecuador, famous for its birds! Or perhaps you’re looking for a private tour of the Pantanal. Email us and we can help you put together a plan with a fantastic local guide.
In the meantime, please enjoy these photos of the Pantanal from late 2020, where we encountered 7 jaguars (over 3 days and 11 sightings), 7 tapir, about a million capybara, and 108 species of birds!
Want to go to the Pantanal with us?
We’re planning a 2023 Wildlife Wonders of South American journey that includes the Pantanal. Click the button below to be notified when registration is open for that adventure!
Luca the jaguar giving his mom a hard time
123283258_4587588767979711_3253936963970193027_nTapir
123282762_4587586434646611_2069808836669592464_nCapybara
123338896_4587587827979805_1216106622337676576_nGiant river otter eating breakfast
123261216_4587586584646596_7869989881634434774_nHyacinth macaw
123275160_4587588264646428_8114932476154106890_nToco toucan
123331072_4587582267980361_3006108361234898790_nAracari toucan
123331878_4587585441313377_6323175644964100750_nBaby Luca and his mama
123269342_4587587367979851_7587447874533249995_nCurassow
123394482_4587584587980129_8313956941273697350_nThe caiman & capybara live together in harmony
123236032_4587588027979785_698204281305949188_nCapped heron
123297573_4587587724646482_8733382140140260384_nHyacinth macaw at sunset
123393316_4587580294647225_708559716492621276_nAgouti
123272370_4587586731313248_393279913267449653_nHyacinth macaws
123346189_4587582627980325_6176594927325539428_nCoati
123355547_4587587894646465_6187231728742378543_nThe caiman always seem to have a grin on their faces
123308472_4587585057980082_3004911577866807096_nThis jaguar had a ton of personality
123293102_4587588344646420_504025435176780278_nRhea papa and his babies
123249723_4587588414646413_5054283127089576259_nThe southern tamandua (or lesser anteater)
123292293_4587587227979865_8860234101387964404_nA whole host of caiman!
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Southern tamandua. Here you can see their habit of walking of their knuckles to prevent their claws from dulling.
123793350_4631929960212258_7827901626632898266_nGiant anteater mama and baby on her back; she came around our farmhouse lodge on our first night in the Pantanal.
124295816_4631930433545544_7962410401278705164_nSouthern tamandua. Looks at those claws!!
124076452_4631930196878901_3550698097975140896_nGiant anteater mama and baby on her back
123944376_4631930250212229_9008646035116612551_nSouthern tamandua peeking out at us. Our guides could hear a faint scratching in the distance and were able to locate this anteater deep in the forest. She pretended to be asleep but opened her eye from time to time to check on us!
124179567_4631929996878921_2212204851909639750_nSouthern tamandua at sunrise
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Some organizations were setting out fruit for the animals because of the lack of food available due to the recent fires in the Pantanal.
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Our guide said this belt-like injury was most likely due to a python attack.
131335701_4770617429676843_2612389821963679668_nGreater rheas (Rhea americana)
131293875_4775718439166742_7819183615912231326_nToco toucan (Ramphastos toco)
131357351_4775719785833274_2307789247149096814_nAmazon kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona)
131358576_4775719052500014_1526159421684394056_nJabiru (Jabiru mycteria)
131272212_4775719412499978_1471886835336444746_nSouthern crested caracara (Caracara plancus)
131259573_4775719545833298_8134133440463679539_nBlue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna)
131211307_4775719975833255_991207105656420428_nJabiru coming back to his HUGE nest.
131348499_4775719225833330_7686596776223205336_nCocoi heron (Ardea cocoi)
131341650_4775720642499855_2367716288359562163_nJabiru bringing more materials to her already enormous nest
131297694_4775720299166556_5497885283949992480_nBlack-crowned night heron (juvenile)
131314752_4775719445833308_1339741520231949271_nCapped heron (Pilherodius pileatus)
131327975_4775719319166654_3959054246523079391_nCocoi heron
131275157_4775719815833271_3820063001058882913_nKiskadee
131317791_4775720635833189_5376072973815030265_nGrey-cowled wood rail or grey-necked wood rail (Aramides cajaneus)
131257541_4775719709166615_1296856221633485182_nSunbittern (Eurypyga helias)
131510359_4775720105833242_8603071196229052063_nGuira cuckoo (Guira guira)
131277008_4775719835833269_5811928930319631348_nYellow-billed cardinal (Paroaria capitata)
131290600_4775718702500049_1837309430688662981_nyellow-billed cardinal (Paroaria capitata)
131342495_4775720159166570_6557197817053086024_nBare-faced curassow (Crax fasciolata)
131238834_4775718789166707_1945986269978554166_nChestnut-eared aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis)
131378361_4775719652499954_4123844072762288047_nCurrasow (again)
131331139_4775719672499952_7683122594108359227_nJabiru
131219573_4775720315833221_6374594133949165865_nGreen kingfisher (female)
131305014_4775719405833312_4073494971372587867_nAnhinga (Anhinga anhinga) (aka snakebird)
131284580_4775720565833196_1729897655013401733_nAnhinga
131437501_4775718425833410_1081730988724408649_n131589569_4775718912500028_4565535504881981919_n
131334460_4775719859166600_7722023855025990555_n
Greater rhea chick
131239183_4775720192499900_2460374386638582838_nRoseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
131347356_4775720815833171_7172263997088172019_nAmazon kingfisher
131312258_4775719919166594_7714568987793094392_n131334444_4775720375833215_5636233110653628337_n
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Bare-faced curassow (male)
131297907_4775720202499899_492091055329884126_nBare-faced curassow (female)
131282252_4775720535833199_2539912495944563165_nBare-faced curassow (male)
131335877_4775719029166683_519588404597216636_nCocoi heron
131377295_4775720809166505_4299122222982043736_nYellow-headed caracara (Milvago chimachima)
131291671_4775719982499921_2146320358870377592_n131297873_4775718882500031_5971112935461990603_n
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Black-collared hawk (Busarellus nigricollis) catching a piranha
131304742_4775719935833259_2054922864853511300_nLesser yellow-headed vulture (Cathartes burrovianus)
131295518_4775719572499962_8950676428479275268_nFemale curassow
131289107_4775718989166687_4071678706342316137_nMonk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
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Red-bellied macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus)
131388298_4775719522499967_7423817431859362851_nRed-bellied macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus)
131339409_4775720125833240_1048363631097095041_nblue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna)
131275156_4775719725833280_7454762131984200026_nRed-bellied macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus)
131294178_4775719155833337_1465564216174392882_nRed-bellied macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus)
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This rufous hornero pair, famous for building mud huts, is also the welcome wagon!
131383232_4795318723873380_4503605067817091083_nThe agouti is typically a very shy creature!
131391197_4795321413873111_3352693615352437569_nCapuchin monkey
131383232_4795320937206492_1416525979052945619_nMarsh deer
131354631_4795320727206513_2137462847800775303_nCrab-eating fox
131681339_4795322880539631_236020742676405964_nCrab-eating raccoon
131752233_4795322073873045_8872207959172420251_nYou’ve heard of double-fisting, but have you ever heard of triple-fisting? This Capuchin monkey female is a big fan of leftover pastries at one of the lodges we stayed in.
131753385_4795321927206393_6971180164869142869_n131410156_4795321550539764_4987556657930863860_n
Caiman
131402572_4795323120539607_4423488416794578669_nWater buffalo 🐃🐃🐃🐃🐃
131271002_4795322170539702_1966799725884795231_nCrab-eating fox
131231474_4795321773873075_1415536055083201068_nPeccaries
131318110_4795321717206414_2179478404790519269_nCapuchin monkey
131420204_4795322927206293_8620771975308638598_nCapuchin monkey
131317768_4795322550539664_7043231128751200433_nTegu lizard
131424349_4795321560539763_7549876057197444077_nAgouti
131466949_4795321247206461_3953588244203553697_nCrab-eating fox
131670402_4795323453872907_7854930564422253246_nMarsh deer
131078049_4795322303873022_5987375554085592334_nMarsh deer
131047387_4795322570539662_8106909494601632433_nThis lovely lady lived at our hotel and was apparently not ready for our massage session to be over 😆
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Monk parrots build their nests in the lower portion of the Jabiru stork nests. #WorkSmarter
131087020_4795318977206688_3043643735337644596_nA Caipirinha is always a good choice in Brazil, especially around a campfire in the Pantanal
131416164_4795322750539644_7251766535879345310_nThe official start of the Transpantaneira Highway
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