18 Sept 2024
A red sun is above the horizon. Birds chirp and sing. The air is cool. It’s 5:30 am. I climb aboard my wagon and Guia Tim motors around the immense grounds and paths of Pousada Piuval. Our main goal this morning is to spot a giant anteater. Early risers of the feathered-kind are also expected. I am not disappointed.
Giant Anteater
Not far from the lodge, a Giant Anteater walks in the open fields among the termite and ant mounds. These threatened animals have long, excellent noses for sniffing out the 30 thousand or more ants and termites they need each day. (Having a house infested with termites, I envy his abilities!)
Brazil’s Giant anteater is about 7′ long and weighs up to 100 pounds. It trails a large beautiful fan-tail covered with extremely coarse, long hairs, and has an elongated snout.
With its very long claws and powerful muscles, anteaters dig up anthills and termites nests, capturing the insects with its long extendible tongue. It has no need of teeth and does not have them.
The species is easily recognizable by its characteristic coat with a broad diagonal black stripe flanked by white borders that runs from its chest over its shoulder to the middle of its back. Its front paws have three huge curved claws on them and are lighter coloured than the back ones which have five short claws. Because of these claws, anteaters walk on their knuckles.
Anteaters, no matter how giant, should never starve in the Pantanal. There is NO shortage of ants and termites here!
Thankfully, I am not on safari with birders
The Pantanal is bird paradise. I spot them in trees, on the ground, in marshes, and in the air. My guide identifies them one by one. The warmer the temperature, the more thankful that I am not surrounded with birders. We would cover far less territory and see much less wildlife if we stopped for every bird sighting.
Last week, I could not clearly see most birds of the Amazon because of the distances. In the Pantanal, the flora and fauna is very close. I cannot name all the birds seen but some beauties were:
Toco toucan, Crested caracara, Agami heron, Seriema, Roseate spoonbill, Rufescent tiger heron, Yellow-billed cardinal, Blaze-winged parakeet, Ibis, Wattled jacana, Cormorant, Chaco chachalaca, Vermillion flycatcher, Rhea or Ema, Savannah hawk who I watched swallow a whole snake, Great black hawk, woodpeckers, Forked tailed flycatcher, Great egrets, Bare-faced curassow, hawks and owls. Birders can put quite a dent in their lists.
I don’t wish to minimized individual birds
My guide can name every individual bird. And storks don’t all look alike. But eventually, to me, a hawk is a hawk, an owl an owl, storks, nightjars and species after species.
The birds are plentiful, colorful, exhibit their own unique behavior and fly. And I loose track of everything but the fantastic variety of feathered friends. Here, I better understand those dedicated birders.
Mammals and reptiles
Tegu, the tiger lizard, can grow much larger. All animals in Pantanal are predators and prey.
There is also a wealth of mammals and reptiles. Seen scurrying on trees, sacked out around the waterside, or constantly grazing and searching for food have been:
Capuchin monkeys, giant anteaters, black fox, Azara’s agouti (a little rat/guinea pig like mammal), Iguana, coati the Brazilian raccoon with its elongated snout, howler monkeys, lots of inquisitive Brahma cattle and frisky calves, capybaras, anaconda, caimans by the hundreds, large tortoises, tegu or tiger lizard, marsh deer, termites and ant nests dotting all the landscape….
We walk over to the swamp to rerevisit the yellow anaconda spotted yesterday. She has since found a boyfriend. Wrapped around each other, the female is much larger than the male. Both are at the edge of the pond and we eagerly invade their privacy. The male moves slowly as they slide deeper into the vegetation.
Pantanal’s splendid flora
Flora is plentiful. Trees have adapted to this feast and famine environment. The trees may look dead but they have evolved to keep leaves at a minimum so the water is conserved to keep the tree alive until the rains come. Arranged among the bare trees and tall palms are the blooming bougainvillea and various Ipê trees of red, white, pink, yellow and purple.
Another favorite is the Cassia fistula or golden rain with its large clusters of yellow flowers. For wonderfully useful branches and a towering structure, the Seriguela (like a cashew tree) is popular with birds and monkeys alike. Sweet flowers of the marshes add color to the lakes and ponds.
Vines and many plants’ symbolic or parasitic relationships are seen everywhere. Stand still long enough and something will begin to use you as their host.
And, surprisingly, I have yet to find mosquitoes. There are insects everywhere, but dry season seems to be a perfect time to avoid them.
When sun is low on horizon
In the afternoon, as the sun sets about 5:30, it is the perfect time to drive the ranch in search of wildlife. The water holes spread about the grasslands attracting a multitude of animals. Animals, like humans, enjoy the cooling temperature and opportunity to have a last bite before retiring.
The rhea are numerous, marsh deer are in the fields, caimans are along the water’s edge or taking a dip while surrounded by vast numbers of water fowl. Every animal prepares for nightfall and avoiding the emergence of the top predator – the jaguars.
In the Pantanal, you snooze you loose
As we bounce along the dusty roads, I am amazed the number and variety of animals that inhabit the Pantanal. It is a destination not to be missed. The bouncing also earns me far more steps than I deserve. I believe the equation is about 2 bounces = a step. Feels like cheating.
I have found a good local cerveja brewed in the Pantanal. I still hope to find the giant otter and jaguar. For these, I depart tomorrow to drive further south in search of deeper waters of the Pantanal.
