The PANTANAL is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. It sprawls over an area estimated at between 54,000 and 75,000 sq mi and is known for its huge floodplains during the rainy season. In fact, during the rainy season, roughly 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged. These floodplains nurture an astonishing biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping to support a dense array of animal species. The name "Pantanal" comes from the Portuguese word pântano, meaning wetland, bog, swamp, quagmire or marsh.
The CERRADO is a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil. Its biome core areas are the plateaus in the center of Brazil. The main habitat types of the Cerrado include: forest savanna, wooded savanna, park savanna and gramineous-woody savanna. Savanna wetlands and gallery forests are also included. The second largest of Brazil's major habitat types, (the Amazonian rainforest is first), the Cerrado accounts for 21 percent of the country's land area.
The PANTANAL and CERRADO of Brazil were interesting because we were introduced to two very interesting Brazilian ecosystems. While our photography centered on jaguars, macaws and giant anteaters, one could not help but be immersed in the varied avian wildlife in the area. We had Brazilian naturalists as our guides and were fortunate to have a knowledgeable birder who helped with identification of the variety of avian species.
