Brazil Eco Adventure Tours
Rainforest - Hiking & Biking - Wildlife

The Pantanal biome is located in the watershed of the Upper Paraguay River. With 250.000 km2 it is the largest area of fresh water marshes in the world, shared between Brazil (60%), Bolivia and Paraguay (see map). Due to its proximity with the Amazon, abundance and diversity of its flora and fauna are spectacular.

The Brazilian Pantanal comprises about 150.000 km2 (2% of the Brazilian territory), which in 2000 was designated by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. The Pantanal Conservation Complex (2.000 km2) including the Pantanal Matogrossense National Park (1.400 km2) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981.

The Pantanal is a sediment plain intensely drained by rivers, permanent and seasonal water courses and bays, marked off by its isolated elevations. Surrounded by mountain ridges and plains, the region presents a flat landscape with a small inclination which follows a north to south, east to west direction. From October to April, heavy rains cause the Paraguay River and its tributaries (such as the Sao Lourenço, Cuiaba, Taquari, Miranda, Negro and Aquidauana) supplying the Pantanal’s waters to overflow, flooding an area almost ten times the size of the Florida Everglades. Every May, one can observe the start of the ‘ebbing’, when the water level slowly begins to fall.

The Pantanal can be broadly classified into three sub-regions according to the degree and duration of flooding as determined by local topography: (1) the Alto Pantanal, the relatively higher elevations where about 20 percent of the area floods to depths of 30-40cm for two to three months per year. In those higher parts Cerrado and Caatinga vegetation can be found; (2) the Medio Pantanal, a transitional zone where more extensive flooding last from three to four months; and (3) the Baixo Pantanal, the low-lying areas where little topographic relief translates into almost complete inundation to depths of 3-4m during the rainy season (see also www.wcmc.org.uk).

Nature repeats, every year, the spectacle of the floods that ensure the renewal of the fauna and flora of the Pantanal. The huge volume of water, which practically covers the whole Pantanal region, is truly a fresh water ocean, where thousands of fish live. Small fish feed larger bird and other animal species. When the water level comes down, large numbers of fish are trapped in the lagoons and bays, unable to go back to the rivers. For several months, birds and carnivorous animals (alligators, otters, etc.) have abundant food at their easy disposal (see also www.wwf.org.br).

Wetlands in general are among the earth's most productive environments. They support high concentrations and many species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, as well as invertebrates and plants. But the Pantanal is particularly remarkable. Over 650 species of birds alone have been identified, as well as over 80 mammals, 50 reptiles, and 250 species of fish.

The alligators have an important role in the waters of Pantanal, functioning as predators "regulators" of the fauna of fish, and sometimes as relevant agents of the nutrients cyclosis. Where there are many alligators, few piranhas are found. Another important aquatic and semi-terrestrial predator is the "sucuri" (anaconda). Typical Pantanal birds include the "aracuã do Pantanal", the blue macaw, and the black headed parakeet. Among the primates, the "macaco prego" (capuchin monkey)can be found there, alongside the "bugio" (howler monkey). The predator on the high riverbanks is the spotted jaguar, together with other felines and canines (see also www.mre.gov.br).