Brazil has the world's highest number of both terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates owing to its immense geographic extension that covers huge ecosystems like the jungles of the Amazon rainforest, the world largest wetland Pantanal, the Cerrado which is the most biologically diverse savanna in the world, the Atlantic forest which is home to mangrove forests, tropical savannas, tropical dry forests and tropical as well as subtropical moist forests and the shrub lands of the Caatinga. Due to its vast natural habitat, Brazil is home to a wide variety of wildlife ranging from mammals, amphibians, birds, reptiles and fish.
Wild canids are found in Brazil such as hoary fox, bush dog, short eared dog, crab-eating fox, pampas fox and the maned wolf. There is a variety of primate species like the tamarin, the howler monkey, the capuchin monkey, the squirrel monkey and the marmoset. The felines include the cougar, the margay, the jaguar, the oncilla and the jaguarandi. There are also exotic animals like the giant anteaters and varieties of sloths, armadillos, coati, pampas deer, marsh deer, tapir, giant river otter, peccaries and the world's biggest rodent called capybara. A number of bird species are found here such as the brightly colored parrots, flamingos, toucans, trogons, vultures, hawks, owls, eagles, hummingbirds and a flightless ratite bird called rhea which is the largest bird found in Brazil. Among the over three thousand identified species of freshwater fish is the piranha, undoubtedly the most well-known and dangerous fish in Brazil found in the Amazon rainforest. In the same region, you can find the pirarucu (the world's largest river fish), the attractive and intelligent pink dolphins called boto (which are extraordinarily friendly and sensitive mammals) and the controversially largest snakes on the planet - the anacondas.
 Image by sapienssolutions via Flickr
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| Anaconda |
Needless to say, not all of these animals are tourist-friendly and available for viewing. But for your exciting wildlife watching, some recommendable activities may include bird spotting in the Pantanal which offers hundreds of birds species to watch in colorful fashion. There you may also view the giant river otters, jaguars and the South American alligators called caimans. If you want to have more thrills and close up look at caimans, riding canoe through the dark Amazon rainforest guarantees an unforgettable sight of caiman eyes lighting up in the beam of the spotlight. If you happen to visit the Iguaçu Falls, aside from watching the amazing display of waters, try to see the many colorful species of butterflies that match wonderfully with the endless streams of noisy waters often lit over by rainbows. If you are in Bahia, sometime between February and April is a period for turtle hatching. Go to Forte Tamar turtle project and see tiny turtles crawling out of the eggs and waddling their way to the ocean for their first swim. You can find more wildlife information and thrills at
http://braziltravel-ram.blogspot.com/ for your enjoyable travel and visit to Brazil.
 Image by Cláudio Timm via Flickr
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| Jacaré-do-papo-amarelo (Caiman latirostris) |
Image by doug88888 via Flickr
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