The New Neotropical Companion

Dry woodland is part of cerrado. It consists of shrubs

and scattered semi- deciduous trees typically no taller than

8 m (26.25 ft). The small, stocky trees have dense, twisted

branching patterns and thick bark. Bromeliads (plate

14- 9), many of them terrestrial rather than epiphytic,

are common plants, and many bird species not found in

moist forest inhabit cerrado (plate 14- 10). Cerrado areas

are highly seasonal and experience frequent natural fires,

and their soil is typically very sandy.

The cerrado ecosystem, which is a combination of

savanna and dry forest and includes some 4,000 endemic

species, is one of the most threatened ecoregions in

the Neotropics. It is being widely cut to make room

for crops, particularly soybeans. In the last 35 years

approximately 2 million km^2 (772,200 mi^2 ) have been

converted to agriculture, an area that represents about

half of the original cerrado. A total of 137 cerrado species

are now listed as threatened, including the Maned Wolf

(Chrysocyon brachyurus; plate 14- 11). A large canine with

a sharply pointed snout, strongly reddish coat, white-

tipped tail, and long legs, the Maned Wolf, should you

be so fortunate as to see one, is unmistakable. It reaches

a length of about 1.5 m (5 ft). It is generally solitary and

most often observed after dark, but daytime sightings are

also possible, especially in areas (increasingly featured in

ecotours) where the animal is know to occur.

The cerrado provides habitat for some of the most

interesting South American bird species. One is the

Red- legged Seriema (Cariama cristata; plate 14- 12),

a large ground- dwelling bird. There are two species of

seriemas in the family Cariamidae, once considered part

of the order Gruiformes, which includes cranes, rails,

and bustards, among others. Seriemas feed on insects,

snakes, and rodents. They walk as they stalk, often

Plate 14- 11. Maned Wolf, after dark. Photo by Andrew Whittaker. Plate 14- 12. Red- legged Seriema atop a mound, calling. Photo

by John Kricher.

Plate 14- 13. Greater Rhea. Photo by John Kricher. Plate 14- 14. This is a cattle pasture in converted cerrado.

Note the flock of Greater Rheas occupying the pasture in dry

cerrado woodland. Photo by John Kricher.

chapter 14 don’t miss the savannas and dry forests 255