The New Neotropical Companion

are abundant. Only the Wood Stork reaches North

America.

It is best to visit the Llanos in dry season. Animals,

particularly waterbirds, are then concentrated in and

around standing pools where fish are also concentrated,

thus make wildlife viewing quite easy and pleasurable.

The Pantanal of Southern Brazil and Bolivia

The vast Pantanal, a name that means “swamp,” is a

more southerly ecological equivalent of the Llanos,

sharing many of the same species (plate 14- 25).

Larger in area than the Llanos, the Pantanal covers

approximately 200,000 km^2 (77,220 mi^2 ), of which

about 70% is within the state of Mato Grosso do Sul

in Brazil, with the remaining area in eastern Bolivia.

It is a region of low elevation, only about 150 m (500

ft) above sea level, a vast, flattened basin created by

deposited sediment eroded from the surrounding

highlands. Eventually all of the many Pantanal rivers

flow into the Río Paraguay, the Pantanal equivalent

of the Orinoco in the Llanos. Dry season ranges from

May through October (essentially the opposite pattern

from the Llanos). During rainy season, which peaks

from late January through mid- February, water levels

can rise as much as 3 m (9.8 ft), and much of the low-

lying grasses and sedges are in full flood.

In general, the human population is low in this hyper-

seasonal wet savanna, concentrated in but a few large

cattle ranches and scattered small towns and villages.

Consequently, the wildlife diversity becomes a spectacle

(plates 14- 26– 27). Riverbanks are lined with myriad

caiman kept well fed by the bountiful populations of

piranha, tetras, catfish, and other fish. Giant Otters

(Pteronura brasiliensis) make dens along riverine

embankments. Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus)

and Red Brocket Deer (Mazama americana) can be

seen among the tall Pantanal grasses, as can the Giant

Anteater, Brazilian Tapir (Tapirus terrestris), Crab-

eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous), and Crab- eating Raccoon

(Procyon cancrivorus). The Pantanal abounds with

Capybara and vast hosts of wading birds, including

Escargot: Connoisseurs of the Marshes

Snails in the genus Pomacea, along with a few other genera,

are commonly called apple snails, presumably for their rotund

shape and the fact that they approach the size of an apple.

They are commonly kept in aquaria. Some are large, up to

15 cm (5.9 in) long. Apple snails are always present and often

abundant in the Llanos and Pantanal as well as parts of the

Florida Everglades.

Not surprisingly these large mollusks represent a potentially

good food source, and three bird species have specialized to

feed on them. The Limpkin (Aramus guarauna; plate 14- 23), a

large wading bird, is the only member of the family Aramidae.

It appears to be most closely related to rails and cranes.

Limpkins make loud and wailing calls that have earned them

the name “crying bird.” They specialize in feeding on apple

snails, adeptly removing the fleshy animals from their shells.

While relatively dependent on apple snails as a food source,

Limpkins do feed on frogs and large insects, especially when

snails are reduced in population.

Two raptors, the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis; plate 14- 24)

and the Slender- billed Kite (Helicolestes hamatus), both devour

Pomacea snails by employing their sharply hooked upper

mandibles to pluck the snail from its shell. The Snail Kite is

widely distributed and common in the Llanos and Pantanal and

extends its range to southern Florida (where it is sometimes

called the Everglades Kite). The Slender- billed Kite is more

restricted in range, occurring only in parts of Amazonia. Plate 14-Pantanal marshes. Photo by John Kricher.^ 24. A male Snail Kite hunts near dusk over the

Plate 14- 23. A Limpkin, with an apple snail in its bill.

Photo by Andrew Whittaker.

chapter 14 don’t miss the savannas and dry forests 259