Aug 30
by Admin in Brazil, Pantanal 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Pantanal, Tapir

Tapir walking by the night, Pantanal, Brazil

  New World tapirs generally live in the forests and grasslands of Central and South America. All tapir species are at-risk largely due to hunting and habitat loss. Tapirs look something like pigs with trunks, but they are actually related to horses and rhinoceroses. This eclectic lineage is an ancient one—and so is the tapir itself. Scientists believe that these animals have changed little over tens of millions of years. Tapirs have a short prehensile (gripping) trunk, which is really an extended nose and upper lip. They use this trunk to grab branches and clean them of leaves or to help pluck tasty fruit. Tapirs feed each morning and evening. During these hours they follow tunnel-like paths, worn through the heavy brush by many a tapir footstep, to reach water holes and lush feeding grounds. As they roam and defecate they deposit the seeds they have consumed and promote future plant growth. Four extant species within one extant genus are widely recognised. Three are found in Central and South America, while the fourth is found in Asia. Some researchers have identified a fifth species, the kabomani tapir, but its existence as a distinct species is widely disputed. Although they frequently […]
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Aug 08
by Admin in Brazil, Pantanal 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Ocelot, Pantanal

Ocelot side profile, Pantanal, Brazil

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a small wild cat native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. This medium-sized cat is characterized by solid black spots and streaks on its coat, round ears, and white neck and undersides. It weighs between 8 and 15.5 kg and reaches 40–50 cm at the shoulders. Twice the size of the average house cat, the ocelot is a sleek animal with a gorgeous dappled coat. These largely nocturnal cats use keen sight and hearing to hunt rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, and frogs. They also take to the trees and stalk monkeys or birds. Unlike many cats, they do not avoid water and can swim well. Like other cats, ocelots are adapted for eating meat. They have pointed fangs used to deliver a killing bite, and sharp back teeth that can tear food like scissors. Ocelots do not have teeth appropriate for chewing, so they tear their food to pieces and swallow it whole. Their raspy tongues can clean a bone of every last tasty morsel. The name “ocelot” comes from the Nahuatl word ōcēlōtl, which generally refers to the jaguar rather than the ocelot. Another possible origin for the name […]
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Aug 08
by Admin in Brazil, Pantanal 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Ocelot, Pantanal

Ocelot coming out of Bushes, Pantanal, Brazil

  The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a small wild cat native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. This medium-sized cat is characterized by solid black spots and streaks on its coat, round ears, and white neck and undersides. It weighs between 8 and 15.5 kg and reaches 40–50 cm at the shoulders. Twice the size of the average house cat, the ocelot is a sleek animal with a gorgeous dappled coat. These largely nocturnal cats use keen sight and hearing to hunt rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, and frogs. They also take to the trees and stalk monkeys or birds. Unlike many cats, they do not avoid water and can swim well. Like other cats, ocelots are adapted for eating meat. They have pointed fangs used to deliver a killing bite, and sharp back teeth that can tear food like scissors. Ocelots do not have teeth appropriate for chewing, so they tear their food to pieces and swallow it whole. Their raspy tongues can clean a bone of every last tasty morsel. The name “ocelot” comes from the Nahuatl word ōcēlōtl, which generally refers to the jaguar rather than the ocelot. Another possible origin for the […]
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Jul 19
by Admin in Brazil, Pantanal 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Jaguar, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Pantanal

Grooming model on the ramp, Pantanal, Brazil

The jaguar Panthera onca is the largest cat in the Americas and the third-largest in the world (after the lion and tiger). Its head-body length can reach around 240cm, and its shoulder height up to 75cm. Today, the jaguar is found in South and Central America, from Mexico to northern Argentina. The species’ range formerly spread over the US border into the southern states of America, but had become wiped out there by the 1940s due to hunting. There have been sporadic sightings in Arizona in recent years, however. While jaguars do live in drier regions, they’re normally strongly associated with water, and they thrive in rainforests like the Amazon and in dense swamplands and wetlands that provide plenty of cover for stalking prey. The Pantanal in Brazil is one of the best places in the world to see jaguars. The best time to visit is the dry season, from late April to early November, as that’s when prey is more concentrated. Jaguars are most similar in appearance to leopards, but there’s nothing you can confuse them with in the wild, as no other big cats live in South America. Cougars are technically not big cats but are a similar […]
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Jul 19
by Admin in Brazil, Pantanal 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Jaguar, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Pantanal

Beautiful flowers and the beast, Pantanal, Brazil

The jaguar Panthera onca is the largest cat in the Americas and the third-largest in the world (after the lion and tiger). Its head-body length can reach around 240cm, and its shoulder height up to 75cm. Today, the jaguar is found in South and Central America, from Mexico to northern Argentina. The species’ range formerly spread over the US border into the southern states of America, but had become wiped out there by the 1940s due to hunting. There have been sporadic sightings in Arizona in recent years, however. While jaguars do live in drier regions, they’re normally strongly associated with water, and they thrive in rainforests like the Amazon and in dense swamplands and wetlands that provide plenty of cover for stalking prey. The Pantanal in Brazil is one of the best places in the world to see jaguars. The best time to visit is the dry season, from late April to early November, as that’s when prey is more concentrated. Jaguars are most similar in appearance to leopards, but there’s nothing you can confuse them with in the wild, as no other big cats live in South America. Cougars are technically not big cats but are a similar […]
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