Jul 19
by Admin in Brazil, Pantanal 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Brazil, capybara, Digitalfrescos, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Pantanal

Capybara’s world, Pantanal, Brazil

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a giant cavy rodent native to South America. It is the largest living rodent in the world. Also called capivara (in Brazil), chigüire, chigüiro (in Colombia and Venezuela), carpincho (in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and ronsoco (in Peru), it is a member of the genus Hydrochoerus, of which the only other extant member is the lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius). Its close relatives include guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, the chinchilla, and the coypu. The capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually lives in groups of 10–20 individuals. The capybara is not a threatened species, but it is hunted for its meat and hide and also for grease from its thick fatty skin. The capybara has a heavy, barrel-shaped body and short head, with reddish-brown fur on the upper part of its body that turns yellowish-brown underneath. Its sweat glands can be found in the surface of the hairy portions of its skin, an unusual trait among rodents. The animal lacks down hair, […]
Read More
Feb 09
by Admin in Brazil, Pantanal 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Jaguar, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Pantanal

My first jaguar, 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 […]
Read More
Jan 04
by Admin in Brazil, Pantanal 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Pampas Deer, Pantanal

Male pampas deer, Pantanal, Brazil

Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) is a species of Deer that live in the grasslands of South America at low elevations. They are known as venado or gama in Spanish and as veado-campeiro in Portuguese. Their habitat includes water and hills, often with winter drought, and grass that is high enough to cover a standing deer. Many of them live on the Pantanal wetlands, where there are ongoing conservation efforts, and other areas of annual flooding cycles. Human activity has changed much of the original landscape. They are known to live up to 12 years in the wild, longer if captive, but are threatened due to over-hunting and habitat loss. Many people are concerned over this loss, because a healthy deer population means a healthy grassland, and a healthy grassland is home to many species, some also threatened. Many North American birds migrate south to these areas, and if the Pampas deer habitat is lost, they are afraid these bird species will also decline. There are approximately 80,000 Pampas deer total, with the majority of them living in Brazil. The diet for this particular deer includes grass, leaves, shrubs, and various herbs that grown in their habitat. In many areas they […]
Read More
Jan 04
by Admin in Brazil, Pantanal 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Black tailed marmoset, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Pantanal

Black tailed Marmoset, Cuiaba, Brazil

The black-tailed marmoset (Mico melanurus) is a species of New World monkey from central South America, where ranging from the south-central Amazon in Brazil, south through the Pantanal and eastern Bolivia, to the Chaco in far northern Paraguay. It is the southernmost member of the genus Mico and the only where most of its range is outside the Amazon. The black tailed marmoset is dark brown with paler foreparts and a black tail. Unlike most of its relatives, it has a striking white or yellow-white stripe that extends down its thigh. Its ears are naked, flesh-colored and stand out from the fur. They reach a size of 18 to 28 cm and weigh from 300 to 400 g. Black-tailed marmosets are diurnal and arboreal, using their claws to climb trees. Originally rain forest inhabitants, plantations have caused them to expanded them their range. They spend the night in tree hollows or in very close vegetation. They live together in small groups and mark their territory with scent glands, driving out intruders by shouting or by facial expressions, including lowered brows and guarded lips. The diet of the black-tailed marmoset predominantly consists of tree sap. To a lesser extent, they also […]
Read More
Oct 29
by Admin in Brazil, Tapirai 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Tapirai, Tayra

Tayra looking back on a moss rock, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

  The tayra (Eira barbara), is an omnivorous animal from the weasel family, native to the Americas. It is the only species in the genus Eira. Tayras are also known as the tolomuco or perico ligero in Central America, motete in Honduras, irara in Brazil, san hol or viejo de monte in the Yucatan Peninsula, and high-woods dog (or historically chien bois) in Trinidad. The genus name Eira is derived from the indigenous name of the animal in Bolivia and Peru, while barbara means “strange” or “foreign”. Tayras are long, slender animals with an appearance similar to weasels and martens. They range from 56 to 71 cm (22 to 28 in) in length, not including a 37- to 46-cm-long (15 to 18 in) bushy tail, and weigh 2.7 to 7.0 kg (6.0 to 15.4 lb). Males are larger, and slightly more muscular, than females. They have short, dark brown to black fur which is relatively uniform across the body, limbs, and tail, except for a yellow or orange spot on the chest. The fur on the head and neck is much paler, typically tan or greyish in colour. Albino or yellowish individuals are also known, and are not as rare […]
Read More