Pantanal or Complexo do Pantanal is the smallest Brazilian biome and the largest floodplain in the world with 250 thousand km².
Considered by UNESCO “World Natural Heritage” and “Biosphere Reserve”, this region has great biodiversity.
However, many animals in this biome are threatened with extinction, for example: jaguar, puma, marsh deer, blue macaw, among others.
Pantanal Location
The Pantanal is divided into two regions:
- North Pantanal or Amazonian Pantanal
- Southern Pantanal or Greater Pantanal
This biome is located in the Upper Paraguay River Basin and covers the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul; and still, a small part of the countries Bolivia and Paraguay, where it is called Chaco.
Main Pantanal Cities
The main Brazilian cities in the Pantanal, located in southern Mato Grosso are:
- Corumbá
- Aquidauana
- Miranda
Main Rivers of the Pantanal
The main rivers in the Pantanal region, all belonging to the Paraguay River Basin , are:
- Cuiaba
- Aquidauana
- Apa
- Miranda
Pantanal Climate and Vegetation
The climate of the Pantanal is predominantly Tropical Continental, marked by high temperatures and high rainfall, a hot and rainy summer and a cold, dry winter.
Thus, in the rainy season, that is, in the summer, the Pantanal is practically impassable by land. While in the dry season, in the winter, the rivers dry up and the clay remains, hence its name ” Pantanal “.
Thus, the soil that forms is used as pasture areas for livestock. Pantanal vegetation, depending on the altitude, involves grasses, medium-sized trees, creeping plants and shrubs.
Pantanal Animals
Probably the richest fauna on the planet, the Pantanal is composed of several species of fish, mammals, reptiles, birds.
According to research, the biome has approximately 1,000 species of butterflies, 650 of birds, 120 of mammals, 260 of fish and 90 of reptiles. In the fauna of the Pantanal ecosystem, the following stand out:
- Birds : tuiuiús (the bird symbol of the Pantanal), blue macaw , toucans, parakeets, egrets, jaburus, hummingbirds, jacanãs, emus, seriemas, parrots, spoonbills, hawks, carcarás, curicacas.
- Reptiles : alligators (alligator-do-pantanal and alligator-crown), lizards (chameleon, calango-verde), snakes (anaconda, boa, water snakes) and turtles (turtles and turtles).
- Mammals : capybaras, otters , wild pig, anteater, wild-dog, tapir, sloth, jaguar , peasant deer, red deer, maned wolf , capuchin monkey, wetland deer, howler monkey, coati, armadillo .
- Fish : piranha, pacu, pintado, cachara, curimbatá, dorado, jaú and piau.