Introducing Brazil
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Wildlife Guide of Brazil
Brazil’s teeming flora and fauna make it one of the world’s best destinations for nature lovers. Dominated by the Amazon basin and home to the world’s largest wetland – the Pantanal – as well as numerous national parks, Brazil is bursting with biodiversity, making it the perfect destination for anyone with a love of wildlife. The list is endless, but the Imagine Latin America team has put together a guide to some of the wildlife you can expect to see during a trip to Brazil.
If you would like to know more about the wildlife hotspots in Brazil, speak to a Brazil specialist today on 020 7622 1116 and start planning your tailor-made trip.
Jaguar (Panthera onca)
The jaguar is the third largest feline after the lion and tiger. It looks very similar to a leopard, but is in fact bigger with a more powerful bite. The jaguar is a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush predator at the top of the food chain. Unlike most big cats, the jaguar’s preferred habitat is strongly associated with water, making it an excellent swimmer.
Fun fact: The shape of their spots resemble roses
Best place to spot: Pantanal and Amazon
Margay (Leopardus wiedii)
A small, solitary and nocturnal cat found in evergreen and deciduous forestation throughout South America. Weighing between just 2.6kg and 4kg, it has brown fur marked with rows of dark brown or black rosettes and streaks. They are great climbers and spend most of their lives up in the trees eating monkeys, birds, lizards, tree frogs and bird eggs.
Fun fact: There are only 64 left worldwide
Best place to spot: Amazon Basin
Giant Anteater/Ant Bear (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)
The largest of four species of ant eaters, the giant anteater has a bushy tail, long fore claws, a distinctive pelage, an elongated snout and a sticky tongue, handy for feeding on ants and termites. The giant anteater carries its young on its back until they are weaned.
Fun fact: Their tongues can be more than two feet long
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal
Two-toed sloth (Megalonychidae) and Three-toed sloth (Bradypodidae)
These slow moving tree dwellers are often found in Cecropia trees eating the leaves. They also eat insects, small reptiles, and birds. Their tongue can protrude 12 inches out of their mouths, making them pros at reaching leaves on distant branches. Sloths are very good swimmers but extremely slow on the ground.
Fun fact: Sloths are so slow algae grows on their fur
Best place to spot: Amazon and the Pantanal
Armadillo (Dasypodidae)
Armadillo means “little armoured one”. Their armour is made of dermal bone and covered in scales, whereas on their undersides they have soft skin and fur. Although they have short legs and poor eyesight, they have a good sense of smell and can still move very fast. They can remain under water for as long as six minutes.
Fun fact: The weight of their shell means they can walk the bottom of any body of water
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal
White-Nosed Coati (Nasua narica)
The white-nosed Coati is a member of the raccoon family and can be found in the rainforest canopy. Weighing between 2kg and 8kg, it has a slender head, elongated nose, small ears, dark feet and a long tail with rings on it. They feed on eggs, small vertebrae, carrion, fruit and insects.
Fun fact: They have tails as long as their bodies
Best place to spot: Pantanal
Giant River Otter (Pteronura Brasiliensis)
The giant river otter is the largest member of the weasel family and the noisiest of the otter species. It is known locally as the “Aciranha” which means “water jaguar”. With very dense fur, webbed feet and a wing-like tail, they build large campsites close to their feeding areas and are very social animals.
Fun fact: The giant river otter is an endangered species with less than 5000 left
Best place to spot: Amazon (along the river) and Pantanal
Brazilian Tapir (Tapirus Terrestris)
The Brazilian Tapir can weigh anything from 150kg to 300kg and has a short, reddish brown/black coat, white tipped oval ears, a short tail and hoof toes. They eat berries, leaves and fruit and can eat up to 40kgs of vegetation in one day.
Fun fact: It’s a relative of the rhinoceros
Best place to spot: Pantanal and Amazon
Peccary (Pecari tajacu)
Also known as the “Javelina” or “Skunk Pig”, the peccary can weigh between 20kg and 40kg and is often raised as a farm animal for its meat. It has short tusks which it rubs together to warn off predators. They are omnivorous and like to eat small animals, roots, grasses, seeds, cacti, fruit and prickly pears.
Fun fact: They emit a strong smell when they sense danger
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal
Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus)
The marsh deer is the largest deer in South America, weighing between 80kg and 150kg. They are found in marsh land, Pantanal and Chaco, river basins and lagoons. They are swift swimmers and mostly eat aquatic plants. They have large ears lined with white hair, a reddish brown body, and long dark legs. The jaguar and puma are their main predators.
Fun fact: The males grow large antlers
Best place to spot: Marsh areas Southern Amazon and Pantanal
Pampas Deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus)
Pampas deer are found in wetland, water, hills, and high grass areas. They live up to 12 years and there are only 80,000 left in the world, the majority being in Brazil. They have tan fur and lighter, almost white, bellies. Males have small antlers. They weigh between 33kg and 40kg. They are hunted for their pelt – for food, sport and medicinal purposes.
Fun fact: The males mark their territory by exuding a cent, which can be smelled up to a mile away
Best place to spot: Pantanal
Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
The Capybara is the largest rodent in the world, weighing between 35kg and 66kg. It is a semi-aquatic mammal. They are hunted for meat, their hide and the grease in their skin (which is used for pharmaceutical purposes). They have long and heavy bodies with small heads and have reddish brown fur on their upper bodies, and yellow fur on their lower bodies.
Fun fact: They eat 3 kg of grass a day
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal
Howler Monkey (Alouatta)
Howler monkeys can smell their food from up to two miles away. They roam in groups of between six and fifteen monkeys and they mainly eat canopy top leaves, fruit and nuts. Howler monkeys are either black or brown, with tails up to five times longer than their bodies, which they use to pick nuts and fruit.
Fun fact: Their howls can travel for 3 miles in dense forest
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal
White-Headed Capuchin Monkey (Cebus Capucinus)
Depending on the exact species, Capuchin monkeys can be black, brown or yellowish white. They have white faces and necks and roam in groups of between ten and forty monkeys. They sleep in trees and eat fruit, nuts, seeds, buds, insects, spiders, bird’s eggs, crabs and shellfish.
Fun fact: They are considered the most intelligent monkey
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal
Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri)
These monkeys have dense fur, with black shoulders, yellowy orange and white throats and ears and black mouths. They roam in groups of up to 500 monkeys but may split into smaller groups. They are omnivores and primarily eat fruit, insects, leaves, flowers, nuts and bird’s eggs.
Fun fact: They have very large brains compared to their body size
Best place to spot: Pantanal and Amazon
Marmoset (Callithrix Jacchus)
These monkeys are only eight inches long, with tails as long as their bodies. They eat leaves and insects but their favourite food is tree sap. Their fur is sprinkled with brown, grey and yellow and they are easily identified by their white ear tufts and banded tails. Their faces are pale with a white spot on their forehead.
Fun fact: The parents stay together for life
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal
Tamarin (Saquinus)
Tamarins are squirrel sized monkeys that are known to live for up to 18 years. They can be found in tropical rainforests or open forests in north-western Colombia, the Amazon Basin and the Guianas. Some species are mostly black; others are mixtures of black, white and brown. They live in groups of between three and nine tamarins but can be found in groups of up to 40.
Fun fact: They are usually monogamous
Best place to spot: Amazon and the Pantanal
Anaconda (Eunectes)
Anacondas are found in swamps, marshes, tropical rainforests and slow streams. Also known as the water boa, the anaconda is slow on land but fast in water. It also does its mating and birthing in water. Their eyes and nostrils are on the top of their heads, so they can remain submerged while stalking their prey. The largest anaconda is the green anaconda which is also one of the heaviest and longest snakes in the world.
Fun fact: A green anaconda can weigh up to 227kg
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal
Goliath Bird-Eater Spider (Theraphosa blondi)
A very large spider and a member of the tarantula family, the goliath bird-eater is a nocturnal creature and actually rarely preys on birds. They prefer to eat earthworms, but are known to eat rodents, frogs, lizards and snakes too. They are part of the local cuisine in South America; they are fried in banana leaves.
Fun fact: They have legs which span almost 30cm
Best place to spot: Amazon
Bellied Thrush (Sabia/Rufous)
The bellied thrush is the national bird of Brazil – a songbird of the thrush family, named after its distinctive reddish-orange under part. It is one of the most common birds in Brazil, mostly found in forests and urban wooded areas.
Fun fact: The bellied thrush has a really beautiful bird song
Best place to spot: Pantanal
Rheas (Rheiformes)
Related to the ostrich and emu, the rhea is the largest flightless bird in South America. The rhea breeds near water and is normally found in open grassland in flocks of around 20 to 25 birds. They eat fruit, seeds, roots, insects, and small reptiles and rodents. The rhea birds are hunted for their feathers, leather and meat, which is a staple food for many of the gaucho people.
Fun fact: Rheas can live up to 20 years
Best place to spot: Pantanal
Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco)
The toco toucan is the common toucan and the largest and best known of its species. They are found in groups or pairs in semi-open areas, unlike other toucans that are forest species. They have mainly black bodies with a white throat and chest and live on reptiles, insects, frogs, fruit, small birds and eggs.
Fun fact: Their bright colours help them blend into the rainforest
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal
Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)
Known in Brazil as the ‘royal hawk’ (gavião real), the Harpy Eagle is the largest and most powerful raptor in South America. They are found in lowland forests, in the tree canopies, where they live off tree dwelling mammals, such as monkeys and sloths. They have the largest talons of any eagle.
Fun fact: They hunt over a territory of up to 20 square miles
Best place to spot: Amazon and Pantanal