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PANTANAL, THE GIANT SPONGE © Kenneth & Margaret Mallory All Rights Reserved. |
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Described by scientists as “a giant sponge” absorbing water that runs from river headwaters in the surrounding highlands, Brazil's lowland Pantanal, the largest wetland in the neotropics, is only 300 feet above sea level and extends more than 80,000 square miles through Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. It is the size of the state of Kansas. This sponge absorbs rains and river overflow during the rainy season–which begins late in the year and ends the following April or May–providing a rich source of food for the spectacular wildlife that lives there. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Pantanal contains more than 650 species of birds, 75 mammals, 80 reptiles, 400 fish, and 400 plant species. Among the abundant wildlife diversity is the 12-foot-long yellow anaconda that ambushes and squeezes its prey to death and the azure blue hyacinth macaw, the largest and possibly noisiest of the parrot family whose worldwide population was once reduced to 3,000 birds. Rheas, the South American answer to the ostrich, puff their feathers during mating season. Giant otters dig riverside burrows and hunt the shallows for fish. And capybara, the world's largest rodent (that look like giant hamsters) forage in the regions many ponds and rivers. Home to the jaguar, the puma and the ocelot, the Pantanal is a wildlife paradise that requires stewardship by the Brazilian nation to assure protection for generations to come. To see a story on Pantanal cowboys, go to www.loupemedia.com/mallory/ |
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Photographers and Writers Kenneth & Margaret Mallory 37 Oak Terrace, Newton Highlands, MA 2461 | phone: 617.965.1908 | fax: 617.663.6092 email: kandmmallory@gmail.com | web: www.kennethmallory.com |
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