O wetland it is the largest flooded surface in the world and is considered a transition area in terms of vegetation cover, considering that it is possible to identify patches of Cerrado, Caatinga and Amazon forest.
Along the Pantanal there is a rich fauna composed of a huge number of species of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, etc. Among the many animals present, alligators play a large role in this ecosystem, as they are responsible for regulate the amount of fish, especially piranhas, as they are the biggest predators of this species.
In places where alligators are found, the percentage of piranhas is reduced. Thus, if this predator decreases its population, the number of piranhas rises to such an extent that it poses risks even to humans.
Another animal that plays a predatory role and is often hunted indiscriminately by Pantanal inhabitants is the anaconda. The number of snakes in the ecosystem in question is reduced in regions subject to flooding, but despite this, water snakes, jararacas and boipevaçus are found.
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In the Pantanal, it is possible to identify a huge number of animals from the Cerrado, which came to this region thanks to the abundance of food.
There is a large number of animals that inhabit the Pantanal, the main ones being:
• birds: Hyacinth Macaw, Tuuiú, Toucan, Parakeet, Egret, Jabiru, Hummingbird, Socó, Rhea, Seriema, Parrot, Hawk, Curicaca, among many others;
• Mammals: jaguar, capybara, wolf, pampas deer, brocket deer, maned wolf, capuchin monkey, marsh deer, wild pig, anteater, wild dog, tapir, sloth, giant otter, puma, coati, armadillo and many others;
• FishAttractions: piranha, pacu, painted, dorado, cachara, curimbatá, piraputanga, jaú and piau, among others;
• reptiles: alligator, anaconda, boa constrictor, water snake, chameleon, green calango, tortoise, tortoise etc.
By Eduardo de Freitas
Graduated in Geography
