Other than the jaguar, the maned wolf was my next best sighting while in Brazil. I had to take a local bus sixteen hours, followed by a two hour drive, to make it to this location in Piaui State. The first two nights I was there, I did see a wolf, but being nocturnal animals, it was after dark. On the third night, however, a wolf came creeping around while there was still a bit of daylight left. You can see why they call them foxes on stilts. They aren’t foxes, however, nor are they wolves, but rather they are a unique species of canid — the tallest in the world. As for the “mane,” it isn’t quite visible in this shot, but it is that black fluffy tuft of hair that starts on the head and continues down onto the back.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 135mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second

Aracaris are in the toucan family, although their beaks aren’t quite as large as true toucans. The chestnut-eared aracari ranges throughout the southern Amazon basin, including the Pantanal where I photographed this one just outside the lodge that I was staying at.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/1600th of a second

Continuing on with another week from Brazil, here is a giant river otter from the Pantanal. The Pantanal lies in south/central Brazil (spilling over the border into both Bolivia and Paraguay) and is the world’s largest tropical wetland. Giant river otters are fairly common in the area, but it was still a thrill each time I saw one of these massive creatures — males can be up to five and a half feet long and weigh in at over 70 pounds. This one was lurking in a shadowed area by the river’s edge as a shaft of light lit up its face.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second

Here’s another one from Brazil. This time from the Pantanal region. This is the saffron finch, aka the native canary, or as they say it in Brazil, el canário da terra.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/640th of a second

With the Olympics in full swing down in Rio, I figured this would be a good time to pull a few shots from my Brazil folder. This is a white tufted ear marmoset — one of two different species of marmoset that I was able to photograph while in Brazil. Unlike most other monkeys, marmosets have claws rather than nails. They also tend to be rather small, as you can see from this little guy that I spotted in Piaui State in the northern part of the country.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second

I photographed this jaguar from a boat while exploring the waters of the Pantanal in Brazil. Jaguars are the third largest cats in the world behind tigers and lions, and the largest in the Americas. Other than their robust build, you can distinguish them from leopards by the extra spots within the rosettes on their coats. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend. I’ll be back early next week.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm with 1.4 teleconverter attached for a total of 550mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/250 of a second

At the fringes of the day, the surface of the water takes on the saturated colors of the Pantanal in Brazil. In this shot of a yacare caiman, the water was reflecting the orange hues of the landscape that lined the riverbank. About 10 million caiman exist in the Pantanal — the single largest crocodilian population on earth.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/125th of a second

Giant river otters live up to their name. They are big. About six feet in length. I was floating down a river in the Pantanal of Brazil when I saw these three enjoying the early morning sun.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second

It’s been quite a few years since I posted a capybara, the world’s largest rodent. I was on a boat in the Pantanal of Brazil when I photographed this mother and her two babies (apparently there is no special name for a baby capybara). The little guy in the foreground was having a nice stretch after napping on the shore while mom kept an eye out for jaguars.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (with 1.4 teleconverter attached for 550mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/1000th of a second

The maned wolf is graceful and yet a bit awkward at the same time. Often referred to as a fox on stilt, they are native to the central portion of South America — mainly in Brazil, where I photographed this one. They are mostly nocturnal and I used a dual flash setup and a ground level perspective to capture this image at night.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 200, f/8 at 1/60th of a second