Hudini the boa constrictor

One September morning, Stefan and our field guide Adauto took our guest Amanda for a brief safari walk, as she was flying out later that morning . Leaving the lodge building compound area, Adauto who has an amazing eye to spot wildlife, spotted a Boa Constrictor that was partially hidden under some leaves and enjoying the early morning sun rays. Stefan kindly came over to the main building to let me know so I could view this beautiful animal and take some pictures. As I walked over Stefan pointed where the boa was laying and I could not see it even thinking Stefan was taking me on. However, once I perceived its amazing camouflage the creature materialized in its full glory. Stefan had his macro lens and wanted a more intimate "eye to eye" image so totally disregarding the local tick inhabitants he mad him self comfortable on the floor as Amanda looked on
Eventually our friend made its way to a standing tree where it disappeared in what seemed like a cavity under the roots. Or was it still there well camouflaged and I could not see it?

Hungry agouti

When a tree comes into fruit here, it is always interesting to see which animals come to feed on its fruits. Right beside our lodge, there is a tree which is currently full of fruit. And, as the photo above illustrates, a small, forest-dwelling rodent, called an Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae) has been quick to take advantage of the the tree's fallen fruits. As well as eating fruit, Azara's agoutis also eat leaves and roots. Agoutis are quite shy and elusive creatures, so it is always nice to see them going about their daily routine.

Pantanal colours

The Pantanal has an abundance of colourful creatures residing in it. Some of the most colourful creatures are its birds. Here is just a small selection of colourful birds which we are always delighted to see around the lodge:


The red and green macaw (Ara chloropterus) is one of 3 large macaw species which we regularly see here. It loves to feed on the seeds of the acuri palm tree (Platonia insignis) of which there are many here. Red and green macaws nest in the holes of trees. The photo below shows two such macaws checking out the nesting suitability of a tree just metres from the house.


The toco toucan (Ramphastos toco) is no doubt one of the most well known birds of the Pantanal. Although they can be quite shy, they are regularly seen here. They are not the strongest flyers so will normally choose to hop between the branches of trees. Toco toucans have a varied diet, eating fruit (as can be seen in the photo below), insects, frogs and even nestlings.


The yellow-billed cardinal (Paroaria capitata), as shown below, can often be seen in small groups, fluttering between bushes and trees beside the river. This bird is a seed-eater as is indicated by its powerful beak.

Tapir magic

It has been a magical week around Embiara. There is a bocaiuva palm tree (acrocomia aculeata) just metres from the steps of the main house whose fruits are now ripe...

And we have been amazed to watch a South American tapir (tapirus terrestris), a creature which is normally so shy and elusive, come every day of this last week to feed on the fallen fruits of this palm tree. This photo shows the tapir feeding at 7.30pm in the evening a few days ago around the tree...
And this is what greeted me as I walked out of the house at 6am yesterday morning...


The tapir, by lying down, was allowing a bird of prey called a yellow headed caracara (milvago chimachima) to hop around its body picking off any unwanted tics who had no doubt hitched a ride on the tapir whilst it was in the forest behind our lodge.

Hairy foragers

White-lipped peccaries (tayassu pecari) are abundant where we are. They can live in very large herds from 50 to over 300 individuals. These creatures are often seen before they're heard, with their grunting and clicking teeth. White-lipped peccaries are mainly diurnal, and are omnivores, eating anything from fruits and grasses to invertebrates. In the photo above, they are eating the ripe fruit of an acuri palm tree. When scared, a white-lipped peccary will lift the hair on its spine and will let off a musky scent, often before running noisily away.

Ocelots near the lodge

This month, we were visited on two occasions by an ocelot (leopardus pardalis). We saw one ocelot on the river bank. It swam across the river and then watched us as we passed it with our canoes. Ocelots are nocturnal, so to see it during the day like this was a rare treat. If you look at the tail of this ocelot, you will see that a large part of it is without fur. Ocelots are fiercely territorial and we believe that this missing fur on its tail could have been caused by a territorial dispute with another ocelot. Ocelots have a varied diet, but they mainly eat small mammals, of which there are many in the forests and fields around our lodge.
Then, just yesterday, another ocelot was spotted resting in the forest behind the lodge. The nervous calls of the purplish jays, the plush-crested jays and the bare-faced currasows are what made us aware of the ocelot's presence.