The courting ritual of the blue macaws in the Pantanal

by Antonella Kann

So sorry to bring back the animal theme so fast. But I didn´t resist to share with you a few images of animals which can be admired in the wild in their habitat, the Pantanal region, which remains today, with 89,000 square miles, as one of the most enormous and undamaged tropical ecosystems on earth.


As any animal lover, I was really impressed by the behavior of a couple of gorgeous blue araras , or, translated into scientific language, the hyacinthine macaw, which is an endangered bird like so many others.

So, in the sequence, as I watched this loving duo of araras courting each other,
it crossed my mind that we, mere human beings, have much to learn from nature – and natural male/female attitudes.

This bird, which congregates in Pantanal´s trees, is one of the world´s most threatened species and in the black market is worth at least U$ 10 thousand a head.

Mr. & Mrs Araras Azuis - blue macaw - in a sunny morning

Another beautiful winged animal is the tuiuiú, which is known as the jabiru stork, and is the biggest flying bird in Brazil, with a wingspan of more than seven feet. The deer, also very rare to be seen as relaxed as in this picture, is also endangered.

the "tuiuiú" eating a snake is somewhat impressive.

Now let´s check out on one of the favorite mammals, the monkey...

Much admired and also feared – just watch out for those teeth! – is the macaco-prego, which means nail monkey. They can come quite close and are always looking for food. But beware as they can be treacherous and fast enough to grab whatever is loose in seconds flat. So, think purse, camera, sunglasses, hat, necklaces, whatever they can lay their hands.

Fortunately, all these animals are protected by conservationists, ranchers and, of course, severe environmental laws.