COMMON IGUANA – Iguana iguana
Either found on the grounds or up on trees, Iguanas are good climbers, besides being able to swim well. When threatened, they jump in the water to escape. Similar to what happens with geckos, their tails can break off to when escaping form a predator, growing back afterwards.

SPECTACLED CAIMAN – Caiman crocodylus
This butterfly is after the saline solution found on the caiman’s tears, and is trying to suck it directly from his eyes.

“BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” – Bonito, MS, Brazil
German photographer Fritz Pölking, with whom I worked back in 1997, has a similar picture taken in the Pantanal, to which he gave this same name. This is a tribute to his good idea when naming the image he created.

BROAD-NOSED CAIMAN – Caiman latirostris
Very similar to the Spectacled Caiman, the individuals form this species tend to be smaller and have a broader snout. Their geographic range is also more restrict, occurring only in South America, while the Spectacled Caiman is also found in Central America and Southern Mexico.

SPECTACLED CAIMAN – Caiman crocodylus
These reptiles feed almost entirely on fish, which can be captured in small waterfalls, where the caiman remains still with its mouth open against the current waiting for the food to fall into its mouth.

SPECTACLED CAIMAN – Caiman crocodylus
Females of this species lay from 15 to 40 eggs, which are gathered in a nest made out of dry leaves, earth and twigs. The nest’s temperature during incubation will determine the sex of the babies.

SPECTACLED CAIMAN – Caiman crocodylus
A “must do” in the Pantanal is to go out at night and see the glowing eyes of dozens of caimans who gather in the lagoons, especially during the dry season. Several lodges offer tours to watch this unforgettable scene.

SPECTACLED CAIMAN – Caiman crocodylus
In the early morning, Caimans frequently show a peculiar behavior to mark their territories, arching their bodies and emitting a very bass-pitched grunt.

BABY HAWKSBILL TURTLES - Eretmochelys imbricata
Five species of sea turtles lay their eggs on the Brazilian coast. Seriously threatened by extinction until some years ago, this situation is gradually changing thanks to efforts of conservation projects such as TAMAR. The species on the photo is known in Portuguese as the “Comb Turtle”, because they shells were used for manufacturing combs and eyeglass frames.

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YELLOW ANACONDA – Eunectes murinus
Despite all the myth created around this snake, it can be considered harmless to humans. They are not venomous and kill their prey – birds, mammals, caimans and even fish – by constriction. They can reach a maximum length of 4.5 meters (15 ft), but the average females – who are longer than the males – are 3.5 meters (12 ft) long.