Johan F. Gottgens, James E. Perry, Ronald H. Fortney, Jill E. Meyer, Michael Benedict, Brian E. This , km 2 alluvial depression, located in the upstream basin of the Paraquay River, stretches across western Brazil and parts of Bolivia and Paraguay.
Roughly 10 times the size of the remaining Florida Everglades, the Pantanal has been referred to as the world's largest continuous wetland Alho et al. Plant and animal life are strongly influenced by distinct seasonal flooding, with water levels during the rainy season as much as 5 meters higher than during the dry season Junk and da Silva Periods of severe floods follow extreme droughts, and only a portion of the Pantanal remains inundated throughout the year Hamilton et al.
The Pantanal is a key hydrologic resource in South America. It sustains flows in the Paraguay River throughout both the wet and dry seasons, which has a major impact on both the ecology and economics of the region between the Pantanal and the Atlantic Ocean. It is also an integral part of the hydrologic cycle of South America because of its size and the quantity of water it temporarily stores annually Ponce The seasonal flooding regime supports a productive and diverse fauna, including some of Brazil's most endangered species Nature Conservancy The Pantanal has one of the most diverse avian communities on the planet, with more than species of birds identified.
The region is home to aquatic birds, such as the jabiru Jabiru mycteria , many herons and egrets order Ciconiiformes , jacanas Jacana jacana , the anhinga Anhinga anhinga , and the endangered hyacinth macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus. Caimans Caiman yacare , capybara Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris , piranhas several genera, including Serrasalmus and Pygocentris , and several monkey species Alouatta caraya and Cebus apella are the most common also thrive in this wetland, along with occasional jaguars Panthera onca , small forest cats genus Felis , giant anteaters Myrmecophaga tridactyla , giant river otters Pteronura brasiliensis , and some 20 different species of bats order Chiroptera.
In only a portion of the Pantanal, more than species of fish have been listed Marins et al. The diversity of interacting habitat types and the direct connection with neighboring South American phytogeographic regions also produce a remarkable, albeit poorly known, diversity of plants. The vegetation contains elements from the dry savanna cerrado of central Brazil, the Bolivian chaco semiarid scrub forest , the Amazonian region to the north, and the Atlantic forest to the south and southeast Adamoli Despite this extraordinary productivity and diversity, the Pantanal is a largely unknown tropical wetland Bucher et al.
