Let’s Go: Discover the Pantanal, Brazil’s “Wild Wet”

Host Annie Van Dinther is joined by Expedition Leader Helder Brandao who reveals the extraordinary biodiversity of his native Brazil’s most important wildlife sanctuary: the Pantanal. Most people don’t realize the Pantanal—which is the world’s largest wetland, sprawling over 75,000 miles—holds a greater concentration of wildlife than the Amazon! This vast seasonal floodplain, with its mosaic of marshes and islands, is home to 10 million caiman, 650 bird species and 100 different mammals, including the capybara (world’s largest rodent) and maned wolf. These freshwater wetlands support a profusion of aquatic fauna that attract larger predators, creating a huge, intricate food chain. At the top is the elusive jaguar—and there’s no place on Earth where you’re more likely to spot them than in the wild recesses of the Pantanal. Helder, who is a leading ecotourism guide and trainer in Brazil, takes you on a virtual adventure into this enticing terrain. Come along for a preview of all the sights you’re likely to see on Nat Hab’s grand adventure into the Brazilian wild.


Originally presented February 18, 2021

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