BRAZILIAN GIANT OTTERS + EXTRAS !!

Giant otter
D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1000, ISO 1100

The giant otter, once roaming Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Fresh Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname & Venezuela have been & is severely threatened by extinction. The specie has today lost approx. 80 % of it`s original distribution and the world population is now estimated between 2 000 & 5 000 individuals. The most important remaining sites are now the Amazon, Guiana & the Pantanal.

A male giant otter can weight up to 35 kg measuring up to 2,4 m incl. tail. With it`s beaver shaped tail  (!) it can swim like a torpedo ....  and basic food is fish (piranhas !!), but also amphibians, reptiles incl. small anacondas and smaller mammals.

All pictures shot Pantanal, western Brazil, Nov. 2016.

Giant otter
D5, 600 4,0, f/ 6,3, 1/1000, ISO 800

Giant otter
D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1000, ISO 1100

Giant otter
D5, 600 4,0

Giant otter

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/1000, ISO 2000

Giant otter
D5, 600 4,0, f/ 5,6, 1/1000, ISO 1800

Giant otter & striated heron
D5, 600 4,0

Giant otters
D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/1000, ISO 2000

Giant otters
D5, 600 4,0, f/ 5,6, 1/1000, ISO 2500

Giant otters
D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/1250, ISO 1100

Giant otter

D5, 600 4,0, f/ 6,3, 1/1250, ISO 450

Giant otter

D5, 600 4,0, f/ 6,3, 1/1250, ISO 900

Lesser yellowfaced vulture
D5, 600 4,0, F/ 6,3, 1/1000, ISO 500

Southern caracal
D5, 600 4,0, f/ 6,3, 1/320, ISO 900

Rufescent heron
D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/800, ISO 900

Anhinga
D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/1000, ISO 3600

Toco Toucan
D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/000, ISO 5000

Great black hawk

D5, 600 ,0, f/4,0, 1/500, ISO 500

The only animal that old Pantanal pioneers feared more than jaguars ... was agressive bees !!
D5, 600 4,0, f/4,5, 1/1250, ISO 18 000

JAGUARS OF PANTANAL, BRAZIL

iPhone 6

Honestly, it was pretty hard work ! 14 days in the boat on the river, 12-13 hours continuously every day, 40 degrees warm in the shade and insane amounts of stinging and biting insects !!!

..... and it was all worth it !!

The  huge Brazilian wilderness Pantanal & Mato Grosso has probably the densest jaguar population in the world, and not only the densest : the jaguars of Pantanal grow to be almost the double size of the ones in the Amazon with males up to 140 - 150 kg. We had 18 sightings in 14 days with assumed 13 different individuals, some just a brief glance through the grass and some we watched for hours as they were hunting for caimans (crocs) or capybaras (flodsvin).

I have picked 20 pictures for this post. It was difficult. It could easily have been 20 others.

For the jaguar attack : see my previous post on www.tomdyring.com

Thanks to Fabritio Dorileo of Pantanal Safaris!
Also thanks to Arnfinn Johansen ( www.arnfinnjohansen.com ) for inspiration & great company !

Male jaguar on the river bank

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1000, ISO 720

Female jaguar resting in the shade

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/1250, ISO 1800

Male jaguar "Pirata"

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1250, ISO 2200

Male jaguar "Holyfield"

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/200, ISO 9000

Male jaguar "Holyfield"

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/200, ISO 7200 

Male jaguar "Scarface"

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 220 mm, f/4,0, 1/800, ISO 7200 

Male jaguar "Scarface"

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 200 mm, f/5,6, 1/500, ISO 2000

Alice in Wonderland ? ... or just male jaguar "Pirata" swimming

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 200 mm, f/5,0, 1/500, ISO 720

Male jaguar "Holyfield" slipping into the water

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1000, ISO 640

Male jaguar "Scarface"

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1000, ISO 1100

Female jaguar

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/800, ISO 2500 

Male jaguar "Pirata"

D5, 200-400 4,0 / 300 mm, 1/800, ISO 560 

Male jaguar "Pirata" hunting swimming capybara (flodsvin)

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/800, ISO 1000  

Jaguar hunting capybara (flodsvin)

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,0, 1/800, ISO 2800

Male jaguar "Scarface" with caiman carcass

D5, 200-400 4,0, f/5,6, 1/500, ISO 2200

Male jaguar with caiman kill

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1000, ISO 450

Male jaguar "Pirata" swimming

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1250, ISO 450

Male jaguar "Pirata" climbing the riverbed

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1250, ISO 560

Females with cubs usually stay hidden and are not seen. These two cubs rest safely in the shade knowing that mom is just around the corner

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/1600, ISO 1600