From Here to Pantanal

IUPUI Glendale Campus - Room 5

September 21, 2004

10 a.m.

Carlyn Johnson (formerly from SPEA) shared her experiences and images of her trip to South America.

In February, when you are sick and tired of the ice and snow and freezing temperatures, come to the Pantanal in South America. The Pana (what?) you ask? Unless you are a “birder” or a geographer or a fan of John Grisham’s novels (The Testament is set largely in the Pantanal) you may never have heard of it. But, in fact, the Pantanal is the largest freshwater wetland in the world, covering some 81,000 square miles in western Brazil in the states of Matto Grosso and Matto Grosso do Sul, where Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay come together.

This part of the world has only two seasons – wet and dry. And it’s always HOT! But it’s a wildlife wonderland! The Pantanal is home to an estimated 656 species of birds, 102 of mammals and 264 of fishes. (And we may have seen every one of them! No, it just seems like that.)