A red-and-green macaw peeking at us from behind a tree. I'm very grateful to my friends in Brazil who made this little side trip possible. Jamacá dos Araras is an incredible place to go if you enjoy birdwatching!

Miss Pixana in flirt mode. We spent an amazing afternoon watching Pixana and Bernard mating on a beach that was within sight of our flotel. This was her way of letting him know she was ready for another round

Hands down, the coolest animal I've seen in South America so far is the tayra. After missing two opportunities to photograph them in Ecuador, I was beyond thrilled to have this one stroll by only twenty yards away while in Brazil. It's amazing what you can see at a watering hole!

Giant otters eat a lot of fish. This one was munching on a wolf fish, which seems to be one of their favorites

The bird I was the most excited to find in Brazil was the great potoo. The camouflage on these guys is incredible; while this one was fairly easy to spot, its mate was doing an excellent impression of a tree branch

Gorgeous Guaraci. One of the first jaguars we saw on my recent trip to the Pantanal, this was also the only day we found her, hunting from high up on the riverbank

While I was staying at Pouso Alegre Lodge, there was a group of coatis that visited regularly. These cool critters have double-jointed ankles, allowing them to climb headfirst down trees like this one

A sweet moment between momma swift fox and one of her kits this summer. Spending time with these cat-sized canids is always a thrill

One of the birds we saw frequently in the Pantanal was the neotropical cormorant. They have the prettiest eyes of almost any bird I've ever seen!

Prairie dogs are a keystone species, meaning a lot of animal and plant species depend on them for survival. They're a food source for many different predators, their burrows provide homes for other animals, and their eating habits promote healthy plant diversity