Satellite view of the Mato Grosso tropical dry forests, Brazil Photograph by USGS   South America: Brazil Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   159,800 square miles (414,000 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Minnesota Vulnerable

· A Host of Habitats--and Species!
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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A Host of Habitats--and Species!

If you were to visit the large Mato Grosso Tropical Dry Forest ecoregion, you'd find not only the dominant dry forest habitat, but also a host of other habitat types, including savannas, gallery forests, and dense thicket areas. Much of the ecoregion is isolated in patches spread across the landscape, but wildlife is diverse and abundant throughout. You'll find many endemic species of plants and animals, including cayman lizards and many colorful butterflies.

Special Features

Seasonal rains define this habitat. During the flood season (December to May), much of this area is under water, forming a flooded forest/shrubland. These floods bring precious nutrients and other resources to this ecoregion and are essential to the life cycles of many of its inhabitants. The rest of the year is fairly dry, and because the soil is porous, the wetlands and pools dry quickly to form massive flats interspersed with dry forest patches, as well as patches of savanna and moist forest. Fire also plays an important role in this region. All together, these habitats blend to form a unique network of dry forests, grasslands, and thickets.

	Young hoatzin chicks retain vestigial wing-claws, which help them climb through thickets and scrub along the water's edge. Wing-claws are small claws on the elbows of the young birds’ wings, which the birds retain until they can fly. These help them escape predators by climbing into the dense vegetation.

Wild Side

Wildlife in this ecoregion is diverse and abundant. Along the gallery forests, troops of gray-necked night monkeys, bearded saki monkeys, brown capuchin monkeys, and black howler monkeys take turns feasting on fruiting trees. Brown-throated sloths crawl through the canopy of large cecropia trees, often unaware of the harpy eagles circling overhead in search of them. Raucous squawks and the flash of dark-blue feathers give away the presence of hyacinth macaws. Prehistoric-looking hoatzin chicks clamber up small branches, while iguanas bask in the sun as they digest their meals of leaves. The crest feathers of red-legged seriemas betray their hiding places in the bunch grass. During the rainy season, the pastures that feed white-lipped peccaries, greater rheas, marsh deer, and red brocket deer become a watery home for Paraguayan caymans, huge anacondas, otters, capybaras, and a plethora of fish and amphibians.

Cause for Concern

Deforestation for agriculture and ranching, mining, and road building all pose major threats to this region. Other threats include introduced species, small-scale logging, wildlife exploitation, and hydroelectric projects. Increased colonization of the area will be of great concern in the near future and will bring more hunting pressure. Uncontrolled tourism is a subject of current debate, though the long-term effects are not yet known.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.