Different schedules, prey preferences and microhabitats allow jaguars and pumas to share many of the same territories in Brazil’s forests. Their coexistence shows how evolution can reduce competition between two of the Americas’ largest cats.
The king vulture combines vivid head colors with a powerful bill to control access to carcasses and help other vultures feed. Its work also supports the health of Amazonian ecosystems.
The Amazonian vine snake can remain motionless for hours, matching the shape, color and texture of dry branches and vines. Its camouflage helps it ambush prey while avoiding larger predators in the forest canopy and understory.
The harpy eagle uses talons up to 5.1 inches long to capture sloths and adult monkeys in the canopy of Brazil’s forests. Its strength and flight reveal one of the Amazon’s most remarkable adaptations.
Batista Campos Plaza became a permanent colony for hundreds of white egrets. Abundant food, nighttime lighting, large trees and a lack of predators help explain why the birds left mangroves and flooded areas.
Some birds of prey developed dense feathers around the head and neck that protect them while they raid bee and wasp nests. In the Cerrado, this adaptation reveals a complex link between predators, prey and conservation.
The three-toed sloth makes a dangerous weekly trip from the canopy to the ground to defecate. Scientists think the ritual may support a complex partnership involving moths, algae and the sloth’s own fur.
Capybaras live in tightly ranked groups and use calls, scent marks, and communal latrines to maintain cohesion, defend their territory, and reduce conflict.
The Amazonian manatee is the world’s only freshwater manatee and plays a key ecological role by controlling aquatic macrophytes. Its anatomy, diet and extended parental care reveal the complexity of Amazonian rivers.
Giant anteaters visit hundreds of termite mounds and ant nests without destroying their colonies. Their feeding habits help regulate social insects and support biodiversity in the Cerrado.
