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(forests along the riverbanks). The tree branches are filled with birds, many of which (e.g. hoatzins) are just nesting, groups of capybaras are resting with their young on the higher islands and caimans are sunning themselves with open jaws. For most animals this is the time for reproducing and one of abundance; flocks of birds have returned to their nesting colonies. For farmers this is also the period in which jaguars are most apt to attack calves. The alternating of the wet and dry seasons, the constantly high temperatures (30–40 °C) and the geographic conditions combine to predetermine the form of vegetation of the llanos that lie in the zone of tropical deciduous forests. These can mainly be found north of the Apure River, although only the last remnants of the original forests can be found here (e.g. the Ticoporo, Caparo, San Camilo regions), in many places replaced by secondary forests. Even though these lack the original diversity and wealth of plant species, they are also home to many interesting animals. South of the Apure the forests grow mainly along the rivers (gallery forests) or are scattered through the savanna (matas) and therefore a typical tree on the savanna is the Moriche palm (Mauritia minor) or the Leguminous tree (Pithecolobium saman), perhaps the most typical and most known of all trees, whose wide crowns shade nearly every building. As with the vegetation, the representatives of the vast animal empire must also adapt to the alternating seasons. Many types of fish, amphibians and water-dependent reptiles have developed extremely advanced biological mechanisms that allow them to survive the cruel dry period. The true masters of adaptation are, for instance, the tiny Marbled swamp eels (Synbranchus marmoratus), who survive like worms in the damp ground's labyrinth of corridors. I watched as zoologist Mirek Šebela tried to dig them out in a "morichal", an area in the savanna covered with moriche palms, at the Corralito farm near the Pao River. With each dig of the spade into the damp clay earth he found several small corridors which the fishnimbly and quickly slid down – to catch them required considerable preparedness and dexterity. When Mirek transferred an eel to a glass aquarium where he photographed it, the eel immediately and seemingly effortlessly switched to aquatic breathing. Many amphibians and reptiles are able to weather the dry season in hiding (e.g. buried in the mud under a hard layer of dried earth) in a resting state in which they do not need any food. I remember well how in 1992 we ignorantly tried to free some
"snout" from the hard clay and how surprised we were that in an eruption of mud two or three meters from us there suddenly emerged a five-meter long anaconda. We wildly ran off in all directions and then observed this massive snake from a safe distance. That was, in fact, my first ever meeting with an anaconda. The essence of adaptation for all vertebrates, however, lies in other principles – particularly in adapting their own customs to the cyclical climatic changes in the llanos. By customs I mean the animal's timing in reproducing and migrating for food, although among birds and mammals (especially among the so-called specialists) there's no lack of surprising adaptation mechanisms. To name even the typical fauna representatives found in the llanos wetlands and savannas is far too daunting a task for this book and would result in several pages of a pedantic list of names. I will therefore try to mention just a few species, particularly those that can be encountered the most frequently or those that are in some way remarkable. Plenty of Spectacled caimans (Caiman crocodilus) and the perhaps even more populous Llanos sideneck turtles (Podocnemys vogli), which also linger on the roots of fallen trees and in the water, can be found everywhere on the banks of pools and rivers abundant with fish. Large Anacondas (Eunectes murinus) are seen on the banks and in bushes above the water's surface. Various types of wading birds occupy the shallow waters of half-dried rivers and lagoons as well as the saturated places in the Savanna. Several types of ibises can be netted here, including the strikingly red Scarlet ibises (Eudocimus ruber). Other wading birds are abundantly represented here: herons, storks and spoonbills. Thousands of these birds flock to some shallow lagoons. One remarkable bird is the big Horned screamer (Anhima cornuta), and a local zoological rarity cannot be overlooked: the ubiquitous flocks of Hoatzins (Opisthocomus hoatzin). The large number of predatory birds that sit near the water, in trees, or circle the sky, testifies to the opulence of the food pyramid. It's hard not to notice the loud parrots, especially the Scarlet macaws (Ara macao). The South American llanos north of the equator are unrivalled with regard to the sheer abundance of birds. The diversity of species (323 species) is also immense. During my stay at the Corralito farm I observed, or differentiated and eventually identified, 96 species of birds. I still haven't been able to identify many of the smaller birds, however, and so haven't included them in this number.
anteater Pages 156–157: Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). (Photo: Luiz Claudio Marigo.) Pages 158–159: Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). Llanos, Venezuela 2005.
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