An Underwater Perspective

Although we may not get the chance to peek beneath the waters of the Pantanal, I think it’s worthwhile for us to at least have an idea of the underwater world just beyond our grasp. This idea was inspired by photographs taken by Marcelo Krause during his contribution to the book project “Pantanal Terre e Agua” – Pantanal Land and Water.  I thought I’d share a few of his pictures and dive a bit more into depth about each one.

This photo struck me because it shows off the thick vegetation and expansive root systems Cal was talking about during his water hyacinth presentation. By including the diver in the background of the picture, we are able to better understand just how dense aquatic vegetation is in the region. An article published in Brittonia by Prance and Schaller in 1982, discusses and describes the various kinds of vegetation that make up the Pantanal. Vegetation in the region are split into three classifications: aquatic and hydrophyllous, hydrophyllous, and mesophyllous. What we see in this photo is an example of the aquatic and hydrophyllous zone. Plants in this zone are characterized as either existing in floating mats or with roots in shallow systems. (I highly recommend this article for anyone interested in familiarizing themselves with Pantanal plants). These aquatic plant systems are integral for fish species – providing food, shelter, and a place to lay eggs.

I also wanted to share this picture – because I didn’t even know these things existed! What you see here is a stick catfish, part of the genus Farlowella. These creatures have slender bodies that resemble thin sticks of wood and can grow between 4 and 10 inches long (~10-26 cm). Their camoflauged exterior allows them the stick catfish to blend into its environment – one of submerged dead leaves and sticks. We can find this little guy in Amazon, Oronico, Paranà, and coastal rivers of the Guyana Shield, feeding on algae, hanging out in swift currents over rocks and submerged wood. Twenty dollars to whoever spots this underwater genius!

Check out this website for more jaw-dropping pictures of the Pantanal’s underwater perspective.

Sources:

Prance, Ghillean T., and George B. Schaller. "Preliminary study of some vegetation types of the Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil." Brittonia 34.2 (1982): 228-251.

Covain, Raphael and Sonia Fisch-Muller. "The genera of the Neotropical armored catfish subfaily Loricariinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae): a practical key and synopsis." ZOOTAXA. (2007): 1-40. Web. 10 Feb 2014.

Garilao, Cristina. "Fishbase." Farlowella smithi. FishBase. Web. 10 Feb 2014.