Nature

Nature of Paraguay

Paraguay has no coastline, but it has the nature of an entire continent. Within its borders you'll find the Chaco, the southern tip of the Pantanal, the Cerrado, the last remnants of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest and the great marshes of the south. This is home to the jaguar, the giant armadillo, the maned wolf and the Chacoan peccary, or taguá, a species known only from fossils until 1975, when scientists confirmed it was still alive in the Chaco. More than 700 bird species have been recorded here. Many of these landscapes are under threat, and traveling with local guides is one way to help protect them. It pays to follow the seasons: the pink lapacho (tajy) in bloom at the end of winter, the bellbird calling in spring, and flamingos on the Chaco's salt lagoons.

Mammals 18

Panthera onca

Jaguar

jaguarete

The largest cat in the Americas and a symbol of Paraguay's wild forests; scarce and very hard to see.

Priodontes maximus

Giant armadillo

tatu carreta

The world's largest armadillo, a nocturnal digger that almost no one ever gets to see.

Catagonus wagneri

Chacoan peccary (taguá)

tagua

The Chaco's “living fossil”: known only from fossils until it turned up alive in the 1970s.

Chrysocyon brachyurus

Maned wolf

aguara guasu

South America's largest canid: reddish coat, black mane and extra-long legs for seeing over the tall grass.

Tapirus terrestris

Lowland tapir

mborevi

The country's largest land mammal, a strong swimmer and a planter of forest seeds.

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Capybara

kapi'yva

The world's largest rodent, calm and sociable; you'll see it in almost any wetland.

Alouatta caraya

Black-and-gold howler monkey

karaja

The southernmost primate in the Americas; its dawn roars carry over great distances.

Sapajus cay

Azara's capuchin monkey

ka'i

A small, curious and intelligent monkey of the eastern and northern forests.

Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Giant anteater

jurumi

A flag-like tail, an extra-long snout and a sticky tongue: the great devourer of ants and termites.

Nasua nasua

South American coati

kuati

A long snout and a ringed tail always held high: a restless neighbor in the eastern forests.

Leopardus pardalis

Ocelot

jaguarete'i

A medium-sized cat with chain-patterned spots, nocturnal and stealthy.

Puma concolor

Puma

jagua pytã

The second-largest cat in the Americas, plain tawny in color; it adapts to almost any habitat.

Blastocerus dichotomus

Marsh deer

guasu puku

South America's largest deer, with branching antlers and black legs: king of the marshes.

Tayassu pecari

White-lipped peccary

tañykati

A white-jawed peccary that roams the forest in large, noisy herds.

Aotus azarae

Azara's night monkey

ka'i pyhare

The region's only nocturnal monkey, with huge eyes; in the Chaco it is also active by day.

Tolypeutes matacus

Southern three-banded armadillo

tatu boli

The armadillo that rolls itself into a perfect ball for defense.

Lama guanicoe

Chaco guanaco

An Andean camelid in the middle of the Chaco: the small population of the northwestern dunes.

Cerdocyon thous

Crab-eating fox

aguara'i

The country's most common wild canid, often seen at nightfall on roads and estancias.

Reptiles 6

Caiman yacare

Yacare caiman

jakare hũ

The most common caiman in Paraguay's rivers and marshes, dark and heavily armored.

Caiman latirostris

Broad-snouted caiman

jakare tĩ

A caiman with a wide snout and green-and-gray mottled skin; scarcer than the yacare caiman.

Eunectes notaeus

Yellow anaconda

kuriju

The great snake of the wetlands: non-venomous, it kills by constriction and is an excellent swimmer.

Salvator merianae

Argentine black and white tegu

teju guasu

The big, spotted lizard that crosses trails, yards and parks on hot days.

Chelonoidis chilensis

Chaco tortoise

karumbe

A land tortoise of the Chaco's dry scrub, frequently taken for the pet trade.

Bothrops diporus

Lancehead viper (yarará)

jarara

A venomous viper common in fields and forests; knowing and respecting it is the best prevention.

Birds 12

Rhea americana

Greater rhea

ñandu

The largest bird in the Americas: it can't fly, but it runs at great speed across grasslands and savannas.

Jabiru mycteria

Jabiru

tujuju

The largest stork in the Americas: white, with a black head and an unmistakable red collar.

Ramphastos toco

Toco toucan

tukã

The largest toucan, with a huge orange bill; it frequents forests, savannas and even gardens.

Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus

Hyacinth macaw

gua'a hovy

The world's largest flying parrot, an intense cobalt blue; in Paraguay it is scarce and found only in the north.

Procnias nudicollis

Bare-throated bellbird

guyra campana

Paraguay's national bird since 2004. Its metallic call rings through the Atlantic Forest.

Phoenicopterus chilensis

Chilean flamingo

Pink flocks on the salt lagoons of the Central Chaco, an unexpected spectacle in the heart of Paraguay.

Harpia harpyja

Harpy eagle

taguato ruvicha

The largest eagle in the Southern Hemisphere, a hunter of monkeys in the forest canopy; extremely rare in Paraguay.

Chauna torquata

Southern screamer

chahã

The noisy sentinel of the marshes: it cries “chajá” and warns everyone when someone approaches.

Nyctibius griseus

Common potoo

urutau

The bird that disguises itself as a branch and sings at night with a lament that gave rise to legends.

Platalea ajaja

Roseate spoonbill

ajaja

A pink bird with a spoon-shaped bill that “sweeps” the mud of the marshes for food.

Amazona aestiva

Turquoise-fronted amazon

A green parrot with a blue forehead and yellow face, heavily targeted by the pet trade.

Pipile jacutinga

Black-fronted piping guan

jakutinga

A black forest guan with a white face and red-and-blue wattle, a threatened jewel of the Atlantic Forest.

Fish 4

Pseudoplatystoma corruscans y Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum

Surubí catfish (spotted and tiger)

suruvi

The great catfish of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers, prized by anglers and cooks alike.

Salminus brasiliensis

Golden dorado

piraju

The “tiger of the rivers”: a golden, hard-fighting fish and the ultimate sport-fishing trophy.

Piaractus mesopotamicus

Pacu

paku

A round, flat fish with delicious flesh, the vegetarian cousin of the piranha.

Pygocentrus nattereri

Red-bellied piranha

Red-bellied and sharp-toothed, more feared than dangerous, but worth respecting.

Insects 2

Morpho helenor

Blue morpho butterfly

panambi

A flash of metallic blue among the trees: the most striking butterfly of the eastern forests.

Tetragonisca fiebrigi (antes incluida en T. angustula)

Jate'i stingless bee

jate'i

A tiny native stingless bee whose honey has been used for centuries as a home remedy.

Amphibians 1

Phyllomedusa sauvagii

Waxy monkey tree frog

A Chaco frog that walks like a monkey and “waxes” its skin to avoid drying out.

Tips

Bring binoculars and log what you see on eBird or Merlin: data from visitors helps local science.
For the deep Chaco, the Pantanal and remote parks, hire local guides or baqueanos (backcountry guides), travel by 4x4 with spare water and fuel, and notify the park rangers in advance. Many areas have no cell signal.
The best time for the Chaco is May to September. In summer the heat tops 40 °C and rain makes dirt roads impassable.
Use insect repellent, long sleeves and closed shoes: there are mosquitoes, ticks and venomous snakes such as the yarará. Watch where you step and don't put your hands into holes.
Before traveling, check current vaccination recommendations (for example, yellow fever outside Asunción) and protect yourself against dengue.
Don't buy wild animals, skins, feathers or parrots: wildlife trafficking is one of the biggest threats and is prohibited under the wildlife law (Law 96/92).
On Chaco roads, drive slowly at dawn and dusk: anteaters, foxes, armadillos and even pumas cross the road and are killed by vehicles.
Sport and commercial fishing have an annual spawning closed season: it usually starts in early November and runs until late December (until late January in waters shared with Brazil). Check the dates published by MADES before you go and get a fishing license.
Between August and October the risk of wildfires is high, especially in the Chaco and the Pantanal: don't light fires outside designated areas.
If you pass through Indigenous communities, ask permission before entering or taking photos, and whenever possible buy crafts directly from the people who make them.
To see the lapachos in bloom, plan your trip between July and September. In Asunción, the streets and squares turn pink and then yellow.