The Maned Wolf

I have never been able to photograph the Maned Wolf myself, but I have been fortunate to see the animal twice in the time I have spent in eastern Bolivia. The first was early in the morning from the back of a pickup truck, as we headed down the road between San Ignacio and San Borja, on our way to gather our crew and begin excavations, in 1995. The second was again in the morning, walking on a cattle trail along the Iruyañez River in 1997. That time, as we approached from the east and the wolf approached from the east, the mane of the animal did produce a confusing visual effect, and at first it seemed like a horse approaching. But when it saw us, it quickly took to its heels. Maned wolves hunt at night, and so are not commonly seen. They are listed as Near Threatened on the Arkive website.

Ambling anteater

This Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is shown here wandering across a swampy bit of grassland next to a seasonal creek. The photo was taken on July 10, 2008, in the afternoon on our way back to town. My friend Jaime Bocchietti thought that the reason the animal was not so easily alarmed as I got closer to take a picture with my point-and-shoot camera, was that I was wearing a motorcycle helmet, and so therefore perhaps I didn't look like much of a threat. He also thought that, as I wandered farther and farther from the safety of the motorcycle, that it might not be such a good idea to let the gringo interact with the wildlife on quite such an intimate basis. About ten seconds after this photo was taken, the anteater noticed me and dashed off back across the swamp in the direction he came from.