This is the moment a hungry jaguar took on a caiman in a 20 minute battle – before the big cat emerged victorious and dragged its kill into the jungle for a feast.
Dramatic footage shows the ruthless predator prowling along the banks of the Black Little River in Porto Jofre in Brazil’s Northern Pantanal before it leaps on the unsuspecting reptile.
Tourists gasped as the jaguar splashed down into the water and wrestled with the caiman, somehow managing to escape the reptile’s jaws.
Rumble in the jungle: Dramatic footage shows the big cat jumping down on top of the caiman and clamping its jaws around the reptile’s neck
Hunter gatherer: Video shows the moment a hungry jaguar splashed down in to a river in Brazil and wrestled a caiman for 20 minutes
Dinner time: The adolescent male jaguar, who is new to the area, struggled to lift its prey on to the riverbank – but eventually succeeded and spent the next few days feasting
At first, the adolescent male jaguar, who is new to the area, struggled to lift its prey on to the riverbank – but eventually succeeded and spent the next few days feasting.
The video was taken in October by wildlife guide Leen Gillis, 33. The Belgian born safari operator confirmed that seeing a jaguar involved in such a brutal struggle was unusual.
She said: ‘In six years of being a guide in the jaguar area, I had never seen such a scene before, a narrow and calm river channel, almost no other boats around.
Fight to the death: The jaguar spent some time trying to find a way to lift its giant prey out of the river after grabbing it around the neck
Clamp down: After a 20 minute battle for supremacy, the jaguar eventually emerged victorious before dragging its prey away in to the jungle
Battle royale: The video was taken in October by wildlife guide Leen Gillis, 33. The Belgian born safari operator confirmed that seeing a jaguar involved in such a brutal struggle was unusual
End game: After 20 minutes the caiman gave up the fight and the adolescent male jaguar grabbed the reptile around the neck
‘Jaguars mostly hunt caiman as they are widely available, and easier to catch than other prey.
‘But they often kill them under enclosed vegetation – so you hear it sometimes but you rarely see anything.’
Leen revealed that many of the tourists watching the big cat missed the incident.
On the prowl: The jaguar had been relaxing in the undergrowth before it suddenly stood up and went on a hunting trip – to the amazement of watching tourists
Tourists had been watching the jaguar sleeping for about three hours before it surprised them all by launching itself off a river bank
She said: ‘When we found the jaguar, he was sleeping under a tree, not bothered with us or the other boats at all.
‘He slept for about three hours and most of the other boats had already left before suddenly it stood up, got into hunting mode and started walking along the riverbank in search for food.
‘He had trouble killing the big caiman and also bringing it up to riverbank – we watched the amazing kill for over 20 minutes.’
Calm before the storm: After a good rest, the big cat emerged for some hunting. But he had trouble killing the big caiman and also bringing it up to riverbank
On the look out: The dramatic footage was captured on camera by the 33-year-old Belgian born wildlife guide Leen Gillis
Hungry: Leen said of the incident: ‘In six years of being a guide in the jaguar area, I had never seen such a scene before’