This caiman never saw this attack coming.
Many cats do not like the water. We see it all the time with our domesticated felines that many of us have in our homes. Ever try to give a cat a bath? I have. Once. Let us just say the cat was not happy and I swore I would never do it again after that.
However, I'm getting off tangent here. The point is most felines do not appreciate the water and will go out of their way to avoid it. The jaguar is apparently not one of those species though.
This amazing footage, captured in the Pantanal wetlands in Brazil follows a large male jaguar stalking the riverbank when the big cat spots something it thinks looks tasty. It is a large caiman, a relative of the crocodile. Unbelievably, the big cat swims across a narrow section of river to ambush the big reptile from behind. The caiman never sees it coming.
While the caiman may be a feared predator in the water, on the land it never stood a chance against this powerful big cat. The most impressive part of this attack was just how silent it was. This jaguar has done this a few times in the past. It knew exactly where to bite the big reptile to incapacitate it. Smart cat.
Unlike many other big cats, the jaguar cannot afford to be afraid of water, and they are frequent swimmers. Mostly because of their environment and their prey. They also like to prey upon fish and turtles at times, so waterways are prime hunting grounds. They also often hunt capybaras, which are semiaquatic rodents, the largest on Earth.
This video is an excellent example of why the jaguar is an apex predator of South America. When your diet includes other large predators of the region, you have earned the right to be at the top of the food chain in our minds.
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For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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