Watch: Jaguar flies through the air to pounce on unsuspecting caiman
A tourist in Brazil felt like she was “inside a documentary” as she witnessed a jaguar’s surprise attack on a sharp-toothed caiman, which passed under the feline’s nose one too many times.
The encounter occurred while Imma Canyada was visiting Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland in the world at 42 million-plus acres. She was in the right place at the right time, no question about it.
“We felt like we were inside a documentary,” Canyada wrote on Instagram.
She wrote that the caiman passed under the “opportunistic” jaguar once and then once more, prompting the jaguar to act fast. It leaped from the embankment, landed on its prey, and wrestled it underwater before emerging with the reptile in a death grip.
The video ends before viewers see the conclusion, but Canyada obliged, writing, “The jaguar picks up the caiman, crosses the river with him, and disappears into the jungle.”
Viewers were also curious about the collar the jaguar was wearing.
Turns out, this is the jaguar named Ousado, which captivated the world in 2020 after his paws were burned by human-caused fires. Ousado was nursed back to health. Before it was returned the wild, it was equipped with a collar to monitor its whereabouts and health.
All signs indicate it is strong and healthy, and happily hunting successfully.