Jaguar vs Caiman: Big Cat Ambushes Reptile in Epic River Battle

Shot in October by Pantanal visitor John Medlock and wildlife guide, Leen Gillis, 33, the dramatic footage shows the ruthless predator pounce on the unsuspecting reptile while a group of tourists watch in amazement.

Filmed in Black Little River in Porto Jofre, Northern Pantanal, the video also shows the jaguar struggling to lift its prey on to the riverbank.

The adolescent male, who is new to the area, eventually dragged its prey into the nearby forest and stayed there for the next few days feasting.

Belgian born safari operator Leen 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.

“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.”

And Leen revealed that many of the tourists watching the big cat missed the incident.

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.”