Sally Eagle via Barcroft TV

Cats typically aren’t fond of water, but jaguars in the Pantanal Wetlands of Brazil are a different story. They swim quite easily and prey on over 85 species in the area. 

National Geographic’s Luke Dollar took some amazing footage of a jaguar stalking a caiman before attacking from the water. Traditionally, it is the caiman who attacks pray by stalking them in the water, but the here roles are reversed. The jaguar’s spotted coat won’t provide much camouflage against the watery backdrop, so the jaguar is required to be extremely stealthy and reduce splashing noises as much as possible. Even when swimming, the jaguar is essentially silent.

As the jaguar leaps out of the water to attack, it chomps down right behind the caiman’s head, effectively disabling its central nervous system and immobilizing it. Out of all big cats, the jaguar has the most force behind its bite.

[Header image via Barcroft TV]

[Hat tip: National Geographic]


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