Olivia Reed’s YouTube channel shared a video capturing a jaguar hunting a Martial eagle in southern Africa’s Botswana.
Tragically, the Martial eagle met its demise due to a brief moment of inattention, falling prey to the jaguar’s powerful jaws. The jaguar didn’t consume the eagle, however, opting to simply kill it before departing peacefully.
As the fifth-largest eagle globally and the largest in Africa, the Martial eagle, scientifically known as Polemaetus bellicosus, boasts a dark gray-brown coat on its head, back, and upper body, while the lower part is white with a few black and brown spots. These eagles are voracious eaters, enjoying a diverse diet that includes snakes and iguanas, with a particular preference for venomous varieties like cobras, vipers, mambas, and African rock pythons.
Thanks to their exceptional vision, Martial eagles can spot their prey from a distance of 3 to 5 kilometers and swoop down with razor-sharp talons for an attack. However, despite their reign over the skies, on the ground, they remain no match for Jaguars.