Chris Brunsᴋɪʟʟ, a wildlife photographer was left speechless after witnessing a sneaky jaguar ambush and ᴋɪʟʟ a yacare caiman after a tough and protracted battle on a river in a remote area of Bʀᴀᴢɪʟ.
Dramatic images depict the large cat surprising the reptile and pouncing on it, setting off a ғɪɢʜᴛ to the ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ that few people have ever seen.
Over a period of more than 20 minutes, the baby jaguar grappled with the caiman and sunk its powerful jaws into the reptile’s neck and the back of its skull. The predator became prey for a much stronger animal, and the caiman struggled valiantly to escape but was dragged into the jungle.
Images depict the jaguar encircling the dying caiman with its paws while extending its razor-sharp claws. The cat prevails in the conflict, pulling the reptile’s lifeless body out of sight after hauling it out of the water by the neck. The female jaguar had unsuccessfully charged at a pack of capybara just moments ago.
Chris Brunsᴋɪʟʟ said that he captured a tremendous array of images, totaling nearly 50GB, of a predation sequence throughout the struggle that had consumed him ever since his first trip to that wonderful location more than five years ago.
The jaguar eats caimans but humans are exceedingly unlikely to see a struggle like this. Photos are even rarer.