Jaguar Predation

[Dark Jaguar]

all cases in South Pantanal


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The foreman of a retreat at the San Francisco Farm in Miranda describes the attack of a jaguar:

''That moment the cattle was probably grazing, the jaguar jumped on the back of the cattle, bit the ''termite'' ( most likely a local slang ). then with its paw she hooked the nose of the cattle and bit the nape of the cattle. After she bit the nape, that was it. The cattle had no more reaction. Because while the cattle moves beating around, she ( the jag ) keeps squeezing it more''. (2008: Interview)

The skull of the animal was collected by Projeto Gadonça, dedicated to the study of the interaction between the jaguar and the domestic herd. After being cleaned and prepared, it was attached to an extensive collection of samples that included deer bones, white lipped pecari, collared peccari, capybaras, caimans, tapirs, among others. The sample shows the typical perforation of the jaguar bite at the base of the cattle's nape (photo bellow). This type of bite is described by George Schaller (2007), author of the first field study on the species in the Pantanal at the end of the 1970s, as a key element for identifying the attack:

''As usual, the feline had killed the capybara with a bite at the base of the skull. The jaguar carries the head inside its mouth and with the opposite canines punctures the bones into the brain. This technique is remarkable not only for the precision with which the canines pierce through the skull over or near the ears but also for the force required to penetrate half an inch of bone. Jaguars can kill even cows by breaking their skulls using a primitive force strange even to lions and tigers who usually kill large prey more easily by strangulation'' [1]. (2007: 68)

SCHALLER, George B. 2007. A naturalist and other beasts: tales from a life in the field. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.

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Jaguar skull

The Skull of a female jaguar killed by another jaguar was found by Projeto Gadonça team.

San Francisco Farm, Miranda, MS


https://www.flickr.com/photos/felipesussekind/4890031448/in/set-72157624595818671/


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*This image is copyright of its original author

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