Fed up with weak prey on the shore, the South American jaguar dives into the deep river to hunt the “dominant of murky waters” – the caiman crocodile.

The jaguar is the only big cat native to the Americas. Although closely related to leopards, American leopards have more tiger-like characteristics. Jaguars are larger, stockier and much more ferocious than leopards.

Jaguars inhabit a variety of forested terrain and open spaces, but their preferred habitats are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, swamps, and wooded areas. Jaguars like to swim and are largely solitary hunters, attacking targets in a stalking and ambush style, being at the top of the food chain where they live.

The exceptionally strong jaws allow jaguars to develop a method of killing prey that is different from other species of the cat family: Bite directly through the prey’s skull between the ears to cause a fatal bite to the brain. Jaguars can hunt virtually any terrestrial or riverine vertebrate found in Central or South America, with the exception of the massive black caiman.

In the video, the jaguar discovered the caiman crocodile in the murky water and immediately found a favorable position to observe. Once it has located its prey, the leopard rushes straight into the river. Just a moment later, the leopard emerged from the water, its mouth firmly grasping the large crocodile. Successfully hunting, the leopard dragged the still-living crocodile to shore, preparing to finish it off and eat it.