Brutal moment jaguar sinks its teeth into a flailing 80lb caiman before dragging it into the undergrowth

  • Clip filmed in Pantanal, Brazil captures a jaguar nicknamed Mick on the hunt 
  • He pounces on an unsuspecting caiman before dragging his prey into wetlands 
  • Footage captured by Abigail Martin, who founded Jaguar Identification Project

Shocking footage has captured the moment a vicious jaguar sunk its teeth into an unsuspecting caiman after wrestling the reptile from a river bank in Brazil.

The clip, filmed in the Pantanal, shows a big cat nicknamed Mick Jaguar as he heaves the 80lbs caiman from a nearby river bank with apparent ease.

The jaguar, who has become famed for hunting reptiles, releases the crocodile in a patch of grass for a moment of rest, which his prey takes as an opportunity to escape.

But his bid for freedom is short-lived, and Mick pounces on the fleeing caiman yet again, sinking his teeth into the animal's neck before dragging it away into the marshland. 

The newly shared footage was captured by Abigail Martin, 30, from New York, who founded the non-profit Jaguar Identification Project. Shocking footage has captured the moment a vicious jaguar sunk its teeth into an unsuspecting caiman after wrestling the reptile from a river bank in Brazil

Shocking footage has captured the moment a vicious jaguar sunk its teeth into an unsuspecting caiman after wrestling the reptile from a river bank in Brazil

The organisation aims to construct a database of individual jaguars in order to better understand their behaviours. 

She captured the intense battle in April near Pantanal in Brazil, which is home to the highest density of jaguars in the world.

'The jaguar in the video is known as Mick Jaguar,' Ms Martin said. 'He is a super famous jaguar known for killing massive caiman in front of as many tourists as possible.

'He's actually not the best hunter but if you stay with him he will eventually get something.

'Failing attempt after attempt, he finally got the angle he needed and used a patch of floating water hyacinth to hide behind when he made the initial targeted attack.

'After pulling this caiman out of the water he relaxed his jaws, possibly trying to get a better grip, thinking he had already killed the caiman.

The clip, filmed in the Pantanal, Brazil, shows a big cat nicknamed Mick Jaguar as he heaves the 80lbs caiman from a nearby river bank with apparent ease

The clip, filmed in the Pantanal, Brazil, shows a big cat nicknamed Mick Jaguar as he heaves the 80lbs caiman from a nearby river bank with apparent ease

The jaguar, who has become famed for hunting reptiles, releases the crocodile in a patch of grass for a moment of rest, which his prey takes as an opportunity to escape

The jaguar, who has become famed for hunting reptiles, releases the crocodile in a patch of grass for a moment of rest, which his prey takes as an opportunity to escape

But his bid for freedom is short-lived, and Mick pounces on the fleeing crocodile yet again, sinking his teeth into the animal's neck before dragging it away into the marshland

But his bid for freedom is short-lived, and Mick pounces on the fleeing crocodile yet again, sinking his teeth into the animal's neck before dragging it away into the marshland

'The caiman made its last attempt in trying to escape but Mick did let him slip away and this time made a lethal bite and dragged him into the bushes.

'Every time you see one of these majestic creatures in the wild, it's almost like everything in life that doesn't matter just disappears and all your senses come alive.

'I love to just watch them without distraction so I can take in the unique and wonderful experience.'

Struggles between jaguars and caiman across the Três Irmãos Dam riverbank have been filmed since at least 2017, when photographer Chris Brunskill caught a match-up on tape. 

However, recent fires in the Pantanal jaguar corridor have meant that 600 of the estimated 2,000 jaguars living in the region have been injured or killed.

Abigail Martin captured the intense battle in April near Pantanal in Brazil, which is home to the highest density of jaguars in the world

Abigail Martin captured the intense battle in April near Pantanal in Brazil, which is home to the highest density of jaguars in the world

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