Some people visit Brazil for the wild nightlife of Rio, but others go there because of the diverse wildlife found in the nation's vast expanses of jungle. It's one of the many things visitors there talk about with friends back home when using calling cards to Brazil, because there's so much excitement going on in the animal kingdom. Recently, nature photographer Paul Donahue captured a dramatic battle between two predators in central Brazil: a jaguar and a yacarè caiman, a large reptile similar to the crocodile.
Wildlife photographers have to be ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, as wild animals aren't likely to wait around for a photo shoot. On August 25, Donahue received word that a large male jaguar had been seen near the Tres Irmãos River, which is located in the heart of Brazil. He knew that he had to act quickly to get footage of the big cat, which was famous around the region, according to National Geographic.
Dubbed Mick Jaguar, the feline in question was first spotted back in 2011, and is easily recognizable due to an injury he suffered to his right eye. Donahue is a regular photographer of jaguars, but since 2004 he and his team have only spotted 88 jaguars in the region.
Donahue and his team had to wait around for 40 minutes before they spotted the beast, but none of them expected what they saw next. When Mick Jaguar finally made his appearance, he began to stalk an enormous caiman.
While the photographers watched from nearby, the large cat sprang into action, engaging in a fierce battle with the caiman, eventually dragging it into the waters nearby.
"We had seen kills before, but nothing so spectacular and horrific, nor at such a close range," Donahue told National Geographic. "It's made me think a lot about the fragility of life and the fine line between life and death."
The shots taken by Donahue are captivating. He managed to get a number of images of the cat leaping onto the prey, biting its neck, and dragging it off. He even captured it as it made its stealthy approach swimming from a nearby sandbar to where the unsuspecting reptile was waiting.