Too late to escape: Ferocious jaguar snatches a vulture out of mid-air as it desperately tries to take flight in Brazil
- Wild cat grabbed the huge vulture and ripped it from the air in breath-taking fight for survival
- The bird was sitting in shade when the predator pounced at The Pantanal Encontro das Aguas park in Brazil
- As the scavenger tried to get away the jaguar hunted it down and wrestled it back to the ground
- The incredible tug-of-war was captured in rare photographs of the predator pouncing on its prey
A jaguar has been caught on camera snatching a vulture out of the air in a breath-taking fight for survival.
After spotting the scavenger bird resting in the shade, the female wildcat pounced on her prey in an incredible tug-of-war. The jaguar jumped to catch the fleeing black vulture, ripping it out of mid-air and wrestling it back to the ground as its huge wings flapped at full stretch.
Vultures are usually known as the opportunistic scavengers of the animal kingdom and do not expect to be attacked by Jaguars.
The unfortunate bird was caught completely unaware as it sat by a stretch of water at The Pantanal, Encontro das Aguas State Park in Mato Grosso, Brazil.
You’re not getting away that easily: Catching sight of the hungry Jaguar, the bird quickly took flight but only managed to get a couple of feet into the air before the prowling predator clawed at the vulture and sunk its teeth into her prey
I’ve got you! The epic battle for survival was captured at The Pantanal, Encontro das Aguas State Park in Mato Grosso, Brazil, by tourist Khanh V Le, 54, from Austin, Texas
The take down: As the desperate vulture attempted to free itself from the clutches of the jaguar it was slammed back into the water
Ready to lunch: Spotting the vulture in the shade, the wild cat pounced on her unsuspecting victim. The photographer said: ‘We had been following jaguar for about an hour along the riverbank. We knew she was hunting because she was dodging in and out of the vegetation and looking down at the river.’
Come back here! Rare photographs of the fight for survival show the jaguar’s huge paws grab on to its helpless prey. Khanh V Le said: ‘It was fun and exhilarating to be able capture my first kill, albeit a bird instead of the usual caiman. Though I have been told that jaguars rarely go for birds since it’s too much effort for too little in return, so it is a rare event to have witnessed something like this and captured it.’
You’re mine: The snarling animal grabbed the vulture in its mouth and wrestled it back to the ground. ‘The pictures show the dynamic of a tug-of-war with jaguar pulling downward while the black vulture desperately pulls upwards and away,’ the photographer said
Inches from death: The scavenger bird was caught completely unaware as it rested in the shade by a stretch of water
Not flying quite high enough: Jaguars are thought not to hunt birds as it is a lot of effort for very little meat
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A grisly end: The scavenger bird was then slammed into the water as the tug-of-war comes to a close
Squawking for help: Jaguars are the third largest big cat and the species which lives in Brazil can weigh on average 24.5st (136kg)
Pleased as punch: The triumphant jaguar walks off with its prey in its mouth. The photos were taken in The Pantanal, an immense tropical wetlands located mainly in western Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul state
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