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Jaguar Pursuing Caiman
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Jaguar Pursuing Caiman

by Nate Chappell

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 9, 2016137 views5 comments
This was an exciting moment from our recent Pantanal, Brazil trip.  This male Jaguar rushed a Jacare Caiman which was lounging in the water in front of him.  The caiman made a quick get away and created a large splash.  Caimans are the number one prey item in the Jaguar's diet in the Pantanal.
Canon 5D3 500F4, iso 800, handheld from safari boat

Comments

5 comments
Comment posted by Jim Gavin on September 9, 2016 at 10:52 PM
Excellent action shot.  It also shows not only the jaguar's intensity, but also a hint of disappointment at losing the prey. An exceptionally fine image. Thanks for posting.
Registered on August 14, 2008, 293 Posts, 1250 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Watkins on September 10, 2016 at 5:23 AM
Nate,
Looks like the Caiman made an extra fast getaway, great action imagedevil
Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments
Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on September 10, 2016 at 12:59 PM
A cool frame, would love to see this interaction some day!
I would crop some off the RHS?
Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Hill on September 11, 2016 at 9:45 AM
Hi Nate,

Love the focused look on the Jaguar. Splash adds good interest to the shot and helps "tell the story". If this were mine (and if there are sufficient pixels, i.e., not already a substantive crop) I'd probably remove some of the OOF foreground...not sure it adds a lot to the shot. I see the logic in Morkel's suggestion to remove some from the right (again, assuming you have the pixels to do so).

Cheers...

Brad
Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on September 11, 2016 at 10:22 PM
Thanks for your comments.  With the Jaguar coming straight at the camera, I think the centered crop works really well here.  I could see taking a touch off the bottom but since that is the direction he's heading I wouldn't take much off.
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments