More jaguars mating in the Pantanal - Photo story

Mating jaguars in the Pantanal - Photo credit Kelvin Brown

December 2011. For the second time in two months we have received a series of photos of jaguars mating. The latest series of photos were taken by Kelvin Brown, again in the Pantanal. The Pantanal is probably the best place in the world to see jaguars, but to see two together is very unusual, and to see them mating is (we thought) highly unusual.

Kelvin writes "On our holiday to the Brazilian Pantanal, nature treated us to a rare spectacle. During a boat safari down the fast flowing Cuiaba River, our guide Eduardo, owner of the Jaguar Ecological Reserve where we stayed, spotted a beautiful female Jaguar on the riverbank. She was quite active and there seemed to be a lot of growling going on. Then another Jaguar came into view, a male. Eduardo told us these were probably a breeding pair and to our surprise, the female laid down on the bank facing us in full view and the male immediately responded. Our pictures tell the rest of the story.

We felt very privileged to have witnessed such a rarity. Nature truly is a wonderful thing, every now and then allowing us to glimpse something really special."

In November we carried a series of photos of mating jaguars taken by Phil Perry who was on a wildlife watching trip to Brazil's Pantanal Region when he had the very unusual experience of watching two jaguars mating.

Jaguars
The jaguar is considered near threatened by the IUCN and numbers are declining, mostly due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Despite protection, jaguars are often killed by humans, particularly in conflicts with ranchers and farmers.

Jaguars traditionally ranged from the southern USA to southern Argentina, but their range has been much reduced, and there are few left in Mexico, and at the most 1-2 in USA. See the recent report about a jaguar sighting in Arizona.

Steppes Discovery run tours to see jaguars in Brazil and other places. 

See more World wildlife photos  

All the following photos were taken by Kelvin brown