THE JAGUAR OR El Tigre, or Onca-Pintada, of the swamps and rain forests of South and Central America is the leopard’s big cousin. A jaguar is considerably larger than a leopard and has a beautifully camouflaged coat displaying large rosettes. It is also stockier with shorter, stronger legs, a massive head and more powerful jaws. The jaguar has been recorded to weigh up to just over 350 pounds, while a colossal leopard can weigh up to 220 pounds. Dangerous when injured or with no room for retreat, the jaguar is less dependent on night hunting than his African cousin, so, in undisturbed environs, is more readily seen.

I have had a fascination for jaguars ever since I met the famous Brazilian jaguar hunter and guide, Tony de Almeida, in Texas at the GameCoin Convention in 1969. Tony lived in São Paulo, but escorted expeditions in the Pantenal swamps – the world’s