FIVE JAGUARS TOGETHER (A Family dispute)

The Pantanal: A Center for Developing Insights on Jaguar Behavior and Social Interactions
Have you ever imagined seeing 5 jaguars hanging out together? Jaguar are described as solitary cats, until you come to the Brazilian Pantanal, you start to have some big doubts. Could these felines be more social than previously thought? This last month, September 13th 2022, wildlife observers, including researchers and photographers that visit Porto Jofre for over 10 years, were speechless after observing the first record of such social interaction between 5 different individuals. A female jaguar, monitored since 2012, was observed hunting with her two sub-adult offspring when they approached her daughter’s two offspring who were resting on the bank. The observers promptly expected an aggressive encounter, there were lots of mock charging and vocalizing, but soon, the matriarch laid down with her belly up, showing a submissive behavior, she didn't want conflict. They continued to vocalize, watching each other’s movements, until all 4 sub-adults and the adult were laying down, some with eyes closed some grooming, all showing a highly tolerant behavior.
Pantanal has become the best place in the world to observe jaguars in the wild. Porto Jofre, Northern Pantanal, has become a destination where thousands of wildlife tourists and photographers flock yearly. This unique place, a seasonal wetland, hosts one of the highest jaguar densities throughout the species distribution. Along the river systems in the Encontro das Águas State Park, many jaguars have been recorded with overlapping territories over the years. As each year goes on, it becomes more common to spend time observing jaguars hunting, resting, mating and with young cubs. Such scenes are outside the norm for such a large elusive predator such as the jaguar. Ecotourism monitoring and citizen science practices led by our long-term Partner, the Jaguar Identification Project, has allowed us to identify over 300 different individuals, their relationships, individual “personalities”, and unrevealed different behaviors that have never been seen in the wild.
After spending a few hours with this large cat along the river, we begging to feel part of their routines. Local boat drivers and guides call the individuals by name and may foresee some of their steps. Over the years, we have observed more individuals becoming used to the curious eyes of visitors. The relaxed nature of a few highly habituated females has provided us with over a decade of information on jaguar lineage and family dynamics. In the region, three or more jaguars have already been observed sharing a carcass and unrelated males were described forming coalition. However, this was the first time that two generations of jaguars were seen resting together. The social interactions observed in Pantanal are also described for jaguars in the Colombian Llanos, Santa Rosa Mountains of Costa Rica and pumas in the Chilean Patagonia. All these areas share in common high density of prey, intact healthy forest or environments, and low hunting pressure.
Beyond the scenic views, Pantanal is an important center for researchers to unravel the natural history and demography aspects of this elusive cat. It is an unforgettable experience for anyone to look into their eyes, which seem to captivate the viewers soul with awe and wonder. Spending hours with the largest cat in the Americas brings people from all over the world closer to wildlife. In front of jaguars, we recognize, despite their 10 fold size, many similarities with the cats we protect so dearly at home. So, why not do the same for the wild ones? Connection such as this incorporates nature into people’s life at a different level and just then is when the importance of preserving the worlds natural habitats begins to take on a deeper understanding. On the other side, ecotourism creates many job opportunities for local community and is an important source of income. It is a win-win situation.
Here, in the Pantanal, we expect to increase our knowledge on jaguars and share globally such special scenes. Hopefully, increasing awareness on big cats conservation.
--WRITTEN BY: Raissa Sepulvida Alves