There are remarkably few records of jaguars attacking people. They are much less likely to attack people than any other Panthera species. As far as I know, there are no documented cases of jaguars turning “man-eater”, that is, taking people intentionally as prey in the way that lions, tigers, and leopards do. Even in zoos, jaguar attacks are uncommon, although the cats are so powerful that when attacks do occur they are usually very serious. They are also the only big cat species that routinely take reptiles as prey. Their jaws are strong enough to break the shells of large turtles and penetrate the skin of caimans.

The purpose of the study wasn’t only the jaguar population in that reserve, but also the puma population.

The trap cameras used were Wildlife Pro II Camera System, each one with an automatic Yashica 35mm camera.

A very interesting aspect of this, and one that should concern us Crypto-enthusiasts, is that one of the tools used by the researchers were questionnaires applied to confirm the sightings by the locals—i.e. it is OK to trust the testimony of farmers and local ranchers when trying to find an elusive animal.

Another interesting thing is that, according to the answers submitted by the locals, there was no record of jaguars attacking either cattle or humans. However there were 18 reports of pumas attacking cattle, and even one puma attack to a human. So it would seem the pumas are more willing to come closer to human settlements, while the jaguars prefer to keep themselves at a distance for the time being.

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