Jaguars

I went to Brazil to photograph Jaguars, the third largest cat in the world and the largest in the Americas. Only lions and tigers are larger.
This was a difficult experience because out of the 8 days on the tour we went searching for Jaguars for only four. With a morning and an afternoon "game drive" (river cruise) there were only eight opportunities. Throw in the heavy foliage that lines the river system, the elusiveness of the cats, the other boats competing for sightings and the overall challenge of photography from a small boat on water with a big lens and it is more challenging. I concluded that more luck is involved than many other subjects and that mine was somewhat off this week.
I did "see" seven cats and got a few photos of five of them. There was only one photo op in which the cat presented itself for more than a couple of minutes and we had good sight lines. But, in any case, here are my favorites from the Jaguar experience.