Jaguar Filmed Eating Large Nesting Turtle Near Coast

Story ByAna LacasaSub EditorJoseph GolderAgencyCentral European News

Video Credit: CEN/@CONANP_mx

This is the moment a jaguar is filmed feasting on a large marine turtle by hidden cameras.

The hope is to provide conservationists with information on the animals and their habits in the Mexican reserve.

The hidden cameras were set up by the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) in the Miguel Guardado turtle reserve on Mexico’s western coast in the state of Nayarit.

Picture Credit: CEN/@CONANP_mx

Reserve expert Francisco Lopez Jimenez noticed that a female marine turtle had laid its eggs on the coastline and then failed to return after venturing beyond the beach.

He the noticed that coyote and jaguar prints were next to the turtle’s nest and he followed them to a field around 50 metres from the beach where they found a dead turtle.

Lopez Jimenez reported the incident to Conanp who decided to set up hidden cameras to establish whether the turtles were being hunted and by which predators.

The following morning, the remains of the dead turtle had disappeared and experts checked the footage where they reportedly discovered that two jaguars had feasted on it.

The footage also showed the female jaguar, which was first registered in the reserve in 2015, dragging the turtle corpse and hiding it.

The footage will reportedly help conservationists better understand the animals and their habits in the reserve although it is currently unclear if they plan to introduce measures to protect the nesting turtles.

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