Locking with mine they seemed to speak a universal language, that of pure instinct and unbridled wildness. It never occurred to me to be frightened, as I stood fascinated at this powerful, beautiful predator.

As a youngster, I dreamed of encountering one of these majestic cats and was now less than 10 feet away from one, with nothing but air between us.

This was not a remote corner of the Amazon basin but a wildlife refuge in Southeast Texas where I used to volunteer and the cat’s name was Tasha. Nonetheless, the encounter was soul stirring.

To speak of an animal’s intelligence is to risk personifying them, but the fact is it was easy to tell something more than contemplating her next meal was going on behind Tasha’s eyes. In an instant, she could have turned me into that meal but there was an understanding between us. She knew I meant her no harm (thank goodness).

Jaguars are arguably the most intelligent of the world’s cats and they are certainly the most misunderstood. While the habits of lions and tigers are part of the public consciousness, the habits of jaguars remain enshrouded in mystery

The jaguar like its similar but much smaller cousin, the leopard, are known for escorting men out of their territory. Staying at a safe distance but letting people see it enough to get a point across, the jaguar will follow people until they leave their territory.

Lions by contrast hunt in groups and have a much more aggressive style of hunting. Tigers use brute force and are not as choosy of their quarry as the jaguar, which seems to calculate every move.

The first settlers of Texas thought the jaguar to be very dangerous and said they would come in to small military outposts at night but would first observe the group from a distance by the light of their campfire. They alleged the cat would take out the leader first as he slept and then take out the rest of the group. The truth of this is highly debatable, but it goes to show people have noted the intelligence of these cats long before the modern era of zoology.

As detailed in John James Audubon’s book Quadrupeds of North America, the jaguar actually goes fishing. No, not just hunting down fish in shallow streams, but also actually luring them in on purpose.

“The jaguar is reported to stand in the water out of the stream and drop its saliva, which, floating on the surface, draws the fish after it within reach, when it seizes them with the paw, and throws them ashore for food,” Audubon said.

The Arizona Fish and Game Department’s official profile of the species notes that they are a patient hunter of fish. Researchers have gathered reports of jaguars waiting by the edge of the water and hitting the surface with their tail to lure fish into range of their paws.

                                                                            
                                               The author with his jaguar buddy, the late Tasha, circa 1996.