NATGEOTRAVEL.COMSTEVE^ WINTER/NATIONAL^ GEOGRAPHIC^
IMAGE^
COLLECTI
ON(JAGUAR)
;^ MATTHEWT
W
OMBLY^ (ILLUSTRATION)A jaguar prowls
a riverbank in
the Pantanal
region of Brazil.JAGUARS
EXPLORER’S GUIDE
3
Panama
Darién National Park,
an expansive area
largely unaffected
by humans, is where
Moreno runs a camp
for his jaguar-collaring
project. Perhaps the
best way to spot the
cats: Look for paw
prints in the mud. “To
see a jaguar track is
beautiful,” Moreno
says. “It shows they
are still in this place.”National Geographic
Emerging Explorer
Ricardo Moreno studies
jaguars, the biggest
cats in the Americas.
His research as a
biologist shows that
these members of the
panther family are
dying faster than they
can reproduce, largely
due to hunting and
habitat loss. “To see
one is like seeing a
ghost,” he says, adding
that a jaguar is “like
a shadow moving
between the trees in
the forest—a magical
master of illusion.” Here
Moreno shares his tips
for spotting these
canny cats in the wild.
—Kitson JazynkaMarvels of
the Jungle
Meet more National
Geographic–funded
explorers at national
geographic.org/
explorers.2
Costa Rica
On one of his first trips
to Costa Rica, Moreno
saw a jaguar jump
into a lagoon and
catch a big turtle, then
swim 650 feet before
dragging its prey up
a hill to eat. “Check
the beaches during
summer, when turtles
are plentiful,” he says.
Two Pacific beaches
jaguars visit: Playa
Nancite, a nesting
site for olive ridley
sea turtles, and Playa
Naranjo (also called
Roca Bruja), in Santa
Rosa National Park.1
Brazil
In the vast national
park of Pantanal Mato-
grossense, “jaguars
don’t change behavior
when people are
around,” Moreno says.
The cats have become
accustomed to humans
aboard boats, much as
African lions have
habituated to safari
vehicles. This 335,000-
acre park is the world’s
largest inland wetland,
home to high concen-
trations of wildlife. For
the best chances to
see jaguars, visit during
the dry season, July
to October.