A scientific research paper awaiting peer review explains how a jaguar that once lived on mainland Brazil must have swum at least 1.27 km (0.8 miles) to a forested island in the Serra da Mesa Reservoir. Thanks to trail cameras, scientists have proof that this particular male jaguar was on the mainland in May 2020. In August 2024, trail cams spotted the same jaguar on an island, which is separated from the mainland by over a mile of water.

Scientists assume the jaguar swam there, and the two most likely possibilities are 1) a direct 2.48-km (1.5-mile) crossing, or 2) an alternative path involving a “stepping-stone islet,” which would require a 1.06-km (0.7-mile) swim followed by a 1.27-km (0.8-mile) swim. Even if the jaguar took the stepping-stone path, a 1.27-km swim beats the previously recorded longest swim by a jaguar by six times.

[RELATED: Trail Cams Capture New Photos of Rare Jaguar in Arizona]

The study’s authors say the longest previously verified jaguar swim is about 200 meters or 0.1 miles. But why did this jaguar swim so far?

Talking to Live Science, lead author Leandro Silveira called the record “so surprising,” because there’s no obvious reason for the animal to have ventured out so far.

“Prey in this region appears to be fairly evenly distributed,” Silveira said. “Nothing suggests the island has more prey, nor do the shorelines. We think he decided to explore a new area—more likely related to searching for females or territory than a lack of food.”

See camera-trap evidence of the jaguar on the mainland and on the island here:

Read the full study (not yet peer reviewed) here.

Header stock image by Bas Vermolen/Getty Images

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