2,100 Kilometers: Jaguar Surprises Scientists with an Epic Amazon Journey

Researchers have reported an unprecedented jaguar “escapade”: a male that traced the southern edge of the Amazon rainforest for more than 2,000 kilometers, broadening our understanding of these iconic South American felids.

Feline Odyssey

For nearly three decades, Jon Morant, of University College Dublin, and his colleagues have studied the movements of Brazilian jaguars along the Araguaia River, a true ecological corridor. On November 11, 2024, an eight-year-old male, nicknamed Gaspar, was captured and equipped with a GPS collar. A few months later, he left his homeland heading toward the expansive grassy plains of the Cerrado, further south.

Analysis of the GPS data revealed a straight-line distance of 2,122 kilometers by the end of November 2025, when the collar ceased transmitting. “Until then, the record hadn’t exceeded a hundred kilometers for our jaguars,” write the authors of the new study, published in the journal Ecology.

If the animal mainly moved through forested areas, it was nonetheless forced to cross roads and agricultural zones. According to the team, this kind of movement is typically observed in much younger individuals, aged 1 to 3 years. “He was probably looking for new food resources or potential mates,” supposes Morant.

The researchers say they are also particularly intrigued by the fact that Gaspar did not settle in one of the many jaguar-friendly zones he passed through during his epic journey that lasted more than a year.

Des défis à surmonter

The fact that jaguars are forced to cover such distances also highlights the challenges they currently face, notably deforestation and the ongoing expansion of human activities in the Amazon, which are impacting their historical habitats.

“Individuals moving so far, through areas exploited by humans, are also more likely to be hunted, particularly due to attacks on livestock,” notes Morant. “This kind of situation calls into question how protected areas are defined and organized today.”

Regarding Gaspar’s fate, the researcher believes he could have been shot, poisoned, or that his GPS collar simply ran out of battery, implying that he continues to roam the Brazilian landscape.

In Africa, a three-legged lion had previously made headlines by completing the record crossing of a crocodile-infested river.