Jaguars Eating Sea Turtles

A few months ago, we brought you the story of jaguars eating a dolphin in Jeannette Kawas National Park, Honduras. Now, Panthera and our Mesoamerica Regional Director, Dr. Roberto Salom-Pérez, are bringing you another story of Central America’s jaguars feasting on a strange sea creature — a sea turtle. 

Amazingly, the first time I saw jaguars preying on sea turtles was also the first time I had ever seen jaguars in the wild. Even after working for Panthera for a long time, I still had yet to see a jaguar in person — which should tell you just how elusive they are in Central America. 

I had been invited by the producers of a BBC documentary being filmed in Tortuguero National Park, a significant nature reserve located on Costa Rica’s northern coast. In Tortuguero, more than 30,000 green sea turtles come to nest and lay eggs. Well, big cats caught on to this phenomenon. Jaguars learned how to hunt the turtles, who make fairly easy prey once they are out of the safety of the water.

I was very excited to see this for myself. The producers of the documentary had built a structure overlooking the beach that would allow me to see the big cats in action. Finally, for the first time in my life, I would get to see jaguars in the wild. 

Out of the forest they came — that night, we saw at least three jaguars. Prowling onto the beach, they began their sea turtle feast. 

However, I saw two very strange sights that night. I saw one jaguar pass among several sea turtles, completely disinterested in them. Maybe its belly was full, I thought.

The next sight was even more surprising. I saw a sea turtle inch out of the water and just then, like a flash, a jaguar pounced on it. I was sure the jaguar had just killed the turtle. But then, the jaguar lost interest in the turtle, sauntering over to another jaguar to play. Still, I was sure that the turtle was dead. But after five to ten minutes, it began to move, returning to the water. To my surprise, it appeared that the jaguar had merely been playing with the turtle. 

My first wild jaguar sighting was truly memorable, even more so because of their playful behavior and interesting choice of prey. Sightings like this are critical to jaguar conservation as they enrich our understanding of the species. Panthera is working hard in Costa Rica and across the Americas to preserve this iconic species. Together, we can ensure jaguars can continue playing and hunting on the sandy beaches of Tortuguero National Park for years to come.

Protect wild cats like jaguars and donate to Panthera today.