ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS AND PREDATION DYNAMICS BETWEEN JAGUARS AND ARAGUAIA RIVER DOLPHINS

Leandro Silveira, Anah Teresa de Almeida Jácomo, Tiago Jacomo, Giselle Bastos Alves, Douglas Santos, Cristiane Gonçalves De Moraes, Everton Miranda

The Araguaia River dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis), classified as Vulnerable, faces threats from conflict with fisheries, habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, and declining fish stocks. Although jaguars (Panthera onca) are known to hunt aquatic prey, predation on freshwater dolphins has been rarely documented. This study reports two confirmed cases of jaguars preying on I. araguaiaensis in the Araguaia River, Brazil. Both events involved characteristic skull punctures from jaguar canines, evidencing direct predation rather than scavenging. These findings reveal a rarely recorded interaction, and it may be that this predation is more common than previously assumed. The occurrence of jaguar predation on these dolphins may reflect important shifts in local ecological balance. Therefore, understanding jaguar-dolphin predation interactions not only elucidates aspects of jaguar trophic ecology but also provides valuable insights into the environmental conditions and stability of Amazonian aquatic habitats.