‘Earth at Night in Color’ Recap: ‘Jaguar Jungle’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Earth at Night in Color’.
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When we think of the jaguars that roam the jungle, certain images come to mind. The kind that relates to strength. Because everything we’ve been taught about these majestic animals and seen of them in popular media, has led us to believe that they are the true kings of the jungle, and that they will stop at nothing to conquer their prey and defend their land. And this particular visage of the jaguar exists, simply because we’ve only seen bits and pieces of their true behavior, largely due to the fact that they are nocturnal animals that we cannot observe all that well in the middle of the night.

But shows like Earth at Night in Color are changing the narrative on animals like the jaguar, since the brand-new technologies this series employs… is giving scientists and documentarians an unprecedented look at how these big cats live. For now, they can carefully watch these animals in action under the cover of night and well, what we are now learning about these incredible creatures is downright fascinating for certain and it made ‘Jaguar Jungle’ quite the incredible chapter in this documentary. Since it showed us a side of these animals that few of us ever knew existed. For it turns out… that these fantastic felines can be quite vulnerable when all is said and done.

A lesson that this episode provided us with, by introducing us to a jaguar named Juru, who was injured when we caught up with him in this tale. For a grand fight with another big cat left one of his paws in great pain and that made life quite difficult for Juru. Because he could no longer move with the patented stealth that these big cats are known for, and that meant he wasn’t eating all that much. Which in turn left him without the energy he needed to defend his territory and of course, it also meant that his health was in jeopardy, and well… it is definitely safe to say that watching Juru fight to survive made for some powerful moments for certain.

For it is really is engrained in our minds that these felines are more or less invincible, so to see a jaguar struggle here was stunning and humbling for certain, since it served to remind us that life on earth isn’t easy for any particular species. But what truly made this unprecedented view into the jaguar’s life so supremely worth our while, is that despite the odds and outright hunger that Juru faced in this particular tale, he made sure to be patient in regard to his injury and take it easy for a little while. And by doing that, he was able to properly heal up and resume his duties as king of the riverbed and that is just a magnificent way to end this tale, since it puts the sheer tenacity and legendary status of these felines on full display.

If anything, this truly was the most dynamic chapter of this documentary to date. Since it really did offer up an unprecedented look into the everyday life of the jaguar. To the point where we were able to learn that even their mating habits aren’t as fierce as once believed, since a tender courtship was observed in the middle of the night. Which just goes to show that these cameras and their incredible technology are only going to revolutionize wildlife research, since they’re already changing our perception of and understanding of the natural world and the revelations present here definitely leave one eager to see what other stunning discoveries await us in the next episode of this fascinating and dynamic documentary. Until next time.

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