In the annual battle for dominance between water and land, the forest now gains the upper hand. Whether high in the canopy, or on the forest floor far beneath, the withdrawal of the waters alters the face of the wilderness. As the season redraws the map, animals stake their claims and patrol new boundaries. All across Amazonia, emerging environments are reclaimed. Streams are swallowed up by dry land.
Summer scorches the earth as the waterworlds and their inhabitants are banished.
The largest, most powerful member of the Americas cat family, the jaguar is renowned as a stealthy, matchless hunter. Leanly built, jaguars average between three and six feet in length, and between 70 and 350 pounds. With its crushing jaws, which can penetrate a turtle shell, the jaguar tops the Amazonian food chain, feeding on large mammals like deer and tapir, and if necessary, on reptiles. They favor areas of forest near streams and rivers, and prefer to hunt at night, though they are sometimes known to venture out during the day as well. The jaguar's roar can carry several hundred yards, sounding in the dark forest night.