The Story of Cats | Into the Americas

In this conclusion, we discover how cats first crossed from Asia into North America and how they went on to become the top predators of the continent. Today there are 13 feline species in the Americas – from the mighty jaguar, to the urban mountain lion, to the curious ocelot and from the Canada lynx to the nimble margay.

The American pronghorn is the second fastest land mammal on the planet - reaching speeds of fifty miles an hour. But it’s pace long baffled scientists. It’s speculated that an arms race between the american cheetah and the pronghorn may be the reason for the antelope’s remarkable speed.

With their aquatic skills – and powerful bite – jaguars are able to prey on the crocodile-like caiman. An extraordinary act of such predation was filmed by a tourist in Brazil’s Pantanal.