A hungry wild jaguar bit off more than it could chew when it fastened its jaws on a Brazilian cowboy and bit straight into his exploding mobile phone.

The cowhand had been checking what was spooking the dogs at a ranch in the Paiaguas region when the big cat pounced.

As he fought for his life, the 40-year-old farm worker could not escape the terrifying mauling, even when one of his pals tried to fight off the jaguar with a knife.

It only ended when the cat bit into his mobile phone so hard it exploded and the jaguar took fright and fled on 29th August.

The victim was still conscious but had injuries all over his body when firefighter medics reached him by plane.

A police video shows the 40-year-old cattlehand with one arm and one leg heavily bandaged being wheeled from a plane to an ambulance.

Gruesome images show deep wounds from claws and bites that were so powerful they broke one of his arms when the jaguar sank its teeth into him.

The victim even received a second-degree burn to his thigh when his phone exploded, local media report.

He was flown to a hospital in Corumba, where he went underwent surgery and was recovering at the time of the last update later that day.

It is not clear if he has since been discharged.