We found the source of an uncharted Amazon river - while being stalked by jaguars and ravaged by insects

A British explorer has discovered the source of an uncharted Amazon river - while being stalked by jaguars and ravaged by insects.

Ash Dykes, 33, originally from St Asaph in Wales, but now living in London, found the start of the Coppename River in Suriname with fellow adventurers Jacob Hudson, Dick Lock and Matt Wallace after heading into a largely unexplored jungle by helicopter on August 29.

The group then bagged a world record by becoming the fastest group to ascend the South American country's tallest mountain - Julianatop. They also named two undocumented waterfalls - 'Dykes Falls' and 'Wallace Falls' - after the team members who first spotted them.

During their mission, the group were bitten by 300 ticks and vicious army ants and also came across a terrifying goliath tarantula - the world’s largest spider - along with snakes and vicious alligators. Ash said the most chilling moment was when they awoke to find fresh jaguar poo just yards from where they had been sleeping in their tarpaulin-covered hammocks.

Ash took the coordinates of the finds in Suriname’s dense interior - which has barely been explored since Victorian missions failed due to disease and injury in the 1800s.

Speaking for the first time about their stunning achievement, Ash said: “It feels crazy to find the source… We were all screaming and getting excited. We are going to some places where the forest hasn’t ever seen a human footprint before. And it’s not surprising… It is brutal in the jungle.”