Jaguar Panthera Onca
The jaguar is the most accomplished climber of all the big cats and is almost equally at home prowling the forest, floor or swimming in rivers and pools. However, its adaptability is no protection against the erosion of its forest habitat or other human activities that threaten its existence. The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas and the only member of the big cat genus Panthera to be found in this region. It bears a resemblance to the leopard and is often thought of as the South American equivalent. Its coat pattern consists of black markings on a golden-tan background. Entirely black jaguars, known as black panthers, are relatively common, the all-black or melanistic condition being caused by a single gene that overrides those for normal patterning. A cub needs to inherit only a single copy of the melanistic gene from either of its parents to be born with a jet black coat. Albino jaguars have also been recorded, but they are extremely rare. The jaguar is more heavily built than its African cousin, the leopard.
Its head and jaws are substantially larger and more powerful, an arrangement that hints at its preferred method of finishing off its prey with a crushing bite to the skull. The jaguar is the most accomplished climber among the big cats and will often ambush prey from trees. Prey includes almost anything it can catch; over 85 different species have been recorded in its diet. Nevertheless, the jaguar prefers larger mammals such as peccaries (a kind of wild pig), tapirs, and deer, though in dense rainforest where these are hard to come by, it often turns instead to fish and reptiles. It is an excellent swimmer, and with its powerful jaw and stout canine teeth it can crack open the tough shells of turtles. Indeed, it has been suggested that this ability to attack reptilian prey is one reason the jaguar survived in the New World during the Pleistocene period, when a her, biting her tail, and pulling her ears! The cubs remain with the mother until she is ready to breed again, which can be as long as two years.
Threats to Survival
Jaguars were once widely hunted for their skins, which made valuable fur coats, but the trade was banned in the 1970s. Nowadays the main threat comes from cattle ranchers, who shoot jaguars that kill their livestock and may also hunt them for sport. Even more of a threat is the destruction of forests to make way for other animals. Continuous grazing by cattle and sheep prevents new trees from growing, and the vast prairies that are formed are unsuitable for the forest dwelling jaguar.
A jaguar cub: Vie animal’s relatively short limbs are an adaptation for climbing; Jaguars are the most arboreal of the big cats.
Jaguar – Panthera onca
- Family: Felidae
- Form: Robust-looking big cat. Golden coat with black rings, rosettes, and dots; pale underside
- World population: Unknown, but probably in low thousands
- Distribution: From Mexico to Patagonia, including Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Surinam, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Venezuela, French Guiana, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina. Formerly southwestern U.S.
- Habitat: Tropical forests, swamps, rivers, pools, and open country
- Size: Length head/body: 44-72 in (112-185 cm); tail: 18-30 in (46-76 cm); females smaller than males. Weight: 100-250 lb (45-123 kg)
- Diet: Wild pigs, capybaras, tapirs, domestic cattle, horses, fish, frogs, turtles, tortoises, and young alligators
- Breeding: Cubs born in litters of 1-4 at any time of year. Life span up to 12 years in the wild; up to 22 years recorded in captivity
- Related endangered species: Other big cats, including the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) and tiger (P tigris)
