Jaguar

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The jaguar (Panthera onca) are mammals of the Felidae family and one of four "big cats" in the panthera genus. It is closely related to the lion, tiger, and leopard of the Old World, and is the largest and most powerful feline in the Western Hemisphere. It is the third largest feline after the lion and tiger^*.

Physical characteristics

To some, jaguars look very much like leopards, but they are sturdier and heavier. The easiest way to distinguish a jaguar from a leopard, beside the jaguar’s much more powerful build, is by the rosettes. The rosettes on a jaguar’s coat are larger, fewer in number, and usually darker with thicker lines that enclose smaller spots. The head of the jaguar is more round and it has shorter, stockier limbs. Because of this the jaguar is sometimes referred to as the “bulldog” of the cat world. The Jaguar, in a recent National Geographic special titled “In Search of the Jaguar,” was named pound for pound the most powerful cat in the world. [http://www.aptv.org/Schedule/showinfo.asp?ID=76679&Nola1=NAGS

Jaguars vary from 5.3 to 6 feet (1.62 to 1.83 m) in length, excluding 30 in (0.76 m) tail, stand around 67 to 76 cm (27 to 30 inches) tall at the shoulder, and weigh between 56 and 96 kg (124 and 211 lb) with larger individuals, recorded by scientists, weighing between 131 and 151 kg (288 to 333 lb). Females are typically twenty percent smaller than males. Jaguars in southern Mexico and Central America are typically smaller, 56 kg and 40 kg (123 lb and 90 lb) for males and females respectively. [http://www.cptigers.org/animals/species.asp?speciesID=3 .

Jaguars are powerful animals for their size."They are powerful enough to drag an 800-pound kg bull 25 feet m in its jaws and pulverize the heaviest bones." ^* Throughout the evolution history of mammals, the size and power of predators are proportional to those of their preys. A predator needs to be strong and fast enough to catch its prey. Jaguars hunt wild animals in the range of 300 kg and below in dense jungle, and therefore, their short and sturdy physique is an adaptation to hunt those preys in that environment.

Habitat

The jaguar's habitat ranges from the rain forests of South and Central America to marshy and even desert terrain in Mexico, but they are rarely seen in mountainous regions. The jaguar's wide range means that it should not be in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future. The species has declined numbers in some areas due to habitat loss, especially in rain forests and grassland turned into cropland and hunting for their pelts.

Known for their strong swimming abilities, the jaguar is one of the few cats besides tigers that enjoy water. They often prefer to live by rivers, swamps, and in dense forest with thick cover for stalking prey. Jaguars, on rare occasions, are seen as far north as the southwestern United States, particularly in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In the early 1900s, the jaguars' range actually extended as far north as Southern California and western Texas. As recently as 2004, wildlife officials in Arizona have photographed and documented jaguars in the southern parts of the state. Presently it is unclear whether recent sightings indicate whether there is a permanent population developing in the Southwest or that these cats are simply transients straying over the border from Sonora, Mexico. However, jaguars are a protected species in the United States under the Endangered Species Act and are considered nongame, therefore making it illegal to shoot a jaguar for its pelt. Fossils of jaguars from as far north as Missouri confirm these cats inhabited much of the Southern U.S. during prehistoric times. These prehistoric jaguars were significantly larger than the jaguars of today.

Taxonomy

Species

Today recognised species:

Panthera onca

There are also prehistoric (sub)species:

Panthera toscana (Tuscany jaguar)
Panthera gombaszoegensis (European jaguar)

Ecological role

The ecological role of the jaguar most closely resembles the tiger. They are considered an umbrella species. An umbrella species is defined as a species that generally cover large areas in their daily or seasonal movements. They serve as "mobile links" at the landscape scale, through predation, seed dispersal or pollination. Protecting enough habitat and connectivity to assure viable population of these organisms benefits many other species more restricted in their range. The jaguar is an apex predator. They can run at amazingly high speeds, using its speed to catch its prey.

Prey

Jaguars are hunters that do not work with one another outside the breeding season. They hunt around 85 different species including: deer, tapirs, peccaries, and even caiman, up to a certain size. They are opportunists and will take anything from frogs, mice, birds, fish, to domestic livestock. A jaguar's bite can pierce the shell of a turtle (Emmons, 1987). Jaguars are considered a stalk and ambush predator and are not meant to run over long distances but prefer to surprise unsuspecting prey.

The jaguar uses a different killing method from most cats to kill its prey. Instead of biting the neck, to suffocate or sever the spinal cord, the jaguar delivers a fatal bite directly to the skull, piercing the brain. It is because of this killing technique that jaguars often break teeth as they progress in age. Jaguars eat up to 10-70 pounds (5-32 kg) of food daily.

Predators

Jaguars have very few predators. Their main predators are humans, but attacks by anacondas and large crocodilians have been documented.

Reproduction

Young jaguar males reach sexual maturity at about three to four years of age, with females reaching maturity about a year earlier than males. Females give birth to as many as four cubs after a 90 to 110 day gestation, but raise no more than two of them to adulthood. The young are born blind and can see after two weeks. They remain with their mother for up to two years before leaving to establish a territory for themselves, which can be anywhere between 25 and 150 square kilometers in size (depending on the availability of suitable prey). Typical lifespan is 10 or 11 years in the wild; in captivity, jaguars have lived up to 20 years.

The jaguar in Central and South American culture

See also: Jaguars in Mesoamerican culture

The word jaguar comes from the South American Tupi-Guarani language. According to one early European explorer, jaguara meant "a beast that kills its prey with one bound." However, this is incorrect. Jaguara refers to any carnivorous animalThe original and complete indigenous name for the species is Yaguareté, where -eté means "true"[http://www.takeourword.com/TOW198/page2.html#jaguar. Curiously, Yagua means "fierce" in Guarani. Jaguar is also a royal title bestowed to a royal prince, princess or ruling monarch in some Maya traditions such as that of the Lencas.

In Central and South America the jaguar has long been a symbol of power and strength. To the Pre_Columbian Maya civilization, the jaguar was believed to communicate between the living and the dead, as well as protect the royal household. The Maya saw these powerful felines as their companions in the spiritual world. The Aztec civilization also had the same image of the jaguar as the representative of the ruler and as a warrior. The Aztecs formed an elite warrior class known as the jaguar knights. In Aztec mythology, the jaguar was also considered to be the totem animal of the powerful deity Tezcatlipoca.

Melanism

The background of the coat is usually an orange-yellow in colour, with numerous rings or rosettes on the flanks and spots on the head and neck. A condition known as melanism occasionally occurs and can create jaguars that appear entirely black (although the spots are still visible if one looks closely). These are known as black panthers, but do not form a separate species.

Hybridization

Jaguars are occasionally mated with other big cats such as the lion, tiger and leopard. These hybridizations are usually carried out in controlled environments. For more information hybrid cats see Panthera hybrid.

Trivia

The crushing force of a jaguar's jaws is 600 psi (41 bar), according to Discovery channel. However, little is known about the method of measurement. The result of this measurement was used to construct simulated species for the Animal Planet series Animal Face-Off.

Jaguars in Culture

The name Jaguar is given to the brand of a luxury car.

The jaguar is the mascot of the NFL's Jacksonville franchise.

Atari's last video game console was the Atari Jaguar

Mac OS X 10.2 had the codename "Jaguar."

The jaguar is the name of a Mexican soccer national league team: Club Jaguares de Chiapas

The jaguar serves as the mascot for the following colleges & universities: Southern University-Baton Rouge, Spelman College, University of Southern Alabama.

References

Database entry includes justification for why this species is near threatened

External links

ARKive - images and movies of the jaguar (Panthera onca)
Amazon jaguar photo and information
Jaguar portrait - Notecard

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