Section 1
1. Did you know...
- that jaguars lived
in California until the 1860's?
- that they are the largest
cat in the Americas and weigh up to 300lbs or more,
over twice as much as a leopard?
- that jaguars has one
of the strongest jaws of all the species of cats.
- they are one of the
few species of cats that likes the water. In the
wild jaguars are often found near or in the water
and are considered very good swimmers.
- that there's relatively
few in U.S. zoos. As of the middle of 2001 only
eight have a known background traced back to the
wild.
- that experts disagree
over how many subspecies there are? Some say eight
while others some only two? (Not sure what 'subspecies'
means? Link to our 'Subspecies'
page which explains...)
Section 2
2. Natural History (to
be completed)
 The Jaguar:
The jaguar is the third largest
of all the cats. It is the largest cat in the Americas
and the master of its domain. The jaguar has no natural
enemy except for man. It is said to be strongest of
all the cats. The jaw can crush the scull of almost
any animal and can pierce the shell of a turtle. I
have seen a jaguar put ¼ inch deep groves in
the hard case of a bowling ball with his teeth. The
jaguar is often mistaken for leopards in zoos. Both
have spots, but that is where most similarities end.
The jaguar has a large rounded head and a stocky body.
It has legs that are shorter and bulkier then that
of the leopard. A football analogy of both cats would
make the leopard the wide receiver and the jaguar a
lineman. The jaguar has larger rosettes (spots) with
dots in the middle of the rosettes on their back. Jaguars
are great swimmers and like water. Most often when
seen in the wild, it is near or in the water. The dark
color gene or melanism is found in jaguars as well
in leopards. The term "Black Panther" is
commonly use for those cats because their coat appear
to look black but this is not the correct terminology
for two reasons. First, both the jaguar and the leopard
can appear to look black but the coat is actually dark
brown and has black rosettes (spots) like the yellow
version. Second, a leopard and jaguar are different
species of cat. It would not be correct to use the
same name for different species because of their color.
Distribution:
The jaguar is the largest cat
in the Americas. Historically the cats ranged from
the Southwestern parts of the United States to Northern
Argentina. In California the last jaguar was killed
in the 1860’s. In Arizona the last jaguar was
seen in the late 1980’s. In New Mexico a jaguar
was seen in 1998. It is thought the cat is a transit
animal that ranged out of Mexico. They now believe
that the population base for these cats coming to the
United States is located about 130 miles South of the
Mexican border. The jaguar is disappearing from countries
in Central America due to human encroachment. Although
some countries like Belize have set up National Parks
for the jaguar. The largest densities of jaguars are
thought to be in areas of Brazil. The Amazon seems
to have the highest populations. Other areas such as
the Pantanal in Western Brazil and the Chaco region
of Northern Paraguay are thought to have high densities
of jaguars.
Regional Studbook
for Jaguar Subspecies
classification and range:
Panthera onca arizonensis Southern
U.S. to Northwest Mexico
Panthera onca veraecruscis:
Chiapas to Texas and Louisiana
Panthera onca hernandesii: Western
coastlands of Mexico
Panthera onca goldmani:
Southwest Yucatan, Northern Guatemala
Panthera onca centralis:
Central America, Columbia
Panthera onca peruvianus:
Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Panthera onca onca: Forests
of Orinoco and Amazon Basin
Panthera onca palustris: Southern
Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina
Listed on Appendix 1 by the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Listed as endangered
Mexico Southward by US Fish and Wildlife Service
Listed as vulnerable
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN)
Primary Problems for the wild
populations of jaguar:
Loss of habitat: Many of areas
that the jaguar now lives are being loss due to encroachment
by people. The jungles are being destroyed a alarming
rates in Central and South America. Areas are being
cleared for farming and logging. Exploring and mining
for natural resources at times take a great toll on
the habitat of the jaguar.
Killing of jaguars because they
pose a threat to livestock is the greatest problem
the cat faces. In the last 3 years, 40 jaguars have
been killed in Iguacu Nation Park, Brazil. (Dr. Ronaldo
Morato 1999) Studies by Brazilian Biologist are under
way to determine what the exact loss of livestock is
due to jaguar predation. Some guess the losses to be
around 28%. We need to try and solve the problems that
jaguars create. It is the only way to save them.
People in some areas compete for
the same prey (Jorgenson and Redford 1993). Because
of this competition the jaguars natural prey is lost
and people will kill jaguars to eliminate their opposition.
Commercial hunting and trapping
of jaguars for their pelts declined drastically since
the mid-1970. CITES controls have progressively shut
down the international markets that sold furs. (IUCN
cat)
3. A Personal Insight:
(to be completed)
Copyright © [Project Survival's Cat Haven]. All rights reserved.
Revised:
March 02, 2003
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