The Jaguar

What does the Jaguar look like?

Belonging to the felidae family, the Jaguar is America's largest feline. Its coat distinguishes it from other felids of the genus. Panthera. Mostly panther (Panthera pardus). The Jaguar's spots, also known as rosettes, are called "centered". This is the most complex spot pattern among felids. The Jaguar can also be recognized by its white belly and mottled flanks. The back, tail, back of the ears and corners of the mouth are black. Note that there are also black Jaguars. This is a melanic mutation (pigments responsible for color). It is possible to find black and spotted jaguars in the same litter. This does not depend on geography or ecological criteria. Black spots are also visible on black species. Its spotted camouflage enables it to be very discreet in the semi-darkness of undergrowth. It has short, powerful legs adapted to its arboreal lifestyle. It has impressive musculature and the most powerful jaw per cm² of all felids. It can take down prey weighing between 200 and 300kg. Its hearing and sense of smell are highly developed, as it hunts in the depths of tropical forests. Its senses are highly developed, and its vibrissae help it to understand its environment. A particularity of the Jaguar is that, like primates, it has a clavicle. This gives it a considerable advantage when it comes to capturing its prey. It is thus able to "embrace" its prey, making it easier to catch and keep it off-balance. The Jaguar's tail is slightly more developed than that of other tree-dwelling felines.

Distribution

Although its territory theoretically extends from the United States to northern Argentina. It is mainly present in Latin American countries (from Mexico to northern Argentina). This makes it the largest predator in the intertropical zone of America.

A formidable hunter

The Jaguar is known for its ability to hunt as well as fish. When it comes to hunting, it mainly hunts on land. It is adept at stalking, and takes advantage of its camouflage to do so. Once it has caught its prey, usually killed by a bite to the back of the neck, it retreats to a quiet spot to eat it. If necessary, the Jaguar can eat dead animals. If he can't finish his meal, he may cover it with earth, leaves and branches, and return another time. The Jaguar's diet is very varied: peccaries, ungulates, tapirs, white-tailed deer, pacas, agoutis, armadillos, monkeys, caimans, fish and, of course, turtles. It can extract flesh from turtles (marine, terrestrial and freshwater) by slipping a paw through the large hole in the shell. It is particularly fond of their flesh. If the turtle's shell is small, it can also break it with its teeth. A Tortuguero and Corcovado it's not uncommon to capture turtle hunting scenes on infrared cameras. The tapir is the largest prey it can attack. But its thick skin protects it sufficiently not to succumb to every attack.

Jaguar curiosities

The imprint features a large foot pad and four small marks corresponding to the finger pads. The width of the paw can be up to 12 cm for the front paws and 8 cm for the hind paws. Jaguars are mainly solitary. A dominant male can reign over territories ranging from 5 to 500 km². It is estimated that there is 1 jaguar for every 25 km² (this is an estimate, as calculating and observing Jaguars is complicated). They do not systematically use their entire territory. If there's enough food in one place, they'll stay there until they find it elsewhere in their territory. Jaguars are very efficient communicators. They use a variety of signals to signal their presence and the limits of their territory.

• Like all felines, we can mention urine. They generally urinate at muzzle level to facilitate identification.
• Scratches on trees as visual signals. Tree species would be selected with sound on their territory. This would show a real need for communication and identification.
• Auditory signals such as roars, growls and yelps.

The Jaguar loves water. It is essential to its development and determines its geographical distribution. Water is used for bathing to cool off, and for fishing. It is a predator of other felines. Smaller felids such as ocelots and jaguarondis can also be part of its menu.  

Reproduction

Copyright Wikimedia Sexual maturity arrives between 3 and 4 years of age. The average gestation period is 100 days. The breeding season tends to be in the rainy season, and they can give birth to up to 4 young. Males and females meet several times a year, as the female's cycle takes place every 6 to 17 days. In Costa Rica, births can be observed at any time of year. The little Jaguar resembles a spotted kitten. The litter usually comprises two young. The protective female protects them for the first 6 months of life. At the age of 1 or 2, the little Jaguar starts to become independent, exploring the territory under the protection of its mother. Kittens are blind until 13 days of age. At birth, they weigh between 700 and 900 grams. For the first few weeks, they are blind and deaf. They are totally dependent on their mother.

In a nutshell

Name (genus, species) : Panthera onca Family: Felidae Order: Carnivores Class: Mammals Size: 1.12m to 1.85m, withers 0.68 to 0.76m. Weight: 36 to 158kg. Females are smaller. Distribution: Mexico to northern Argentina. Habitat: Tropical forests, pre-desert dry shrub forests, below 1000 m altitude. Diet: Carnivorous Social structure: solitary and territorial Sexual maturity : Between 3 and 4 years old Breeding season: Year-round, with a preference for the rainy season Gestation: 100 days on average Number of young per litter: 1 to 4 young Birth weight: 700 to 90 g Lifespan: 22 years in captivity, 10 years in the wild, 50% mortality before 2 years of age  

The Panthera Foundation

The Panthera Foundation aims to protect felids, including the Jaguar, by educating local populations about the importance of protecting these species. Numerous projects have been set up and have led to a drastic reduction in the hunting of Jaguars as livestock predators, and to improvements in the way of life of local populations. If you would like to help this association, please visit this site: Fondacion Panthera. If you have difficulty making a donation, we have a partnership with them and can act as intermediary to ensure that your entire donation reaches them.