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Jaguar Wild Cat |
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Jaguar wild cat – DescriptionThe scientific name is Panthera onca (Linnaeus 1758 – Linnaeus was a well known Swedish zoologist who saw no..”difference between man and simian that [follows] from the principles of Natural History” – I agree). This is the largest felid (the carnivorous mammals of the family Felidae, which includes domestic cats and wildcats) in the Americas (the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions). Morphologically (the form and structure of an organism) the jaguar is similar to the leopard, which can confuse. Indeed the two are closely related members of the genus Panthera. The difference is that the jaguar is heavier and more powerful than the leopard. While the leopard is lithe and graceful, the jaguar is stocky and muscular with shorter legs. There is also a difference in the coat pattern. The spots of a jaguar are generally larger (and, therefore, there are less of them) than for the leopard. The jaguar’s head is large and it has a more powerful bite than the other big cats.
Jaguars vary widely in size depending on the region where they are found. This is believed to be due to the availability of prey. The jaguar can be quite small (for a “big cat”). For example, 56 kg (see below) is 123 lbs or about 8.8 stones, the weight of a light women.
There is an, almost, 100% weight difference from one region to another. Average jaguar weights are therefore unworkable. Perhaps, in part, because of the wide range in size, eight subspecies have been recognized but genetically and morphologically, subspecies are not supported (although Pocock's subspecies divisions are still regularly listed in general descriptions of the cat - www.jaguarssp.org). The biggest differences between the appearance of jaguars is found when they inhabit areas that are the furthest apart in terms of latitude (src: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ – “Red List”).
The underbelly, throat and inside the legs are white and are also covered with rosettes. The tail is banded over the half towards its tip and there are spots at the body end. The ears are small and rounded with a faint spot on the ear flap (this spot is common to many wildcats). Melanistic jaguars (black – see photo) still have markings but they are faint. Black jaguars are not a separate species although this was thought to be the case at one time. The jaguar’s coat varies widely in pattern and ground colour. In addition to the name jaguar, it is known as “el tigre” (the tiger) in much of South America. The name “jaguar” was originally, “yaguará” (meaning wild beast that overcomes its prey in a bound – src: Wildcats of the World).
Jaguar wild cat – Myths and LegendsThe jaguar wild cat has played an important role in the culture of the peoples in the countries that they share. There are examples of ancient art depicting the jaguar. For example, the Olmec people of Southern Mexico some 2000 years ago built pavement mosaics of a jaguar god and carved large jaguar heads.
In South America the jaguar is associated with thunder, lightening and rain and was thought by the Aztecs to control these elements (src: www1.american.edu). This may originate from the yellow colour of the jaguar, representing the sun and the voice of which represents thunder. Thunder is considered to be the voice of the sun in the Tukano Indian myth. As the jaguar wild cat is also considered to be the master of animals (this translates, it seems to being the top predator), there is a tendency to worship it, revere it and to try and be it as it is associated with power, strength and success. Olmec and Chavin art shows part jaguar part human figures. Jaguars are incorporated into pottery by the Mochina people of Peru. Ancient Peruvians sacrificed jaguar cubs. The symbolic art was made to indicates social status and to improve the chances of successful hunting. There is the usual and strange dichotomy between worshipping the jaguar and killing it. It probably originates in an attempt to possess the jaguar’s powers and killing the jaguar and wearing body parts etc. is thought to achieve this. On ceremonial occasions, shamans (shamans are intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds and it is believed by some that they can treat illness and enter supernatural realms to provide answers) asking permission of the jaguar to hunt and with the intention of taking on the wildcat’s powers, would become human/jaguar and his soul would become a jaguar by:
The shaman would take on the jaguar’s powers and behave like a cat eating raw meat etc. In Brazil it was, apparently, believed that the fat of the jaguar would give them courage and if rubbed on themselves it would provide protection (src: Wikipedia). Jaguar wild cat - Range and HabitatBefore building this page, I had created two pages on jaguar distribution (range) and habitat focusing through photographs on the kind of landscape that suited this wild cat. You can see these pages here: However, if you would like to stay on this page I discuss these matters here in overview. The range of the jaguar wild cat is indicated on the map below, which was made before the Google map above and it is apparent that the exact range is either shrinking or is not known with great accuracy, which is what I would expect as reasonable. The Google map has the potential for being the most accurate anywhere because of the detail that can be obtained.
Based on Red List information, I have added to this map (blue areas and notes) , which is by Denniss and Rosarinagazo and published under Wikimedia® creative commons license = Attribution-ShareAlike License. The most important information in this section is that the jaguar wild cat has been eliminated from large parts of its previous very wide range. The red section above tells this story and the blue section loss refers to more recent history. The jaguar is native to these countries: Argentina; Belize; Bolivia; Brazil; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ecuador; French Guiana; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Suriname; United States; Venezuela and extinct in these regions: El Salvador; Uruguay. It no longer occurs in much of Argentina and is almost extinct in Paraguay. The history of this cat’s presence in North America is sad. It could be summarised as follows:
To give an example of the habitat here is a picture of the Pantanal, a very large wetland area in Brazil:
Jaguar wild cat - Ecology and BehaviourThe jaguar likes water courses and is flexible in its choice of habit, being found:
The jaguar wild cat is a very able swimmer and spends time in the water to remain cool. Their preference for water courses probably leads them to follow rivers when travelling large distances. This wild cat moves and hunts on the ground and is a capable climber. Cats are often crepuscular. The jaguar, however, seems to vary its activity to suit the availability of prey, which covers a wide variety and to avoid human activity (nocturnal).
As to prey the jaguar is opportunistic and has a wide taste (85+ prey species). Prey ranges from turtle eggs, via armadillos to 1000 lb cattle. The average weight of prey is 16.6 kg. Some examples:
Prey: The jaguar wild cat kills prey through:
In respect of fish we are not sure how they fish or perhaps the jaguar uses all of these methods:
Large kills are dragged into dense cover sometimes carrying and dragging the prey over considerable distances of up to a mile. Although the average drag distance is 87 metres in Brazil (for the capybara), there are stories of feats of strength and endurance, such as:
Jaguars spend an average of 2.5 days near their killed prey and at a distance of no more than 200 metres. In captivity jaguar wild cats eat about 1.4 kg of meat a day. Studies indicate, for example, that jaguars and pumas in one area (Manu National Park) killed about 23-29% of the deer population per year. As to livestock being taken by this wild cat, this depends, as expected on:
The social organisation of the jaguar wild cat is like other large felids. It is based on a land tenure system. When ranges overlap same sex cats try to avoid each other by not using the area at the same time. Occupancy of an area of land is communicated to other jaguars through various methods:
Marking has been noted to intensify where male territory overlaps and/or there is social flux (movements) when areas become contested and land tenure is destabilised. Here is some information about home ranges:
Jaguar densities (the number of wild cats in a certain area) has been found to be as follows:
ReproductionThe roar may serve to bring female and male together to mate (see Male Cheetah Stutter Bark). Females have been observed to be accompanied by more than one male. During the beginning of estrus (the periodic state that immediately precedes ovulation and during which the female is most receptive to mating, also called “heat”), the female is restless and paces. She rubs and vocalises. Copulation may happen up to 100 times in one day. Inter-estrous periods are 22-25 days and estrus lasts from 6-17 days. Gestation is about 100 days and the usual litter is 2 cubs. Births take place in a secluded spot. Thereafter the timescale is as follows:
As to longevity, in the the wild, the jaguar wild cat lives to a maximum of about 11 years (Belize). In captivity the story is very different being 20 years – a known maximum is 32 years. Red List Assessment Threats and ConservationThe jaguar wild cat is assessed as Near Threatened:
Near Threatened (NT) means: “may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status. As such the IUCN notes the importance of re-evaluating Near Threatened taxa often or at appropriate intervals.” (src: Wikipedia) The jaguar population is decreasing. The Red List does not quote actual population figures of estimates of these figures. The book, Wild Cats of World quoted the following estimates (the book was published 2002 so the figures will be lower today – June 2009):
The main threats are:
Conservation: This wild cat is protected by prohibitions on hunting (but see above – lack of enforcement) in: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, United States, and Venezuela. There are restrictions on hunting in these countries: Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Per. Better livestock management is being addressed apparently. There is an ambitious plan to preserve a north to south habitat corridor throughout the entire range. There are national parks and reserves such as the Manú National Park in Peru and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. One of the great problems is a lack of commitment to enforce legislation protecting the jaguar and coherent management and planning. All the jaguar wild cat problems are human generated. VideoFrom Jaguar wild cat to Wild Cat Species
Jaguar wild cat
– all photos
– these are published under a
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons
License -- this site is for charitable purposes in funding
cat rescue. The picture of the jaguar logo at the top of the page is by
blueraine_tigerseye Jaguar wild cat - Sources: I am greatly indebted to the fine book, Wild Cats of the World by Mel Sunquist and Fiona Sunquist. Other sources: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, Wikipedia®, the sources as embedded in the text, my website PoC, various other websites for minor details and verification. |
