Jaguar (animal photo): agile and beautiful big cat. Where does it live and what does it eat, what does a jaguar animal look like How much does a jaguar weigh
Name: The name of the jaguar supposedly comes from the word yaguara (jaguarete), which means "a beast that kills with one leap." Some tribes of the Indians of the Amazon called the jaguar - iawa.
Panthera onca Latin translates as "catcher" and "thorn, thorn" (implying the powerful claws of the jaguar).
area: North and South America (southern Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Panama, El Salvador, Uruguay, Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana).
Description: the largest wild cat in the New World. Externally, the jaguar is very similar to the leopard, but larger and heavier, and the head is larger. The limbs are short and powerful, which makes the jaguar look squat. The structure of the skull of the jaguar is closer to the tiger than to the leopard, but it is colored in the same way as the latter. Ears are rounded. The fur is thick and short. Females weigh 20% less than males.
Color: basic body color from sandy to bright red ocher. Underside (throat, belly, inside of paws) - white. Spots are scattered over the body: solid, rings and rosettes (they are slightly darker than the general background of the body). Black spots on the head and legs. On the tail, a pattern of ring spots and rosettes is noticeable (the wool is light inside them). The ears are black on the outside, with a yellow spot in the middle. There are also completely black individuals, outwardly similar to panthers.
The size: body length 150-180 cm, tail - 70-91 cm, height at withers 51-76 cm.
The weight: 56-150 kg, on average more than 100 kg.
Lifespan: in nature up to 10 years, in captivity up to 25 years in captivity.
| jaguar roar |
Habitat: occupies various habitats (dense impenetrable forests, woodlands, steppe, coastal groves, reed beds). Prefers flat tropical rainforests with high humidity. Avoids open plains covered with grass. He loves water and spends a lot of time in ponds.
Enemies: the main enemy is man.
Food: the diet of the jaguar is quite diverse - small and large vertebrates: birds, reptiles (caimans and alligators), large rodents (capybaras), fish, primates, wild pigs, amphibians, deer.
Behavior: The jaguar is active at any time of the day. Usually goes hunting at dusk and moonlit nights.
It climbs trees well and deftly, but prefers to move on the ground. He loves water and spends as much time in it as possible. Swims great.
Most often, the jaguar hunts from an ambush, which he arranges on the banks of reservoirs, in tall grass, on trees, on paths leading to a watering place. Attacking the victim, it jumps on its back, trying to knock it down, and grabbing the victim by the neck. The bite of a jaguar is so strong that it is able to bite through the skull of a cow.
The jaguar is able to cope with dobey, which weighs up to 300 kg. It hunts for fish from the shore, throwing it out of the water with powerful paws. It hunts for monkeys in trees or near a watering hole. Never pursues prey if it starts to run away.
Prey begins to eat from the head, gradually moving towards the back. If the prey is large, the jaguar stays near it for some time. Almost does not feed on carrion.
social structure: outside the breeding season, the jaguar is solitary. Territorial, area of the site occupies 25-170 km2. The size of the hunting area depends on the landscape, the abundance of prey, and the sex. In one area (within its territory), the male stays no more than 3-4 days, and then goes further. It is extremely intolerant of other members of the cat family (for example, cougars), but at the same time it is peaceful towards its own kind - the hunting grounds of jaguars often intersect with each other.
reproduction: the female notifies the males of the onset of estrus, leaving urine marks on the trees. During weddings, jaguars gather in small groups. Fights between males are absent, because. The choice of a partner is entirely up to the female. After her choice, she moves into the territory of the male and stays there for several days. Often one female mates with several males.
For the den, the female chooses a place among the stones, in thickets of bushes or in hollows of trees.
The female does not enter estrus as long as the cubs remain with her.
Season/breeding period: during the whole year.
Puberty: females at 2-3 years old, males at 3-4 years old.
Pregnancy A: 93-110 days.
Offspring: there are 1-4 spotted kittens in the litter. Cubs begin to leave the den at 1.5 months of age. At the same age, their mother begins to take them hunting with her.
Mortality among kittens is high, only 50% of young jaguars survive to two years.
The cubs live with their mother for two years, and then they begin to then begin an independent life.
Benefit / harm to humans: The jaguar is dangerous to humans, but most often attacks during defense. There is evidence that when meeting blacks and whites, he prefers to attack the first.
Easily tolerates captivity and breeds in zoos.
It attacks livestock, which is why it is actively pursued by farmers.
Jaguars are hunted for their beautiful fur.
Population/Conservation Status : The jaguar is almost or completely extirpated from most of its range.
The main threat to the species: poaching, habitat reduction.
The species is included in International Red List of the IUCN.
Currently 9 subspecies are recognized Panthera onca, which differ both in size and in color and patterns on the body: P.o. onca- Amazonia, P.o. arizonensis- Mexico, P.o. centralis- Central America, P.o. goldmani- Mexico, Belize, P.o. hernandesii- Mexico, P.o. palustris- Southern Brazil, P.o. paraguensis- Paraguay, P.o. peruvianus- Peru, Ecuador, P.o. veracrucis- to Texas.
2 million years ago, the jaguar inhabited the entire south of the current United States. Currently, the range of the species has been reduced to a third of the original.
It crosses with a leopard and a panther and produces hybrids capable of further procreation.
Copyright holder: portal Zooclub
When reprinting this article, an active link to the source is MANDATORY, otherwise, the use of the article will be considered a violation of the "Law on Copyright and Related Rights".
Jaguar- a beautiful and graceful animal, a representative of the cat family. It is considered the largest predator of the inhabitants of the American continent, ranking third worldwide.
The length of his body is often more than one and a half meters. And especially large males reach a weight of up to 158 kg. Females are much smaller, and the average weight of individuals ranges from 70 to 110 kg.
The jaguar has a long tail: from half a meter or more. The height of the animal at the withers reaches 80 cm. The animal belongs to the genus. As seen on animal photo, jaguar outwardly looks like, but much larger.
And the color is also similar to its predatory relative, but resembles the structure of the skull. It has thick and short fur and rounded ears. The color is varied: from bright red tones to sandy, the underparts and soles are white, and dark spots are scattered throughout the body.
Found in nature and black jaguar – animal, which is not considered a representative of a separate species, but is the result of a manifestation of melanism.
The jaguar is a bright representative of the fauna of the New World and lives in Central and South America. Due to fierce hunting, the animals were almost completely destroyed in Uruguay and El Salvador.
In the southern United States, its habitat has decreased by a third for the same reason. The jaguar is a resident of the humid tropical jungle, can live in swampy areas and in areas overgrown with xerophytic shrubs.
It is also found in wooded mountainous areas, but at an altitude of no more than two kilometers, as well as on the coast of the ocean. Scientists have counted up to nine different jaguar species. Animal needs protection and it is believed that one of its subspecies was completely exterminated.
Pictured are black and spotted jaguars
The nature and lifestyle of the jaguar
This wild, graceful animal lives in places where pristine nature reigns and there is a variety of animal world. Jaguar prefers a solitary lifestyle.
Like all predators, it protects its territory from encroachment, which is quite extensive and can occupy from several tens to one hundred square kilometers. The size of personal plots depends on the type of landscape, conditions, the abundance of food that can be obtained from it, and also on the sex of the animal.
Protecting its possessions, the jaguar behaves intolerantly and shows extreme aggressiveness towards cougars - their relatives and representatives of the cat family.
But he is quite patient with individuals of his own species, even showing friendliness when confronted in hunting areas. Getting food, jaguars often move from place to place, and after a few days they return back in order to again guard their prey in their former territory.
On the animal hunting jaguar begins with the onset of twilight, being especially active immediately after sunset and in the predawn hours. This beast cannot run for long, but few can match it for short distances. Animal jaguar speed is about 90 km/h.
When pursuing its prey, it makes guttural jerky sounds resembling grunts. And in the night you can often hear its deafening, soul-chilling roar. The Indians of South America seriously believe that the jaguar has special abilities: it has the ability to hypnotize victims, it can imitate the voices of animals and birds, luring and deceiving its prey.
Of course, these are only legends, but the spotted color of the animal allows it to merge with the surrounding landscapes and, remaining unnoticed, lure its victims into a trap. Often he lies in wait for his prey in dense tall grass. Or hiding on the banks of water bodies, waiting for the animals themselves to come to the watering place.
Attacking, this deadly huge cat rushes from the side or from the back, knocking down its prey with the force of its swift body. Such a blow is either fatal or causes serious injury. And even large and strong animals, such as, after a jaguar jump, die on the spot from a fracture of the spine.
Its jaws are so powerful, and its teeth are so sharp that it often bites through the skull of prey. Interestingly, the jaguar never pursues its victims if they detected the danger in time and rushed away to flee.
Also, the animal rarely attacks people, especially if it is not provoked. And recorded cases of cannibalism are usually associated with self-defense. There are also examples when a jaguar chased a person solely out of curiosity. Despite the extreme danger of the animal, many have a desire to keep jaguars in large private houses and on personal plots.
Any animal, and even a predator, is interesting for its habits, character and demeanor. But you can keep a jaguar only under the condition of strict observance of the conditions of keeping and feeding.
And it should be in a well-equipped enclosure with an iron door that opens with cables to secure animal. Buy a jaguar can be in nurseries, zoos and private individuals.
However, the matter is complicated by the fact that this species is listed in the Red Book and is considered rare. animals. Jaguar price can reach several tens of thousands.
Nutrition
animal jaguar as its victims, it can choose ungulate representatives of the fauna: and bakers, it can also attack caimans. Its food may be foxes and monkeys, as well as smaller animals: rodents, snakes and birds.
The predator begins its supper from the head of the killed victim, gradually reaching the back. When the size of the prey is too large, having satiated, the beast leaves its occupation, sometimes returning to finish the leftovers, but not always, almost never eating carrion.
If the animal settles on the territory of the ocean coast, then turtle meat can become its favorite delicacy and special delicacy, the shell of which the predator can easily bite through. The jaguar may attack livestock.
Unlike its relatives, representatives of the cat family, the jaguar is an excellent swimmer, often chasing its victims in the water. He is an excellent fish catcher, and does this in rivers and streams. And settling on the ocean coast, he searches for and digs out turtle eggs from the sand.
Reproduction and lifespan
Jaguars do not have a specific period for mating games. Seeking the location of females, animals sometimes gather in small groups, which is unnatural for jaguars, who prefer loneliness under normal conditions.
Pictured is a baby jaguar
At the time of choosing a partner, the ability to have offspring in which comes in the third year of life, males roar deafeningly and passionately. Despite the aggressiveness of this species, fights between rivals in the fight for the female usually do not happen. And after mating, the partners leave each other forever.
And after about a hundred days, in her lair, the mother gives life to several cubs. Their color is darker than that of their parents, and the spots on the skin are almost continuous.
Children spend about six months with their mother until they learn to hunt on their own. And having learned everything, they leave it forever. In captivity, the jaguar lives up to 25 years, but in freedom, animals die much earlier.
A beast that can kill with one jump - this is what they say about the jaguar, by the way, the name of the animal is also translated from the language of the American Indians. This beautiful cat was first discovered on the American continent by the colonizers of the New World. And the Mayans and the Aztecs idolized the animal, and in the places where the jaguar lives, evidence was found that the inhabitants of these places decorated themselves with its teeth.
Appearance
The jaguar belongs to the genus Panther and looks like a leopard, but much larger. On the head and body of the beast there is thick fur, short. On the top of the head are small black rounded ears with a yellow spot.
The maximum body weight is 150 kilograms, with a height (height at the withers) of 80 centimeters. Where does the jaguar live? The largest individuals are found in the state of Mato Grosso (Brazil). Small ones live in Honduras and Guatemala.
The color of the animal is sandy, with red spots and a dark brown edging. Paws and muzzle are covered with black specks. The soles and underside of the body are white.
The beast has a very massive jaw, much larger than that of other felines.
Habitat
Where does the jaguar live? Such places can be described as sparsely populated. But today there are fewer and fewer such places on the planet, respectively, and the wild cat population is rapidly declining.
Where does the jaguar live - in North or South America? Once upon a time, it was possible to meet an animal throughout South America and even in the south of North America. Today, the cat lives in South and Central America up to the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Also found in northern Argentina. In fact, this is only a third of the territories where the animal used to live. In El Salvador and Uruguay, wild cats have been completely exterminated.
The jaguar prefers tropical forests, but is also found on the coast, where it feeds on sea turtles and their eggs. The animal is found in mountainous areas and can live at an altitude of up to 2 thousand meters above sea level.
The animal leads a solitary lifestyle. The territories where the jaguar lives can reach 100 square kilometers. A wild cat can hunt with its relatives, but will not allow other members of the cat family to enter its territory. Pairs are created by animals only for the mating season.
Species diversity
In nature, there are often confused with panthers. The black color is due to melanism, and in this case, such individuals are not a separate species.
There are several types of jaguars and are classified mainly according to their habitat:
- Peruvian, often regarded as an Amazonian species, lives not only in Peru, but also in Ecuador;
- Central American (Central America);
- Arizona, lives in the south of Arizona and up to the Sonora territories in Mexico;
- Mexican (Mexico);
- Brazilian, found in southern Brazil;
- Paraguayan, often considered as a Brazilian subspecies and lives in Paraguay;
- Texan, formerly lived in central Texas, is now considered a completely exterminated species;
- Amazonian, nominative subspecies, prefers the rain forests of the Amazon;
- Goldman's jaguar, this species lives in Guatemala, Mexico and Belize.
On what continent where does the jaguar live? The wild cat lives in South America and is listed in the Red Book. Partial shooting is allowed in Mexico and Brazil.
Amazing swimmer who can't growl
The animal is an excellent swimmer. It can cover more than 10 kilometers in one swim. The animal can use logs to make it easier to swim. By the way, the cat can hunt even in the water.
The wild jaguar cat cannot growl at all. Before attacking, she makes hissing and snorting sounds. It is believed that the animal is able to imitate voices, in particular the sounds that a baby monkey makes. The jaguar does this in order to attract monkeys and attack them.
The largest individual that people have ever seen is a 158-kilogram jaguar. Although often the weight of the animal does not exceed 130 kilograms.
Jaguar and lion can interbreed in the wild. However, in such a union, sterile offspring are born.
Each animal has its own individual color, which never repeats.
Where does the jaguar live? Mainland - South and Central America, the countries of the New World, in other parts of the world the animal is not found.
The beast can even attack a crocodile, although only young animals, adults for a jaguar are too serious rivals. A cat can attack any animal, from rodents to deer, while instantly biting the throat of the victim. There were cases when a cat attacked an anaconda, and this is the largest snake on the entire planet. The beast hunts at night and sleeps during the day. Attacks its prey from an ambush. It can attack a person only if it defends itself from it.
The fossil remains of the animal give the right to say that the jaguar is the oldest inhabitant of the planet. On Earth, the beast lives for at least 2 million years.
In the Mayan tribes, only the most courageous warriors were allowed to wear animal skins.
Despite their large size, no more than half of the young live to two years of age.
In jaguars, the female selects a suitable partner for herself.
Animal jaguar is one of the most beautiful and dangerous representatives of the world of predators. A beast that kills with one jump - this is how the word "jaguar" is translated from the language of the Indians of America. It was on the American continent that this predator was first discovered, the speed and agility of which amazed the colonialists of the New World. The ancient tribes of the Aztecs and Mayans worshiped a strong, hardy and fast beast. Ancient people wore fangs, claws or the skin of a jaguar in order to possess its unsurpassed qualities.
Animal jaguar is one of the most beautiful and dangerous representatives of the world of predators.
Appearance
Jaguar is an animal from the cat family. This large predator belongs to the genus Panther and is outwardly similar to a leopard, but exceeds it in size. The head of a jaguar is similar to a tiger's head with thick short fur and rounded black ears, in the middle of the outer surface of which there is a yellow spot. The body weight of the animal can reach 150 kg, and the height at the withers is usually 70-80 cm. Females are smaller than males, their weight rarely exceeds 100 kg. A distinctive feature of the structure of the skeleton of a predator is a long tail. The largest individuals are common in Brazil in the state of Mato Grosso, low animals are found in Guatemala and Honduras.
The color of the jaguar is sandy with bright red spots and dark brown edging. Spots can be solid, in the form of rings or rosettes. The head and paws are covered with black specks. The underparts of the body and the soles of the paws are white. There are the following types of jaguars:
- Central American;
- Mexican;
- Peruvian;
- Amazonian;
- Arizona;
- Paraguayan;
- Brazilian;
- Texan;
- Jaguar Goldman.
Some species are on the verge of extinction, so they need careful protection. In nature, there is also a completely black jaguar, which is mistaken for a panther. The black predator is not a type of jaguar, it is just a manifestation of melanism, which is found in many animals.
Jaguar is an animal from the cat family Habitat
Tropical rainforests of South and North America with pristine nature and rich wildlife are the most common places where the jaguar lives. Although it can be found in light forests, steppes, mountain forests, reed beds and even on the coast, where the beast digs up turtle eggs. The range of spotted predators begins with the jungles of Central America and extends to almost the entire territory of the South American continent.
In countries such as Uruguay and El Salvador, the wild cat jaguar is completely exterminated. The reason for the disappearance of the predator population is the reduction in the territories in which the beast lives. In addition, because of the beautiful fur, these animals have long been actively hunted. However, now all types of jaguars are listed in the Red Book.
Features of the jaguar (video)
The speed and agility of animals allows them to attack livestock with impunity, which also forces farmers to get rid of dangerous predators that live in the neighborhood.
Wild cats move on land, but they are very fond of water and tall trees., so they can often be seen on a thick branch or in a pond. Animals avoid only open plains. Jaguars do not live in packs, preferring a solitary existence. Males have a much larger territory than females, and often exceeds 100 km². The territory is usually triangular and sometimes overlaps with other jaguars. The beast is tolerant of its fellows, but it does not tolerate the presence of predators of other species on its territory. The jaguar is especially aggressive against other members of the cat family.
Mustang horse features
Gallery: jaguar (37 photos)
Lifestyle
The jaguar can stay awake both during the day and at night. As a rule, these animals spend their active time of the day on hunting and bypassing their territory. Animals lead a wandering lifestyle, passing several tens of kilometers a day. For several days the animal hunts in one part of the territory, and then moves to another place. In addition, every week he completely bypasses the boundaries of his site.
Jaguar is a predator, so he devotes a lot of time to hunting. This animal prefers to hunt from ambush, as it looks invisible in tall grass or bushes. Its main advantage is speed, so the animal does not approach the victim, but looks out for it from a remote shelter, which can even be located on a tree.
If the jaguar attacked the victim, then she could not be saved. The predator is so strong that with one jump it can not only knock down a large animal, but also break its spine. The fangs of the jaguar are sharp and powerful, capable of biting through the skull. However, the victim has a chance to survive if she notices the lurking predator in time and runs away. Despite their superior speed, jaguars rarely pursue fleeing prey, but will zealously jump into a pond if the prey tries to swim to safety. Predators are excellent swimmers, sometimes they even catch fish from water bodies. The main prey of wild cats are capybaras and other artiodactyls.
The predator does not disdain small rodents. The spotted beast does not harm a person, but often attacks livestock.
The nature of these wild cats is calm, so they do not attack other predators unless provoked. But an angry animal is able to cope even with a large and strong enemy. It is not uncommon for a jaguar to fight a caiman and emerge victorious. In the pursuit of this animal, too, has no equal. If he catches up with someone, he is able to reach speeds of up to 90 km / h.