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Jaguar (Panthera onca)
"Jag War" - "the flying hunter"

Habitat:

~ in the south of the USA, Central America and in the rain forests of South America, but mostly at the edge of the forest and in the savannah. Jaguars usually live in areas that are well supplied with woods, shrubs or high grass and - most importantly - water.
Unfortunately the number of these beautiful cats decreases due to deforestation of the rain forest, in some parts entire subspecies have vanished.

Fur:

~ Jaguars have yellow to reddish-brown fur with black rosettes, which contain up to two pots. (to compare: leopards have rosettes without spots). These rosettes merge into stripes on legs and neck. The underside of the neck to the belly is ochre to white, as are the insides of the legs.

~further, there are black variations of the jaguar (more to find under "panthers")

Proportion:

Length 110 to 180 cm (measured without the tail)
Shoulder height of 70 to 80 cm
Tail length 50 to 60 cm
Weight female 45 to 90 kg
Weight male 55 to 100 kg

Physique:

~ Jaguars are rather sturdy and strongly built, yet still they are very lithe and agile. Due to their massive appearance one tends rather to thinking that they live on the ground, which in fact is gernerally correct. However, they are gifted with exzellent climbing skills, which makes them in trees at home just as leopards.

Maximum Age:

~the maximum age of jaguars is about 12 years, in captivity up to 22. - rare in free nature.

Reproduction:

~ under normal conditions the jaguar is a loner, but exceptions always exist.

~ the mating time is throughout the year. The female is pregnant between 92 to 100 days. A litter consists of 1 to 4 cubs - and these stay with their mother till the own sexual maturity (about 2 years).

Diet/hunt:

~ the table of the jaguar is richly set. Its food pallet begins with small animals such as frogs, fish, lizards, continues to go over snakes, turtles, cayman, iguana, armadillos, smaller crocodiles and deer. Apes, ground breeding birds and various large mammals and ends with avocados. Sometimes it hunts also a few pets like dogs. (they are an easy prey).

~ If you've ever seen a jaguar hunt, you would recognize that it is a fast short-distance runner. It patiently waits lying in ambush for several hours directly on the often used paths of its prey, to strike within the blink of an eye. One powerful wipe with the paw kills the booty, or at least tears it onto the ground. A deadly neck bite or a bite into the head basis completes the hunt. In order to hunt fish, it waits in shallow waters for fish and strikes it directly from the water onto the dry. Jaguars carry their prey to a safe place prior to eating it. They bury the rest of the meal secretly. Their most important "tools" are their fangs, which are able to split a skull or a shell easily.

   


(c) Annett Noack 2004 - 2009