View: Jaguar (Panthera onca)
Class: mammals
Family: felines
Subfamily: big cats
Lifespan: about 12-15 years old wildlife.

This animal is called differently: the Spaniards - otorongo, jaguar, yaguarete, the Mexicans - ocelotl. The name Jaguar itself comes from the Indian word “yajuar” - “one who kills with one leap.” When hunting, the animal uses its strong paws and sharp teeth. Jaguar Panthera Onca is the largest cat in America, and in the world it occupies an honorable third place in size (after the lion and the tiger).

Habitat

These wild cats found in dark forests, savannas, swampy areas, mountain forests, on the ocean coast and even in the desert. The jaguar still has habitats in the Amazon estuary, but has been nearly extirpated from other drier regions. In hot weather, he loves to swim in shallow rivers, as he is an excellent swimmer.

Interesting! Jaguars often stay close to the water to fish. They dip their tail into the water like a fishing rod to lure in prey.

Initially, individuals lived in the United States (California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Florida). But these big cats were exterminated there by hunters in the late 1940s. Today the predators are found in Mexico, their numbers are rapidly declining, as in Central America. The most a large number of animals live in Mato Grosse (Brazil); Patanal (on the border of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay); Chiapas (“Indian” state of Mexico).

According to data from various sources There are up to 9 subspecies in the population. The main ones include Amazonian, Peruvian and Mexican jaguars.

Interesting! The oldest remains of a jaguar are approximately 2 million years old.

Characteristic

The jaguar, a photo of the animal confirms this fact, is one of the largest predators in North and South America. Its body is from 112 to 182 cm long without a tail. The tail itself grows up to 75 cm. Such a predatory animal weighs on average 60 - 90 kg. Adults weighing up to 120 kg are found. This cat family also has its own record holder, whose weight was 158 kg. Of course, females are not so large, they are about 20% smaller.

• to his appearance Jaguars resemble leopards. These animals are often confused. Their coloring and markings are so similar that it is difficult for people to tell the difference.
• A very rare melanist is a black jaguar - an animal whose photo will confirm that the color is not completely black. It has more black rosettes and very little reddishness. This helps the animal camouflage itself in the dense and dark forests of the Amazon.

• Jaguars see 6 times better than humans at night or in dark conditions due to a layer of tissue at the back of the eye that reflects light.
• These cats are competent climbers and can climb trees. They often use them as a vantage point among the branches to pounce on carefree prey below.
• The jaguar is an apex predator. He doesn't have any natural enemies, except for a person killing it for fur or sport.

Nutrition

The territory in which the animal hunts resembles a triangle. It extends to approximately 170 square meters. km. The jaguar does not hunt all over its territory at once, but only parts of it. First, a few days in one, and then wanders to another. Individuals do not forget about their territorial points. They visit there after five days. Thus: jaguars lead a wandering life.

These animals are hostile to others felines. Although they are peaceful towards representatives of their own species. Their hunting territories often overlap. When the sun sets, the main hunting time begins. Such predators can hunt in the pre-dawn period, and sometimes during the day. Nature itself influenced the formation of the specifics of the hunting regime, rewarding animals with excellent vision at night and slightly worse during the day.

Of everything cat family The jaguar has the strongest and most powerful jaws. They are skilled hunters. They take their victim by surprise. Few other predators can react instantly at the right moment. Waiting for the moment, the jaguar sits quietly in ambush for hours. He chooses a place near watering holes, where animals constantly come. Moreover, the wind, of course, blows in the right direction. Both bushes and tree branches are suitable for ambush. Seeing the future prey, the predator rushes at it and gnaws its throat. Death is instant!

Jaguars feed on capybaras, mazamas, tapirs, as well as birds, monkeys, snakes, and rodents. This range of food has developed due to the specifics of its habitat. That is why jaguars have adapted to aquatic hunting. The range of prey includes fish and even sleeping alligators. The main prey of aquatic hunting is medium and small sized caiman.

The power of the animal's jaws allows it to bite through turtle shells and feast on their meat. He breaks up the clutches of turtles and eats the eggs found. The animal often feasts on livestock. Cows that died from an animal attack have broken cervical vertebrae, sometimes a bitten skull. It swims well and does not miss its prey in the water.

Interesting! If the prey senses a predator in time and runs away, the jaguar will not pursue it. The reason is that the animal will not be able to run for prey for too long. It’s a completely different matter regarding short distances, at which the jaguar animal’s speed develops up to 90 km/h. Brazilian conservationists claim that the animal can hypnotize future prey. For now this is just a statement.

The beast eats killed animals from the head to the rear. It eats large prey in several stages, remaining near it. The animal does not eat carrion and therefore does not return to abandoned remains. He feeds every 10-12 hours.

When the animal hunts, it emits a guttural grunt, and at night and during the season mating season- loud roar.

Interesting! Indian legends say that in addition to roaring, the jaguar perfectly imitates the cries of various birds. This is done in order to lure the latter.

An animal rarely attacks a person, and when it sees it, it may not react at all and leave. It is difficult to describe the emotions of the people who met this beast. Eyewitnesses claim that the handsome man does not cause nauseating horror, but rather amazes with his nobility.

Lifestyle. Reproduction

Predators lead a solitary life. They mark their territory with urine or mark trees with their claws. Outsiders try not to go there. The exception is the mating season.

Jaguars do not have clear breeding periods. They mate at any time of the year. During mating games animals gather in small groups. Characteristic feature This species has the fact that males do not have violent fights. Females are given the right to choose a male. She shows her decision by moving into the territory of her chosen one.

The gestation period for the cubs lasts about 100 days. The female gives birth to two to four babies. Cubs are born with their eyelids tightly closed. After about a couple of weeks they see. The babies are predominantly black in color and are not covered with rosettes like their parents, but with solid spots.

After six months, the mother will teach them to hunt, and after their second birthday, the cubs will leave their mother to live on their own. Females will reach sexual maturity between 2 - 3 years, and males 3 - 4 years.

In captivity, individuals live for more than 20 years, compared to 11–12 years for those living in the desert. However, due to the inability to hunt for food, carry out their natural daily activities, a large number of visitors and noise, the animals develop irritation, disappointment and even stress. In zoos they have enclosures with large shady trees and swimming pools. Kittens are fed 7 times a day. Be sure to pay attention to feed composition. Babies love to play with people.

The jaguar animal is one of the most beautiful and dangerous representatives of the world of predators. A beast that kills with one leap - this is how the word “jaguar” is translated from the language of the American Indians. It was on the American continent that this predator was first discovered, whose speed and agility amazed the colonizers of the New World. The ancient tribes of the Aztecs and Mayans worshiped a strong, hardy and fast animal. Ancient people wore the fangs, claws or skin of a jaguar to possess its unsurpassed qualities.

The jaguar animal 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 panther genus and is similar in appearance 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, which have a yellow spot in the middle of the outer surface. 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. Distinctive feature The structure of the predator's skeleton is a long tail. The largest individuals are common in Brazil in the state of Mato Grosso, short animals are found in Guatemala and Honduras.

The color of the jaguar is sandy in color with bright red spots and dark brown edging. The spots can be solid, in the form of rings or rosettes. The head and paws are covered with black specks. The lower part of the body and soles of the paws are white. Distinguish the following types jaguars:

• Central American;
• Mexican;
• Peruvian;
• Amazonian;
• Arizonan;
• Paraguayan;
• Brazilian;
• Texan;
• Goldman's Jaguar.

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Some species are on the verge of extinction and therefore require careful protection. In nature, there is also a completely black jaguar, which is mistaken for a panther. The black raptor is not a species of jaguar, it is just a manifestation of melanism, which is found in many animals.

Jaguar is a cat animal

Habitat

Tropical rain forests South and North America with pristine nature and rich wildlife - the most common places where the jaguar lives. Although it can be found in open forests, steppes, mountain forests, reed thickets and even on the coast, where the animal digs up turtle eggs. The range of spotted predators begins in 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 has been completely exterminated. The reason for the disappearance of the predator population is the reduction in the territories in which the animal lives. In addition, because of their beautiful fur, these animals have long been actively hunted. However, now all types of jaguar are listed in the Red Book.

Features of a 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 who live in the neighborhood.

Wild cats move on land, but they love water and tall trees , so they can often be seen on a thick branch or in a body of water. Animals avoid only open plains. Jaguars do not live in packs, preferring a solitary existence. Males have a much larger territory than females, often exceeding 100 km². The territory is usually triangular in shape and sometimes overlaps with the habitat of other jaguars. The animal is tolerant of its fellow creatures, but cannot tolerate the presence of predators of other species on its territory. The jaguar is especially aggressive against other representatives of the cat family.

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Gallery: jaguar (37 photos)

Lifestyle

A jaguar can stay awake both during the day and at night. These animals usually spend their active time of day hunting and walking around their territory. Animals lead a wandering lifestyle, walking several tens of kilometers a day. The animal hunts in one area of ​​the territory for several days, 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 tall grass or bushes unnoticed. Its main advantage is speed, so the animal does not approach the victim, but looks out for it from a distant shelter, which can even be located in a tree.

If a jaguar attacks a victim, it cannot escape. The predator is so strong that in one jump it can not only knock down large animal, but also break his spine. The jaguar's fangs 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 escapes. Despite their excellent speed, jaguars rarely pursue fleeing prey, but will zealously jump into a body of water if the victim tries to escape by swimming. Predators are excellent swimmers, sometimes they even catch fish from bodies of water. The main prey of wild cats are capybaras and other representatives of artiodactyls.

The predator does not disdain small rodents. The spotted animal does not harm humans, 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 can cope even with a large and strong enemy. It is not uncommon for a jaguar to fight a caiman and emerge victorious. This animal also has no equal in pursuit. If he catches up with someone, he is able to reach speeds of up to 90 km/h.

This is exactly how the Latin name of this big cat is translated: “Panthera onca”, “catcher with thorns”. This one major representative The cat family on the territory of the South American continent is the only representative of the panther genus on these shores. There are only two varieties larger than it predatory cats, but they inhabit other habitats.

There is a legend that the jaguar was the first animal that Columbus saw when he first set foot in America. And the locals elevated this creature to the rank of mystical and worshiped it. The name "jaguar" comes from the Quechua Indian language, where it means "blood."

Description of the jaguar

Spotted wild panther cat- America's largest predator. The height of the largest representatives of the species at the withers is 68-80 cm, on average 75 cm. Jaguars have a flexible, graceful body about 120-180 cm long, and their tail can be short - 45-50 cm or reach 70-90 cm. Depending depending on size, animals weigh from 68 to 136 kg. Like almost all mammals, females are smaller and lighter than males by about 1/5.

This is interesting! The record weight recorded for a male jaguar was 158 kg.

Jaguars living in open spaces are usually larger than their counterparts living in dense forests. This may be due to the large herds of ungulates living in steppe zones, and as a result – more successful hunting by predators.

Appearance

• Head and torso. Power and strength lies in the appearance of this giant cat. The square, strong jaws contrast sharply with the lean, lean body. It is this feature that distinguishes the jaguar from the leopard, which is very similar in appearance to its coloring - larger sizes and a massive head, with a skull similar to that of a tiger. The ears are small, mobile, and have a rounded shape.
• Jaguar paws not as long as they should be for ideal grace, so the beast looks somewhat squat. But they are very powerful, and more often demonstrate strength rather than speed, although jaguars run very quickly and attack.
• Jaguar fur soft, thick and short. The background of the body can have different shades of sand and red; dark spots of various shapes and sizes are chaotically scattered across it: solid shadows, rings, rosettes, the insides of which have fur several tones darker than on the rest of the body. The lower surface of the body - stomach, throat and chest, paws from the inside - white. The head and paws are strewn with black specks. The ears are black, with a yellow spot in the middle.
• Sounds made. When hunting, the jaguar does not growl, but makes a low, guttural grunt. At night, he terrorizes the jungle with a deafening roar, reminiscent of a lion. The normal voice of a jaguar is similar in sound to the screech of a saw on a tree or a hoarse cough. During the mating season it rumbles and purrs.

In the genes of the jaguar there is a black color, like that of panthers, which is not so rarely manifested by the birth of monochrome cubs (melanists) in ordinary spotted individuals. Everyone was surprised by the little “panthers” born to a pair of jaguars at the Odessa Zoo: out of 4 kittens, two were spotted, and two were pitch-black.

Lifestyle and behavior

Like all cats, jaguars choose and “keep” their territory. They do it alone. One animal can “own” a space of 25 to 100 square kilometers; males usually have twice as much as females. Males choose triangular areas for themselves, changing the “corner” in which they hunt every 2-3 days.

About once every ten days, a jaguar walks around its property along the border. Vigilantly guarding the territory from other representatives of the cat - pumas, ocelots, etc., the jaguar does not object to crossing borders with another representative of its species.

Jaguar time is twilight. Before sunset and in the predawn hours, he hunts especially actively. The predator ambushes in tall grass, on tree branches, and hides on the shore near a watering hole. It lunges at the unsuspecting victim from the back or side, tightly grabbing the neck, trying to immediately strangle or pierce the skull with its fangs. The last feature is a habit exclusively of the jaguar; other cats rarely bite their heads.

This is interesting! If the prey is cattle, the jaguar strives to knock him to the ground with a swing in order to hit his head and injure him before killing him. Often they don’t even need to use their fangs - the victim simply breaks his neck.

If the potential prey has sensitive ears and heard the animal before it rushes, it is lucky - it has a chance to escape; the jaguar rarely gives chase. But in the water, a jaguar, an excellent swimmer and loving this element, will easily catch up with its prey. There are known cases of jaguars attacking crocodiles, catching fish, and hunting turtles. The jaguar does not often attack humans, and never does so unless given an aggressive reason. All clashes between people and jaguars are the latter’s self-defense. They don't eat human flesh. However, a curious young animal may pursue a person out of curiosity.

How long do jaguars live?

In the wild, the life expectancy of a jaguar rarely exceeds 10-12 years. In captivity, big cats live up to 25 years.

Range, habitats

The northern border of the jaguar's habitat runs through the Mexican steppes and the southwestern states of the United States. Animals spread all the way to the northern borders of Argentina and Paraguay, as well as the coast of Venezuela. The largest individuals of jaguars live in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. The largest populations of jaguars are concentrated in the Amazon Valley.

To live, a jaguar needs several components:

• water source nearby the habitat;
• dense greenery for camouflage during hunting;
• potential production in sufficient quantities.

Nature provided them with such resources in humid tropical forests, coastal reed thickets, river valleys, near swamps. In arid areas, jaguars are practically not found. But they can climb mountains, although not higher than 2700 m (inhabitants of the Andes). A jaguar was once seen in Costa Rica at an altitude of 3800 m, but this was an isolated case; they are usually not attracted to mountain forests.

Jaguar diet

Jaguar is a predator, strictly a carnivore. It hunts a variety of prey; according to researchers, about 85 species of different animals have caught its teeth. He can handle victims that weigh up to 300 kg. The most desirable prey for the jaguar are large “meat” animals - ungulates, pig-like animals, including livestock.

The jaguar will not disdain monkeys, birds, porcupines, small rodents and even reptiles. Living near the water, this one big cat enjoys fishing.

A special delicacy for the jaguar is the tortoise: its powerful jaws easily gnaw through the durable shell. The jaguar loves to feast on turtle eggs, tearing the clutch out of the sand. The noble beast almost never eats carrion. He begins to eat a freshly killed victim from the head, moving towards the ham. If you are lucky enough to kill a large animal, the jaguar will not leave its side for several days in a row.

The wild cat jaguar (Panthera onca) belongs to the class of mammals, order of carnivores, family of cats, subfamily of big cats (Pantherinae), genus of panther (Panthera). This cat is one of the representatives of the panther genus (it includes: lions, tigers, leopards, Snow leopards and jaguars).

Locals Latin America they call it tiger, the Spanish call it otorongo, jaguar, yaguareté, yaguar, onza, tigre or tigre americano, and the Mexicans call it ocelotl. Other nationalities call it balam, nahuel, uturuncu, uturunku, onça or unqa. In Guarani, yaguara (jaguarete) meant “beast that kills with one leap”

The Jaguar is a large, graceful, golden-colored cat with black rosettes all over its body. Of all the cats, the jaguar is considered the third largest in the entire world, and the largest representative throughout the Americas. Externally, the jaguar is very similar to the leopard, but much larger.

The body length of a jaguar without a tail is from 117 to 240 cm. The tail, depending on the size of the body, can be 45 - 75 cm long. The height at the withers is from 60 to 80 cm. Such a cat weighs from 60 to 120 kilograms. The largest individuals can weigh even more. The weight of one of the jaguars that was able to be weighed reached 158 kg. Females are slightly smaller and lighter than males.

These animals have a powerful, squat torso with a massive head. The head is round with small, round, widely spaced ears. The back of the ears is black with a yellow or white spot. The nose is wide and red. The eyes are not large, matching the color of the skin with a greenish tint.

The coat is short and harsh. The color can range from yellow to red-brown, and even dark brown with black spots in the form of rosettes. Sometimes there is also a black jaguar.

At short distances, the jaguar can reach speeds of up to 90 km per hour.

What subspecies of jaguar are there and where do they live?

The jaguar is the only representative of the panther genus that lives in North and South America. Its range extends from Central America to the swamps and jungles of Mato Grosso and northern Argentina. Previously, they could be found in El Salvador and Uruguay, but the local population exterminated all jaguars.

These wild cats love to hide in tropical rain forests,

cereals

and semiarid areas with xerophytic shrubs.

Sometimes jaguars are found high in the mountains and on the ocean coast.

There are up to 9 subspecies of jaguar:

• Amazonian jaguar(Panthera onca onca) lives in the rain forests of Brazil, Peru and the Amazon-Orinoco watershed;
• Peruvian Jaguar(Panthera onca peruvianus) - in the coastal plains of northern Peru and in the tropical thickets of Ecuador;
• Mexican Jaguar(Panthera onca) - in Guatemala, in the Mexican state of Sinaola, Oaxaca, on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec;
• Arizona Jaguar(Panthera onca arizonensis) - from southern Arizona to Sonora in Mexico;
• Central American Jaguar(Panthera onca centralis) - in Central America (Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama);
• Goldman's Jaguar or Yucatan subspecies(Panthera onca goldmani) - on the Gulf Coast, Yucatan Peninsula, Belize and northern Guatemala;
• Northeastern or Texas Jaguar(Panthera onca veracrucis - in central Texas (extirpated);
• Brazilian Jaguar(Panthera onca palustris) - in Southern Brazil;
• Paraguayan Jaguar(Panthera onca paraguensis - in northern Argentina, Paraguay, southern and western Bolivia;
• Texas The jaguar subspecies has been completely exterminated.

Jaguar lifestyle

Jaguars lead a solitary and twilight lifestyle. The habitat area of ​​one jaguar occupies from 25 to 50 or more square kilometers. Females are content with 25 km 2, and males occupy a much larger territory.

These cats walk around their hunting grounds every 3-4 days. Strangers like pumas are not tolerated on their territory and are driven away. They treat their relatives more loyally and allow them to enter their lands.

In the wild, jaguars live up to 22–25 years.

What does a jaguar eat?

Yagurs love to make ambushes in tall grass on the banks of ponds or on a tree. When attacking a victim, these animals jump on the back of their victim and sink their teeth into the neck and either strangle it, or break the cervical vertebrae, and then bite through the skull.

The jaguar usually starts eating its prey from the head. If the prey is large, then the predator remains near its prey and eats it in two steps. If for some reason the prey remains uneaten, the jaguar does not return to it.

Jaguars hunt closer to the water for capybaras (capybaras) and caimans (a family of alligators).

If possible, he can also dine on deer, tapir or mazam.

It also does not refuse waterfowl, snakes, turtle eggs and fish.

On occasion, it can eat a monkey, a fox, an armadillo, an iguana, an opossum, an otter, and all sorts of rodents.

Very often, jaguars attack livestock. These animals themselves do not attack humans, although they may pursue them out of curiosity. Cannibalism occurs among them, but very rarely.

When hunting, the jaguar makes a low, guttural grunt.

Reproduction jaguars

During the mating season, the jaguar roars deafeningly. Females mature for mating in the third year of life. During the wedding period, cats can gather in small groups. The female chooses her partner herself, so there are no fights among males during the mating season.

Pregnancy lasts approximately three and a half months after conception. The female looks for a den in advance in a hollow, among stones or in dense bushes and gives birth to two or three blind kittens, 700–900 grams each and 40 cm long. After 10 days, the eyes open. At first, kittens' fur is longer and tousled, covered with solid black spots. Males are not allowed into the den, because... they can eat their offspring.

The kittens stay near their mother for a month and a half. She feeds them, licks them and introduces them to the world around them. After six weeks, the young begin to go hunting with their mother. At seven months, the cubs' fur coat begins to acquire adult colors. As soon as young individuals feel independent, they begin to look for a new territory for hunting and begin an independent life.

Jaguar population

Unfortunately, the jaguar population is declining sharply due to their valuable and beautiful fur, and shooting by livestock farmers. Despite the fact that the jaguar is listed in the International Red Book in some countries (Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia), shooting animals, although in limited quantities, is still permitted.