General Information
Scientific name - Panthera onca
Distribution
- Central
& South America
Lifespan - 11-16 years
Physical appearance - Yellowish-brown coat with spotted black rosettes
Litter - 2-4
cubs
Behavior
– Solitary
Diet - a wide range of arboreal, terrestrial
& aquatic animals
Habit - Crepuscular
Size - Body length
(including tail) 1.6m - 2.6m
Shoulder height 0.6m - 0.8m
Weight - 35 -130kg. Females usually one third
smaller than males
Interesting Facts
- n The jaguar is the third
largest big cat in the world. It is the largest in the Americas.
- n The jaguar is one of the four big cats that
roars the others being the tiger, lion, & the leopard.
- n The name jaguar is derived from
the Native American word yaguar,
which means "he who kills with one leap."
- n The jaguar loves water. It attracts fish by
swinging its tail underwater.
- n It is also an adept climber & so it is
at home in trees, water as well as on ground.
- n The lifespan of a jaguar in the wild is 11
to 16 years while that of a jaguar in captivity is about 22 years.
- n The jaguar is worshipped as a
god by cultures including the Aztecs and the Maya.
- n Jaguars are usually yellow-brown with
spotted black rosettes. The side & back shows a circle of spots surrounding
a central spot. The head, legs & underside show solid black spots.
-
n Leopards & jaguars are
often confused. The jaguar can be distinguished by black spots within the larger
rosette markings. The jaguar has a shorter tail & is stronger, more
muscular, more stockily built with stocky forelimbs & a smaller, bulkier
& more rounded head.
-
n Melanistic/black jaguars
are also found. They are sometimes confused with black panthers. Black panthers
are actually black leopards.
n Leopards & jaguars are
often confused. The jaguar can be distinguished by black spots within the larger
rosette markings. The jaguar has a shorter tail & is stronger, more
muscular, more stockily built with stocky forelimbs & a smaller, bulkier
& more rounded head.
n Melanistic/black jaguars
are also found. They are sometimes confused with black panthers. Black panthers
are actually black leopards.
Distribution
n The jaguar is found mainly in
Central & South America.
n Range includes Argentina, Belize, Bolivia,
Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana,
Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela and
south western United States.
n Highest population density is
on lowland rainforests of the Amazon basin.
n The jaguar population is
especially abundant in the Pantanal region of Brazil & Chaco region of
northern Paraguay.
n Current Wild population –
approx. 15000
Habitat
n The jaguar’s habitat is
tropical areas.
n It includes tropical forests,
Savanna, scrub, desert, swamps; but near water. Jaguars rarely venture more
than 0.5 km from water.For
example, the Amazon River Basin and the wetland area of Pantanal in Brazil are
home to important populations of jaguars.
n Other important jaguar habitats include
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize, the Maya Biosphere Reserve in
Guatemala and Mexico’s Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.
Taxonomy
Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class – Mammalia
Subclass – Theria
Order – Carnivora
Family – Felidae
Genus – Panthera
Species – onca
Varieties/Subspecies
There are nine subspecies of Jaguar:
Panthera onca onca - Amazon Rainforest
Panthera onca arizonensis - Mexico
Panthera onca centralis - Central America
Panthera onca goldmani - Mexico, Belize
Panthera onca hemandesii - Mexico
Panthera onca palustris - Southern Brazil
Panthera onca paraguensis – Paraguay
Panthera onca onca - Amazon Rainforest
Panthera onca arizonensis - Mexico
Panthera onca centralis - Central America
Panthera onca goldmani - Mexico, Belize
Panthera onca hemandesii - Mexico
Panthera onca palustris - Southern Brazil
Panthera onca paraguensis – Paraguay
Panthera onca peruvianus - Peru, Ecuador
Panthera onca veracrucis – Texas
Panthera onca veracrucis – Texas
Behavior
Hunting Behavior
n The jaguar is solitary.
Jaguars come together only for breeding.
n The jaguar is mainly
crepuscular (active at dawn & dusk). But its activity may vary according to
local prey habits. For example, it is primarily nocturnal in Belize and diurnal
in Pantanal.
n The jaguar is a stalk-and-ambush rather
than a chase predator.
n The jaguar is very strong. Prey is killed
with a powerful bite to the head, neck or throat. Jaguars are the only big cats
to regularly kill by piercing the skull. They may drag the carcass to a secluded area to feed.
n Jaguars are more active during
the dry season.
n They have home territories
that can be as small as 10 or as large as 180 sq km.
n The jaguars mark their territory by leaving
their scrape marks and scat behind. And this gives them a “remarkable ability
to know where their neighbours are” and helps them avoid encroaching on each
other’s territory.
Feeding behavior
& Diet
n The jaguar can choose to feed
from about 85 species of arboreal, terrestrial & aquatic animals.
n Like all cats, the jaguar is an obligate carnivore, feeding only on meat. It is an opportunistic hunter.
n The jaguar prefers large prey and will take
deer, capybara,
tapirs, peccaries, armadillos, paca, tamandua, dogs, foxes and sometimes even anacondas and cayman.
However, the cat will eat any small species that can be caught, including frogs, birds, mice, fish, sloths, monkeys and turtles.
Reproductive Behavior
n Females sexually mature at 2-3
years & males at 3-4 years.
n Estrus lasts from 6-17 days.
n Copulation frequency may be as
much as 100 times a day.
n Induced ovulators.
n Gestation averages 100 days.
n Cubs are more likely to be
born in wet seasons, corresponding to increase in prey.
n Cubs begin to learn hunting at
6 months.They remain with the mother till 2 years of age.
Deficiencies & Diseases
Recent declines in free-ranging wildlife populations have highlighted
the potentially devastating effect of infectious disease. Diseases are an
increasing threat to wild felids due to habitat restriction and encroachment
from domestic animals. Domestic animals can directly or indirectly enter in
contact with natural felid populations, potentially disseminating pathogens and
altering disease patterns.
Although habitat fragmentation and hunting are considered the main
threats to wildlife, diseases are an increasing concern for many of the most
endangered
carnivores.
The transmission of infectious diseases between domestic and free-ranging
carnivores is becoming increasingly common. Jaguars and domestic animals
occupying the same or adjacent environments can share much of the same
pathogens. The most important factor probably is the contact between domestic
and wild carnivore populations at the interface of their ranges, favoring
the dissemination of
infectious agents. Livestock predation represents an additional route of transmission of
pathogens.
Wild animals
dying of disease are rarely found; this is especially true for large carnivores
like jaguars, which occur at low densities and have secretive behavior
patterns. Thus, it is not just difficult to find appropriate biological
material for epidemiological studies but also to justify to the authorities the
importance of these studies or intervention in distressed wildlife populations.
Some of the
nutritional deficiencies and diseases known to affect jaguars are as follows.
Metabolic Bone disorders: Metabolic bone disease is a general term for
conditions that develop as a result of prolonged deficiencies of calcium,
vitamin D, or an improper ratio of calcium to phosphorous in the diet. Many
names are given to this syndrome, such as osteoporosis, rickets, cage
paralysis, paper bone disease, nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Intestinal Blockage due to foreign body ingestion
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV): A lentivirus causing
immunodeficiency as
well as nervous signs.
Rabies
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV): Has been found in jaguars in Brazil.
Feline Corona virus (FcoV): This virus causes Feline Infectious Peritonitis, a
fatal immune mediated systemic disease. Found in captive jaguars in Brazil.
Most of the affected jaguars do not develop FIP but are sources of infection.
Feline Parvo Virus: May be asymptomatic or cause varying degrees of
unspecific clinical signs, gastroenteritis, decreased blood cells.
Feline herpes Virus: Found in captive jaguars in Brazil
Canine Distemper Virus: Has been found in free ranging jaguars in Brazil.
Thought to be transmitted by domestic dogs.
Feline Morbillivirus
Zoonotic bacteria : Leptospira, Brucella, Bartonella henselae, Bacillus
anthracis
Fungi: Pythium insidiosum
Protozoa: Toxoplasma gondii
Ectoparasites: fleas,
lice, ticks, mites
Worms: Spirocerca, Spirometra, Toxocara cati, Toxascaris
leonina, Capilaria, Trichuris, Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Strongyloides spp
larvae, Platynosomum fastosum, Giardia, Cystoisospora felis, Eimeria,
Toxoplasma-Hammondia oocyst, Sarcocystis sporocyst, Dicrofilaria
immitis(heartworm). Most of these parasites cause symptoms of diarrhea,
vomiting, anemia or rough fur coat.
Non infectious diseases most commonly causing morbidity include those of
the dental, gastrointestinal, integumentary and musculoskeletal systems.
- Gingivitis
- Periodontitis
- Dental
fractures (especially canines) of free ranging jaguars due to trauma
- Claw
disorders (due to excessive wear or failure to wear)
- Neoplasia
- Degenerative
spinal disorders
- Alopecia
(due to ectoparasites, excess licking or nutritional deficiency)
Conservation Status
The IUCN Red List has the jaguar as Near
Threatened. The main reasons for decline in the jaguar population are –
n Habitat destruction &
fragmentation
n Rancher-jaguar conflict
leading to revenge killing by livestock owners
n Poaching for the fur trade
n Loss of wild
prey
