| Jaguar
- also called el tigre or tigre Americano
- largest New World member of the cat family, once found from
the U.S.-Mexican border southward to Patagonia, Argentina. Its
preferred habitats are usually swamps and wooded regions, but jaguars
also live in scrublands and deserts. The jaguar
is virtually extinct in the northern part of its original range and
survives in reduced numbers only in remote areas of Central and South
America; the largest known population exists in the Amazon rainforest.
Typical
coloration is orange to tan, with black spots arranged in rosettes
with a black spot in the centre. The jaguar resembles the leopard of
Africa and Asia, but the leopard lacks the black centre spot. Along
the midline of the jaguar's back is a row of long black spots that may
merge into a stripe. The base colour of the jaguar varies greatly from
white to black. Although brown and black jaguars appear to be solid-coloured,
spots are always faintly visible.
Jaguars
are also larger and more heavily built than leopards. The male jaguar,
which is generally larger than the female, attains a length of 5–9
feet, including the 2–3-foot tail, with a shoulder height of
2.3–2.6 feet; it weighs from 220 to 350 pounds. The jaguars of South
America are largest.
A
solitary predator, the jaguar is a stalk-and-ambush hunter; its name
comes from the Indian word yaguar, meaning “he
who kills with one leap.” Jaguars are swift and agile and are very
good climbers. They enter water freely and appear to enjoy bathing.
Although active during the day, jaguars hunt mainly at night and on
the ground. Capybara and peccary are their preferred prey, but
they will also take deer, birds, crocodilians, and fish. Livestock are
occasionally attacked in areas where ranches have replaced natural
habitat. The cat is a savage fighter when cornered but does not
normally attack humans.
Jaguars
adhere to a land tenure system much like cougars and tigers.
Females establish overlapping home ranges, and female offspring may
inherit land from their mothers. Males establish territories twice as
large as females and overlap the ranges of several females. Both sexes
mark their ranges with urine. Northern populations mate toward the end
of the year, but in the tropics mating activity seems not to be
restricted to a particular breeding season. After a gestation period
of about 100 days, the female bears one to four tiny spotted cubs
weighing less than 2 pounds that do not open their eyes for 13 days.
The mother raises the young for approximately two years. Full size and
sexual maturity are reached at three to four years.
The
jaguar is grouped along with lions and tigers with the big, or
roaring, cats and is the only such cat in the Western Hemisphere. The
jaguar's sound repertoire includes snarls, growls, and deep, hoarse
grunts.
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