The jaguar is a powerful feline and the largest cat living in America. It is the only representative of the genus Panthera in America. Above 68 to 76 cm at the shoulder, it is between 1.12 and 1.85 m long (excluding the tail, between 45 and 75 cm), and weighs between 36 and 158 kg. Note that females are 20% lighter and slightly less larger than males. Its coat is yellow, dotted with black rosettes spotted in the center (unique to each individual). Like the tiger, its fur cleared at the inside of the legs, stomach, throat and cheeks.
The jaguar is a feline. It belongs to the family of the lion, tiger, panther. It is the third largest cat in the world (after the tiger and lion) and the largest in the Americas. It looks like the leopard, but it is solid and his head is wider. Stains on his coat (also called rosettes) are also different. Champion swimmer, he lives near rivers and marshes. It is also a good climber. It hunts around: on land, in water or put on the lookout in a tree.
According to the history, the animal was once found on the Mexican border, but today can only be found in the Amazon basin. Jaguar generally live in the rainforest, wetlands, grasslands, and deciduous forest. In particular, the jaguar can be found in northern Mexico, northern and central South America, and the Amazon rain forest. Jaguars live alone and mark their territory with feces.
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The gestation lasts 91 to 111 days. Young jaguars are born blind and totally dependent on their mother. After 2 weeks, the young open their eyes. The dependence of their young mother lasts until they reach five or six months, when they begin to hunt with it. But the role of the mother does not stop there, as it will continue to protect them against predators, feed them and teach them the basics of life up to the age of 2 years. At that time, they finally left the maternal nest seek their own territory.
They are retractable. The claw marks, the deposits of urine and feces are used to mark their territory.
The coat of the jaguar is generally mottled yellow, but can range from brown to black. The animal is covered with rosettes camouflage jungle habitat. The spots vary in the same individual and between individuals: rosettes may include one or more points, and the shape of the dots varies.
The spots on the head, neck and tail are generally distinct from other spots, but on the body, they "merge" sometimes to form a band. The underside of the animal, the throat and the outer surface of the leg and lower flanks are white.
The jaguars feeds mainly on peccaries, deer, monkeys, tapirs, raccoons, badgers, armadillos, rabbits and other small mammals as well as birds, fish, dogs, crocodiles, alligators, lizards, snakes, turtles and their eggs and even, carrion. Where food is abundant, they often return to eat several consecutive nights. Also like to hunt domestic animals, such as pigs, horses, donkeys, goats or sheep.
They are solitary and generally found in the jungles bordering the great rivers and mangroves.
It is almost exclusively nocturnal and has great ability to see in the dark, during the day lies hidden somewhere among the rocks or among the thick undergrowth.
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The gestation period is 100 days, usually have two cubs, but can have up to four. Shortly before birth, the male leaves the female and her cubs alone care: keep them in caves or other shelters, and brings taught to hunt for their first year of life, until they can do it themselves. Then they will have to leave the country of their parents.
They have a keen sense of sight and hearing and smell, are very strong animals, smart and skilled as they can get to hunt large prey such as deer and tapirs.
From puppies live with their mother until they are, two years later living separate and lonely all his life, frequenting only other Jaguars in mating season, their gestation lasts between 90 and 110 days. On average they give birth to 2-4 pups per litter.
The jaguar hunts at any time of the day or night, is the top predator of the rainforest. It is often seen walking at night man-made trails.
Jaguar spends many hours licking their coats to remove any trace of odor from his victim, who could scare the next predator.
The jaguar is an animal often very territorial and defend very well from any other animal including man. It is the apex predator of the forest and no other animal dares to challenge him.
The jaguar attacks its prey by surprise from a hidden place. He chokes his victim by a bite to the throat or kills instantly piercing the back of the head with his fangs. Its powerful jaws enable it to pierce the skin of reptiles and shells of turtles. Once the victim beaten, she is dragged into a remote area to be eaten.
Jaguar reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3 or 4 years. Living in the tropics, the jaguar is therefore no specific season love. Birth, however, most often take place during the rainy season. The males immediately recognize the smell of urine from the female, when it is in heat. However, it has never observed affronts from male to female. The coupling is very brutal against him.
Unlike cats family in general, such as Lion, Tiger, Leopard, jaguar, enjoys swimming activity and often live near water sources. The jaguar is also capable of carrying its prey while swimming.
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The jaguar can live up to the age of 11 to 12 years in the wild. Unfortunately, almost 50% of them die before the age of 2 years. Illness, accidents, interactions with other animals or hunting are the main causes of death. In captivity, the jaguar can live up to the venerable age of 20 years.
Jaguar does not support intruders in its territory and defends the body and soul against other adult males. It marks its territory through vocalizations, scratching trees and defecating and urinating on the vegetation.
The jaguar is a primary animal nocturnal active at dusk and dawn. Despite this general behavior, it also happens to be active at any time of the day. If he spends most of his time in the shade of thick vegetation, in caves near the shore or in the trees during the flood season. The jaguar is dependent on the water, especially during the dry season when it is trying to protect from the heat. Kind of a loner, except during the mating season, the populations of jaguars can raise an individual to 15 km ² in the best case.
Conclusion: The jaguar is a feline mainly carnivorous. Mainly solitary hunter night, jaguar feeds on ungulates various, such as tapir, the peccary and deer. It also happens to hunt large rodents (Agoutis and Capybaras) and armadillos. The jaguar also attacks snakes, porcupines, capybaras and birds large. Hunter, but also a fisherman, the jaguar does not hesitate to catch fish with his foreleg, or to tackle larger, as the tortoise or the caiman.
