The largest jaguar in the world lives in the Western Hemisphere - a dangerous, powerful beast that calls panic fear in neighboring animals. This cat, one of four species of the panther genus, is not tameable. In countries Latin America where the jaguar is found, it is called "el tigre", which means tiger. The animal is happy to hunt a large cattle than incurring the hatred of the farmers. Hunters shot the beast until the populations were almost completely destroyed.

The largest jaguar caught by hunters is considered to be an impressive specimen weighing 180 kg and 190 cm long. The usual weight is 70-110 kg. Females are 20% smaller, average body weight 60-80 kg. Height at the withers 60 - 85 cm Jaguar surprisingly secretive and resourceful. He copes with any prey. Wildlife researchers unanimously argue that it is impossible to see a jaguar if he himself does not want to.

Jaguar habitats

A million years ago, the predator lived in vast expanses of both North and South America. In his travels, he traveled to what is now Florida and Texas. However, since the beginning of the forties of the last century, not a single jaguar was seen here in wildlife. In Central America, predatory cat populations were practically exterminated at the beginning of the 20th century.


By nature, jaguars are great travel lovers. They came from Mexico to the United States, but farmers and hunters so actively suppressed these visits that the number of wild cats here also declined rapidly.

The only place where the jaguar lives relatively comfortably in wild nature, these are the pampas of South America. He also lives comfortably in the local forests. But meet the predator outside national park or nature reserves succeed infrequently. Such an event is classified as a rare success.


Man still destroys forests and other jaguar hunting grounds. Despite this, predator populations are distributed from central Patagonia to the northern end of South America. On the outskirts of the range, the cat is found in shrubs and semi-deserts.

In Mexico and Central America, there is still a ruthless hunt for the jaguar. But in Brazil, in the swampy regions of the province of Mato Grosso, there is a large population of these animals. The largest jaguars in the world are also found here. In El Salvador and Uruguay, jaguars have been completely exterminated.

Interesting features of the exterior and behavior

jaguar long years destroyed because of a luxurious fur coat. In nature, it is impossible to meet two individuals with the same color. The skin from dark red to bright yellow with dark blotches and fawn inclusions on the stomach caused the handsome men to be killed by the thousands. Neck, paws and head covered with dark specks. There are specimens with an excess of melanin, and then the color of the animal is almost black, but in bright light, the “rosettes” inherent only to it are visible.


An animal in the prime of life sometimes reaches a height of 2 meters. People have hunted them for centuries and presumably weighed them. There is information that the weight of individual animals varies from 110 to 180 kg.


The closest relative of the jaguar, the leopard, lives in the Old World. At the same time, the jaguar has a larger, lobed head, a strong, dense physique and powerful paws. On the skin of a "rosette" on a brown or dark yellow background, larger than that of a leopard.


Often the thickets of the tropics are awakened by the deafening roar of a cat that went hunting. In this case, she behaves similarly to relatives - a lion, leopard or tiger. The inhabitants of these places panic, as there is no escape from this predator anywhere - neither on a tree, nor in the water.

Jaguar hunting features

The jaguar is a loner, lives apart from other relatives, hunts in its own territory, like all cats. The area that the animal considers its own varies from 25 to 100 km2. It depends on the configuration of the landscape and the availability of food. Interestingly, the territory has the form of a triangle. For 2-3 days, the animal hunts in one of the areas of the area, and then moves to another. Periodically visits border points - every 10-13 days.


The predator is intolerant of other felines in its territory, but surprisingly tolerant of members of its own species. Often the ranges overlap. Jaguar hunting hours are twilight after sunset and at dawn.

Favorite objects:

  • bakers;
  • capybara;
  • monkeys;
  • turtles.

Peccary is a type of wild boar. The capybara is the largest representative of the rodent family in the world weighing 50 kg. But the predator hunts for almost any game that is in its habitat.

There is no escape from the claws of the jaguar, even for the caiman - the South American crocodile. Jumping off a cliff onto a reptile, the jaguar breaks its neck and tears its thick hide with its fangs. It also hunts a turtle - it jumps on it, turns it over and pulls it out of its shell with sharp claws.

Often a cat gets out of the thickets and wanders along the sea coast in search of turtle eggs buried in the sand. Birds, snakes and rodents often get to the predator for lunch. There have been cases of jaguar attacks on the largest reptiles in the world - anacondas. In addition, the cat, like many of its relatives, imitates the voices of animals. Monkeys readily succumb to such a provocation.

The jaguar is an excellent swimmer, climbs trees very well, actively chases the victim in the water of rivers and lakes, and also climbs up the treetops after them.

The cat prefers to hunt in thickets. Having caught and killed the victim, she takes it to a secluded corner in order to dine without interference. In other parts of the world, felines prey on deer and other ungulates. In South America, such animals are not found, and the jaguar considers large and small cattle to be prey.

The predator prefers to attack from an ambush, hiding in the branches of trees or in thick grass. It hides in thickets of plants along the banks of reservoirs or near the path leading to a watering hole. Jumps from the back or side, grabbing the victim by the neck. Attacking a cow or a buffalo, he tries to knock the victim down and knock him to the ground. Often because of this, the object of hunting is severely injured, breaking the vertebrae, and dies.


The jaguar differs from other cats in that it often bites powerful fangs victim's skull. The predator runs fast, but also soon gets tired. Long chases are not his hunting style. Therefore, if the victim escaped, then the jaguar does not pursue it. When hunting, the cat emits a staccato guttural growl, and at night and during the mating season, it roars deafeningly. The predator eats prey from the head, gradually moving to the middle. Having caught a large specimen, the cat remains near the killed animal, eating in two doses with a break of 10-12 hours.

Lions, tigers and leopards sometimes become cannibals. There is no consensus among zoologists about the jaguar. However, the predator without hesitation rushes at the hunters, not making out who is in front of him - a dog or a person. The experience of centuries has taught the predator to avoid humans. But cases are noted when he broke into huts and grabbed domestic animals, children or old people as prey.

Of the cats in the Western Hemisphere, only the puma can be compared with the jaguar, but that smaller, is lighter and has a more compact head.

Jaguar breeding

Jaguar breeding takes place all year round. In the wild, too, there is no order. Ready for mating, the female goes in search of love adventures to other people's hunting grounds. Often the company consists of 3-4 "cavaliers". Fights between males do not happen, the choice is made by the female.


Having chosen a partner for herself, the lady goes to the territory of the gentleman and remains there for the duration of mating. After that, he leaves the house of the chosen one and goes home. Pregnancy lasts 100 days, plus or minus 2 days. From 1 to 4 kittens are born, already covered with a bright fur coat. Two kittens weighing 800 g appear more often. 2 weeks after birth, their eyes are cut through.


Babies feed on their mother's milk for a year, after which they take care of themselves. The parent lives nearby and occasionally feeds the family, although the female takes care and upbringing. The ability to reproduce in young animals appears by the age of three. Young leave the den after six weeks, and leave the mother only after determining their own hunting grounds.

Jaguar in ancient history

Before the discovery of America by the ancient civilizations of Peru and Mexico, the jaguar was elevated to the rank of god. Peruvian sculptors of that time created stone statues in the form of a half-man, half-jaguar and worshiped them. At the same time, 2.5 thousand kilometers from these places, in Mexico, stone statues of the jaguar god also appear. This fact is the enigmatic secret of archeology, since no connection between these civilizations distant from each other has been found.


These facts indicate how much the ancient peoples were interested in the jaguar and how great the cult was. amazing cat, which became a symbol of the power of early human civilizations.

Unfortunately, jaguar populations in the wild have suffered greatly from poaching and the thoughtless destruction of predators. The species is listed in the Red Book and is protected by states. In some countries in Latin America, shooting is allowed, and in Bolivia they even sell hunting licenses for the purpose of obtaining trophies. In order not to admire the jaguars then only in the photo, humanity is obliged to make every effort to preserve these animals.

Jaguars- lat. Panthera onca, belong to the subfamily large kosh, are representatives of the class of mammals. The jaguar is an interesting member of the cat family. This largest predator of all cats.

Structure

His characteristic distinctive features- This is a muscular powerful body with short legs, big head, not very long tail (45-75 cm), short thick hair and, of course, a specific color - from sandy to bright red. The black spots on the skin of the jaguar have a variety of shapes - both solid, and rings, and rosettes, the belly and throat are white, like inner side paws. The jaguar is similar in color to a leopard, but in itself it is larger (body length is from 120 to 185 cm excluding the tail), the head is larger, the tail is shorter. Female jaguars are slightly smaller than males.

habitation

The habitat of jaguars is now significantly reduced. If earlier they could be found in Central and South America, now we are talking already about South America, the south of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina. They were practically exterminated in El Salvador and Uruguay. Unfortunately, it was because of their beautiful skin and skills as a good hunter that the population greatly decreased. Somewhere they were shot for the sake of another fur coat, and somewhere livestock were saved from them. Jaguars prefer to live in tropical rainforests, but they can sometimes be found in highlands, and on the coast, where they like to dig up turtle eggs.

The nature, lifestyle and nutrition of jaguars

The jaguar is a solitary predator by nature. You can only meet a pair of these animals during the mating period. The hunting grounds of these cats extend from 25 to 100 km, depending on the amount of game that lives. Jaguars are quite friendly to their relatives, so hunting zones may overlap somewhere. At the same time, jaguars do not like other representatives of the cat family. This predator prefers to hunt either before sunrise or after sunset. In the daytime, jaguars rest in some cool cave. The main technique in hunting is an ambush near the drinking trails of animals. They often set up an ambush in the trees, from where with one powerful jump they knock their victim down and cling to her neck. No wonder the name "jaguar" means a beast that kills with one jump. It is this fatal jump for the victim that is enough to fracture the cervical vertebrae. In hunting, the jaguar is helped by its short paws, thanks to which it climbs trees well, as well as the ability to swim, which leaves the victim no chance of salvation even in the water. The jaguar cannot boast of high speed, and therefore usually does not try to catch up with the runaway animal. This predator hunts ungulates such as deer mazam, loves tapirs and capybaras, but will not refuse monkeys, foxes, birds, and even (despite their strong shell). Sometimes jaguars are not averse to hunting livestock. The animal eats the caught prey in one or two approaches, it does not return to it anymore, since jaguars do not like to eat carrion.

reproduction

As such, the mating season in jaguars is not distinguished, it can be at any time. After mating, after about 100 days, the female brings 1-4 kittens weighing an average of 800 g. Small jaguars are under the protection of the female until the age of two, after which they gradually find their hunting territory and begin an independent life. These beautiful predators live on average for about twenty years. Despite the fact that jaguars breed well in captivity, their population today is very small and requires careful handling.

Class - mammals (mammalia)

Detachment - predatory (carnivora)

Family - cats (felidae)

Subfamily - big cats (pantherinae)

Genus - panthers (panthera)

View - jaguar (panthera onca)

Scientists for the first time managed to obtain relatively accurate data on how many people live in the world Far Eastern leopards. This was reported to RG by the chief public relations specialist of the Leopard Land National Park, Maria Okulova.

Previously, Russian scientists operated with data obtained on the territory of only our country. According to the latest monitoring, in the south Far East inhabited by about 70 Red Book predators. According to experts, the growth of the population and the proximity of the border with China gave reason to believe that some of the cats moved outside of Russia, but until recently, data on the number of leopards in the neighboring state were unknown.

The situation changed in the summer of 2015, when employees of Beijing Normal University arrived in Vladivostok. In China, only they study the populations of the Far Eastern leopard and Amur tiger. Photo monitoring of rare cats in China has been conducted since July 2012 on an area of ​​six thousand square kilometers. For three years of work, Chinese scientists have received a lot of data, which they shared with their Russian colleagues.

Comparison of images of leopards revealed many coincidences of individuals, which indicates the active movement of predators across the border. After analyzing the data of photo monitoring on the territory of the two countries for 2014, scientists have established that the global population of the Far Eastern leopard is at least 80 individuals, said Maria Okulova.

According to the minister natural resources and ecology of the Russian Federation by Sergey Donskoy, the appearance of the Far Eastern leopard in China is the result of many years of work by Russian specialists.

Now we hope that our Chinese colleagues will support our initiative, and with the help of two states we will be able to bring the population of this cat in the wild to a stable level, protecting it from the threat of extinction,” Donskoy said.

The leaders of the National Park "Land of the Leopard" and Beijing Normal University signed a long-term cooperation agreement. First of all, the document involves the exchange of data on the number of rare cats near the border of the two countries.

Help "RG"

The Far Eastern leopard is the rarest of the big cats on the planet. Leopard hunting has been banned since 1956, the predator is listed in the Red Book International Union nature conservation, the Red Book of Russia, as well as a number of other security documents.

A large-scale study of the Far Eastern leopard population in Russia is being carried out using photo monitoring over an area of ​​three thousand square kilometers with the support of the Russian Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology, the Russian geographical society, ANO "Far Eastern Leopards", the Russian Academy of Sciences, WWF, WCS and other non-governmental environmental organizations.

Jaguar

Jaguar (Panthera onca) - species predatory mammals of the cat family, one of four representatives of the genus Panthera (Panthera), which belongs to the subfamily big cats. The only representative of the genus in North and South America. The third largest in the world, and the largest representative of the cat family in the New World. This kind of predator extends from Mexico south to Paraguay and northern Argentina.

Body length without tail 120-185 cm, tail 45-75 cm, weight 36-113 kg, mostly 60-90 kg, in some cases up to 120 kg. The record in nature is 158 kg. The female is 20% smaller and lighter. An ordinary normal adult male of a large subspecies weighs about 90-110 kg, and a female 60-80 kg. The height at the withers is 68-76 cm, rarely up to 81 cm.

The lifestyle of jaguars is solitary. Like all predatory cats, jaguars are territorial animals; the area of ​​​​the territory of one jaguar occupies from 25 (for females) to 100 square kilometers, depending on the landscape and the amount of game, as well as the gender of the beast. As a rule, the hunting area of ​​the male is a triangle in shape. On its territory, the male hunts for 3-4 days in a certain area, and then moves to another area. In addition, the beast visits certain "border points" every five or fifteen days. For this reason, the jaguar is a real tramp, constantly "staggering" through the selva. The jaguar is extremely intolerant of other felines (particularly cougars) on its territory, but is quite peaceful towards its relatives and the hunting territories of jaguars often overlap.

The jaguar is a crepuscular predator. Its most active hunting hours are after sunset (approximately from 18:30 to 21:30) and before dawn (from 03:00 to 06:00). It often goes hunting on moonlit nights.
Its main prey is capybaras and ungulates like mazama deer, peccaries and tapirs, but it also attacks birds, monkeys, foxes, snakes, and rodents. The jaguar also hunts turtles - its powerful jaws are able to bite through their shells. It also digs turtle eggs from the sand on the ocean coast, sometimes rushes at sleeping alligators or snatches fish from the water. The jaguar swims excellently and rarely misses a prey that seeks salvation in the water like this how, of all cats, he is most indifferent to water and spends a long time in ponds.


The main hunting method of the jaguar is ambush in tall grass or in a tree. Usually he arranges such an ambush on the shore of a reservoir in the grass or on paths leading to a watering hole. When attacking the victim, the jaguar, as a rule, jumps on it from the back or from the side, grabbing the neck. Most often, when attacking livestock, the jaguar seeks to knock down the victim, which is severely, and sometimes fatally, injured at the time of the fall. Unlike other large cats, the jaguar sometimes bites through the skull of the victim. If the prey has discovered a predator and flees, the jaguar never pursues it.

Brazilian hunters attribute to the jaguar the ability to hypnotize its prey. Having killed its prey, the jaguar begins to eat the prey from the head, gradually moving towards its back. If the prey is large, the predator stays with it, satisfying its hunger in two steps, with an interval of 10-12 hours. It is characteristic that the jaguar almost does not feed on carrion, therefore it very rarely returns to the remains of its prey.
On the hunt, the jaguar will emit a low guttural grunt, and at night and mating season roar deafeningly.
Very few cases of jaguar attacks on people are known, and even fewer unprovoked ones. Cannibalism among these predators is an exceptional phenomenon. It is usually not aggressive, but rather curious and often pursues a person through the forest without showing hostile intentions, but occasionally rushes at people. People who unexpectedly met a jaguar in a thicket experienced a strange sense of reverence and some surprise .Although people have talked a lot about the bloodthirstiness of the jaguar, about his blind, indomitable thirst to kill, but these stories often turn into tales. The jaguar is not as scary as it is presented, and a person should rather call himself a "born killer".

The jaguar does not have a specific breeding season. The female is ready for mating in the third year of life. Although the jaguar is a solitary animal, during weddings they can gather in small groups. It is characteristic that there are almost no duels between males, and the choice of a partner completely depends on the female. After choosing, the female moves to the territory of the chosen one. The male stays with the female only for the mating season.

Approximately 100 days after conception, in a den among stones, in a dense bush or hollow, the female gives birth to two to four cubs. Their pattern has more black than their parents, and it does not consist of rosettes, but of solid spots. In the den, young jaguars spend six weeks, and hunt with their mother until they find a suitable territory for hunting.
According to various sources, there are from 3 to 9 subspecies of the jaguar, of which at least 1 (Texas) has been exterminated.
Jaguar hunting is strictly prohibited in all habitats, except for French Guiana, which ignores the convention for the protection of endangered species!!!
In captivity, the jaguar lives up to 22-25 years.

Known subspecies:
Panthera onca onca, found in the Amazon rainforest;
Panthera onca arizonensis - in Mexico;
Panthera onca centralis - in Central America;
Panthera onca goldmani - in Mexico and Belize;
Panthera onca hernandesii - in Mexico;
Panthera onca palustris - in Southern Brazil;
Panthera onca paraguensis - in Paraguay;
Panthera onca peruvianus - in Peru and Ecuador;
Panthera onca veracrucis - in Texas.

The oldest remains of the jaguar date back to about 2 million years ago. In those days, the jaguar inhabited the entire south of the present USA. Now the range of the jaguar has been reduced to a third of the original.

Name: The name of the jaguar supposedly comes from the word yaguara (jaguarete), which means "a beast that kills with one leap." Some tribes of the Indians of the Amazon called the jaguar - iawa.
Panthera onca Latin translates as "catcher" and "thorn, thorn" (implying the powerful claws of the jaguar).

area: North and South America(South of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Panama, El Salvador, Uruguay, Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana).

Description: the largest wild cat in the New World. Externally, the jaguar is very similar to the leopard, but larger and heavier, and the head is larger. The limbs are short and powerful, which makes the jaguar look squat. The structure of the skull of the jaguar is closer to the tiger than to the leopard, but it is colored in the same way as the latter. Ears are rounded. The fur is thick and short. Females weigh 20% less than males.

Color: basic body color from sandy to bright red ocher. Underside (throat, belly, inside of paws) - white. Spots are scattered over the body: solid, rings and rosettes (they are slightly darker than the general background of the body). Black spots on the head and legs. On the tail, a pattern of ring spots and rosettes is noticeable (the wool is light inside them). The ears are black on the outside, with a yellow spot in the middle. There are also completely black individuals, outwardly similar to panthers.

The size: body length 150-180 cm, tail - 70-91 cm, height at withers 51-76 cm.

Weight: 56-150 kg, on average more than 100 kg.

Lifespan: in nature up to 10 years, in captivity up to 25 years in captivity.

jaguar roar
It can roar like a lion, and also purrs and purrs. The voice of the jaguar resembles a hoarse barking cough or the sound of sawn wood.

Habitat: occupies various habitats (dense impenetrable forests, woodlands, steppe, coastal groves, reed beds). Prefers flat tropical rain forests with high humidity. Avoids open plains covered with grass. He loves water and spends a lot of time in ponds.

Enemies: the main enemy is man.

Food: the diet of the jaguar is quite diverse - small and large vertebrates: birds, reptiles (caimans and alligators,), large rodents(capybaras), fish, primates, wild pigs, amphibians, deer.

Behavior: The jaguar is active at any time of the day. Usually goes hunting at dusk and moonlit nights.
It climbs trees well and deftly, but prefers to move on the ground. He loves water and spends as much time in it as possible. Swims great.
Most often, the jaguar hunts from an ambush, which he arranges on the banks of reservoirs, in tall grass, on trees, on paths leading to a watering hole. Attacking the victim, it jumps on its back, trying to knock it down, and grabbing the victim by the neck. The bite of a jaguar is so strong that it is able to bite through the skull of a cow.
The jaguar is able to cope with dobey, which weighs up to 300 kg. It hunts for fish from the shore, throwing it out of the water with powerful paws. It hunts for monkeys in trees or near a watering hole. Never pursues prey if it starts to run away.
Prey begins to eat from the head, gradually moving towards the back. If the prey is large, the jaguar stays near it for some time. Almost does not feed on carrion.

social structure: outside the breeding season, the jaguar is solitary. Territorial, area of ​​the site occupies 25-170 km2. The size of the hunting area depends on the landscape, the abundance of prey, and the sex. In one area (within its territory), the male stays no more than 3-4 days, and then goes further. It is extremely intolerant of other members of the cat family (for example, cougars), but at the same time it is peaceful towards its own kind - the hunting grounds of jaguars often intersect with each other.

reproduction: the female notifies the males of the onset of estrus, leaving urine marks on the trees. During weddings, jaguars gather in small groups. Fights between males are absent, because. The choice of a partner is entirely up to the female. After her choice, she moves into the territory of the male and stays there for several days. Often one female mates with several males.
For the den, the female chooses a place among stones, in thickets of bushes or in hollows of trees.
The female does not enter estrus as long as the cubs remain with her.

Season/breeding period: during the whole year.

Puberty: females at 2-3 years old, males at 3-4 years old.

Pregnancy A: 93-110 days.

Offspring: there are 1-4 spotted kittens in the litter. Cubs begin to leave the den at 1.5 months of age. At the same age, their mother begins to take them hunting with her.
Mortality among kittens is high, only 50% of young jaguars survive to two years.
The cubs live with their mother for two years, and then they begin to then begin an independent life.

Benefit / harm to humans: The jaguar is dangerous to humans, but most often attacks during defense. There is evidence that when meeting blacks and whites, he prefers to attack the first.
Easily tolerates captivity and breeds in zoos.
It attacks livestock, which is why it is actively pursued by farmers.
Jaguars are hunted for their beautiful fur.

Population/Conservation Status : The jaguar is almost or completely extirpated from most of its range.
The main threat to the species: poaching, habitat reduction.
The species is included in International Red List of the IUCN.
Currently 9 subspecies are recognized Panthera onca, which differ both in size and in color and patterns on the body: P.o. onca- Amazonia, P.o. arizonensis- Mexico, P.o. centralis - Central America, P.o. goldmani- Mexico, Belize, P.o. hernandesii- Mexico, P.o. palustris - Southern Brazil, P.o. paraguensis- Paraguay, P.o. peruvianus- Peru, Ecuador, P.o. veracrucis- to Texas.
2 million years ago, the jaguar inhabited the entire south of the current United States. Currently, the range of the species has been reduced to a third of the original.
It crosses with a leopard and a panther and produces hybrids capable of further procreation.

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