They are confident swimmers, known to cross large rivers. 
Jaguars can be melanistic", where they appear almost as if they are black jaguars. Undercover investigations revealed that the smuggling of jaguar body parts is run by Chinese residents in Bolivia. [38][64][65] However, this is a commonly misidentified term as melanistic jaguars (and leopards) are known as black panthers. The first official record of a jaguar killing a human in Brazil dates to June 2008. [1], In 2002, it was estimated that the range of the jaguar had declined to about 46% of its range in the early 20th century. Rock drawings made by the Hopi, Anasazi and Pueblo all over the desert and chaparral regions of the American Southwest show an explicitly spotted cat, presumably a jaguar, as it is drawn much larger than an ocelot. Since co-occurring mammals benefit from the JCU approach, the jaguar has been called an umbrella species. DNA paternity testing of blood samples revealed that the male was the father of the cubs. Its habitat is fragmented in northern Mexico, in the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatn Peninsula, caused by changes in land use, construction of roads and tourism infrastructure. [97] It begins eating at the neck and chest. It is considered to be locally extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay. [70], The jaguar roars or grunts for long-distance communication;[4][73] intensive bouts of counter-calling between individuals have been observed in the wild. "Onca" is derived from the Portuguese name ona for a spotted cat in Brazil that is larger than a lynx. ", "Studying jaguars in the wild: past experiences and future perspectives", "Ancient Mayans Probably Kept Jaguars As Pets And Raised Dogs For Food", People and Jaguars a Guide for Coexistence, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jaguar&oldid=1098783850, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles containing undetermined-language text, Articles containing Guyanese Creole English-language text, Articles containing Portuguese-language text, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the Encyclopedia Americana with a Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 July 2022, at 13:41. [121] The name of the Muisca ruler Nemequene was derived from the Chibcha words nymy and quyne, meaning "force of the jaguar". [32] In floodplains, jaguars opportunistically take reptiles such as turtles and caimans. [137][138], Sculptures with "Olmec were-jaguar" motifs were found on the Yucatn Peninsula in Veracruz and Tabasco; they show stylized jaguars with half-human faces. [131] Ecotourism setups are being used to generate public interest in charismatic animals such as the jaguar while at the same time generating revenue that can be used in conservation efforts. Seizure reports indicate that at least 857 jaguars were involved in trade between 2012 and 2018, including 482 individuals in Bolivia alone; 31 jaguars were seized in China. He, therefore, concluded that they are most closely related to each other. The daily food requirement of a captive jaguar weighing 34kg (75lb) was estimated at 1.4kg (3.1lb) of meat. In central Mexico, both prey on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), which makes up 54% and 66% of jaguar and cougar's prey, respectively. [109] Thus, the keystone predator hypothesis is not accepted by all scientists. [144] [107] [35][36] [51] His mean ejaculate volume is 8.61.3ml. [19], Two extinct subspecies of jaguar are recognized in the fossil record: the North American P. o. augusta and South American P. o. [101] [73] However, this is disputed, as even in areas where jaguars prey on reptiles, they are taken relatively infrequently in comparison to their abundance, and mammals still dominate the cat's diet. The spots and their shapes vary: on the sides, they become rosettes which may include one or several dots. [4], The jaguar's coat ranges from pale yellow to tan or reddish-yellow, with a whitish underside and covered in black spots. [43], Melanistic jaguars are also known as black panthers. They can even tackle South Americas largest animal, the tapir, and huge predators like caiman. [99] [11] [126], An evaluation of JCUs from Mexico to Argentina revealed that they overlap with high-quality habitats of about 1,500 mammals to varying degrees. Adopt an animal today and help protect some of our most endangered wildlife and support other vital work around our planet. But their sizes can vary a lot between regions - jaguars in central America can be roughly half the size of jaguars in the Pantanal. Significant declines occurred in the 1960s, as more than 15,000 jaguars were yearly killed for their skins in the Brazilian Amazon alone; the trade in jaguar skins decreased since 1973 when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species was enacted. [117], The jaguar is listed on CITES Appendix I, which means that all international commercial trade in jaguars or their body parts is prohibited. In Venezuela, the jaguar was extirpated in about 26% of its range in the country since 1940, mostly in dry savannas and unproductive scrubland in the northeastern region of Anzotegui. 
This sound is described as short, low intensity, non-threatening snorts, possibly intended to signal tranquility and passivity. The word 'jaguar' comes from the indigenous word 'yaguar', which means 'he who kills with one leap'. [57] A young male jaguar was also recorded in the semi-arid Sierra de San Carlos at a waterhole. When jaguars greet each other, or reassure one another, they make a noise like a nasally snuffling. Its broader prey niche, including its ability to take smaller prey, may give it an advantage over the jaguar in human-altered landscapes. The jaguar has also been termed a keystone species, as it is assumed that it controls the population levels of prey such as herbivorous and seed-eating mammals and thus maintains the structural integrity of forest systems. Capybaras, deer, tortoises, iguanas, armadillos, fish, birds and monkeys are just some of the prey that jaguars eat. Jaguars living in forests are often darker and considerably smaller than those living in open areas, possibly due to the smaller numbers of large, herbivorous prey in forest areas. The Aztecs formed an elite warrior class known as the Jaguar warrior. "A range-wide model of landscape connectivity and conservation for the jaguar, "The Jaguar Corridor Initiative: A range-wide conservation strategy", "Designation of Critical Habitat for Jaguar; Proposed Rule", "A systematic review of potential habitat suitability for the jaguar, "Beyond words: From jaguar population trends to conservation and public policy in Mexico", "Assessing the umbrella value of a rangewide conservation network for jaguars (, "Threatened amphibians sheltered under the big cat's umbrella: conservation of jaguars, "Are Private Reserves Effective for Jaguar Conservation?
and the geographic origin of the genus is most likely northern Central Asia. There are around 173,000 jaguars left in the world today, and most of these big cats are found in the Amazon rainforest and the Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland. [87] They have been recorded moving between islands and the shore. [34] [37], Further variations in size have been observed across regions and habitats, with size tending to increase from north to south. Seven of 13 corridors in Mexico are functioning with a width of at least 14.25km (8.85mi) and a length of no more than 320km (200mi). [62] Unlike many domestic cats, jaguars dont avoid water. 
The jaguar also preys on livestock in cattle ranching areas where wild prey is scarce. A radio-collared female moved in a home range of 2538km2 (9.714.7sqmi), which partly overlapped with another female. It has powerful jaws with the third-highest bite force of all felids, after the tiger and the lion. [5][6] Indigenous peoples in Guyana call it jaguaret. [8] The word "panther" is derived from classical Latin panthra, itself from the ancient Greek (pnthr). Human-wildlife conflict, opportunistic hunting and hunting for trade in domestic markets are key drivers for killing jaguars in Belize and Guatemala. An analysis of 53 studies documenting the diet of the jaguar revealed that its prey ranges in weight from 1 to 130kg (2.2 to 286.6lb); it prefers prey weighing 4585kg (99187lb), with capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) being significantly preferred. [122] [73], The jaguar's bite force allows it to pierce the carapaces of the yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) and the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus). [127] [89] Jaguars are opportunistic hunters and can prey upon almost anything they come across. [68] When breeding, a pair of jaguars may mate up to 100 times a day. Hunting jaguars is restricted in Guatemala and Peru. The size of home ranges depends on the level of deforestation and human population density. The black morph is less common than the spotted one. [83][130], Current conservation efforts often focus on educating ranch owners and promoting ecotourism. The ambush may include leaping into water after prey, as a jaguar is quite capable of carrying a large kill while swimming; its strength is such that carcasses as large as a heifer can be hauled up a tree to avoid flood levels. [38], The jaguar is an obligate carnivore and depends solely on flesh for its nutrient requirements. [46] Black jaguars were also photographed in Costa Rica's Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve, in the mountains of the Cordillera de Talamanca, in Barbilla National Park and in eastern Panama. [4][32][33] It stands 68 to 75cm (26.8 to 29.5in) tall at the shoulders. [80] In one wetland population with broken down territorial boundaries and a high population density, adults of the same sex have been observed fishing, traveling and playing together. "Supermatrix and species tree methods resolve phylogenetic relationships within the big cats, "Oldest known pantherine skull and evolution of the tiger", "Retrospective Study of Morbidity and Mortality of Captive Jaguars (, "Food habits of jaguars and pumas in Jalisco, Mexico", "Why the leopard got its spots: relating pattern development to ecology in felids", "Bite club: comparative bite force in big biting mammals and the prediction of predatory behavior in fossil taxa", "Canine morphology in the larger Felidae: implications for feeding ecology", "Bite Force Estimation and the Fiber Architecture of Felid Masticatory Muscles", "Molecular Genetics and Evolution of Melanism in the Cat Family", "First documentation of melanism in the jaguar (, "Natural Selection of Melanism in Costa Rican Jaguar and Oncilla: A Test of Gloger's Rule and the Temporal Segregation Hypothesis", "Is the Jaguar entitled to a place in the Californian fauna? [9], In 1758, Carl Linnaeus described the jaguar in his work Systema Naturae and gave it the scientific name Felis onca. [91], In the Pantanal, breeding pairs were observed to stay together for up to five days. Deforestation rates are high in South America, both for logging and to clear space for cattle ranching. Their stronghold is in Brazil it may hold around half of the estimated wild numbers. After killing prey, the jaguar will drag the carcass to a thicket or other secluded spot. [69] One remote population in the Brazilian Pantanal is recorded to primarily feed on aquatic reptiles and fish. To the untrained eye, jaguars can be mistaken for leopards as they look similar, but you can tell the difference from their rosettes (circular markings): Jaguars have black dots in the middle of some of their rosettes, whereas leopards dont. [113] In 1977, groups consisting of a male, female and cubs, and two females with two males were sighted several times in a study area in the Paraguay River valley. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2002, as the jaguar population has probably declined by 2025% since the mid-1990s. During estrus, she exhibits increased restlessness with rolling and prolonged vocalizations. This increase is seen as a positive effect of conservation measures that were implemented in cooperation with governmental and non-governmental institutions and landowners. [51] [4] Chuffing is produced by individuals when greeting, during courting, or by a mother comforting her cubs. Between August 2016 and August 2019, jaguar skins and body parts were seen for sale in tourist markets in the Peruvian cities of Lima, Iquitos and Pucallpa. [35] [4] These patterns serve as camouflage in areas with dense vegetation and patchy shadows. [2] The gorget shows evenly-engraved lines and measures 104mm 98mm (4.1in 3.9in). They are elongated on the middle of the back, often connecting to create a median stripe, and blotchy on the belly. [105] The Maya saw these powerful felines as their companions in the spiritual world, and several Maya rulers bore names that incorporated the Mayan word for jaguar b'alam in many of the Mayan languages. [63] Jaguars are good swimmers and play and hunt in the water, possibly more than tigers. Estrus lasts 715 days with an estrus cycle of 41.8 to 52.6 days. These areas, called "Jaguar Conservation Units" (JCUs), are large enough for at least 50 breeding individuals and range in size from 566 to 67,598km2 (219 to 26,100sqmi); 51 JCUs were designated in 36 geographic regions including:[53], Optimal routes of travel between core jaguar population units were identified across its range in 2010 to implement wildlife corridors that connect JCUs. ", "Characteristics of, and uncertainties about, illegal jaguar trade in Belize and Guatemala", "Illegal trade in wild cats and its link to Chineseled development in Central and South America", Unveiling the criminal networks behind jaguar trafficking in Bolivia, "Cockscomb revisited: jaguar diet in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize". [10] The length from the nose to the base of the tail varies from 1.12 to 1.85m (3ft 8in to 6ft 1in). [93] The cougar's prey usually weighs between 2 and 22kg (4 and 49lb), which is thought to be the reason for its smaller size. It has been recorded at elevations up to 3,800m (12,500ft) but avoids montane forests. Thats exhausting. [4], In captivity, the female jaguar is recorded to reach sexual maturity at the age of about 2.5 years. [96], The Spanish conquistadors feared the jaguar. Jaguars in Venezuela and Brazil are much larger, with average weights of about 95kg (209lb) in males and of about 5678kg (123172lb) in females. The wild population is thought to have declined since the late 1990s. This leads them to hunt livestock and be killed by people. Pregnancy lasts around 14 weeks, then the female usually gives birth to two jaguar cubs (though she can have up to four). The smallest females weigh about 36kg (79lb). The cat will slowly walk down forest paths, listening for and stalking prey before rushing or ambushing. [102]
In 1939, Reginald Innes Pocock recognized eight subspecies based on the geographic origins and skull morphology of these specimens. She is an induced ovulator but can also ovulate spontaneously. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several jaguar type specimens formed the basis for descriptions of subspecies. [22], The Panthera lineage is estimated to have genetically diverged from the common ancestor of the Felidae around 9.32to4.47 million years ago to 11.75to0.97 million years ago,[23][24][25] [58], The jaguar is mostly active at night and during twilight.
In 1919, sightings of jaguars were reported in the Monterey, California region. In South America, the jaguar is larger than the cougar and tends to take larger prey, usually over 22kg (49lb). Exceptionally big males have been recorded to weigh as much as 158kg (348lb). [29][30] Fossils of modern jaguars have been found in North America dating to over 850,000 years ago.
When available, it also preys on marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla), collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) and black agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa). [136] It is adept at swimming and is largely a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush apex predator. The heart and lungs are consumed, followed by the shoulders. The jaguar is threatened by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, poaching for trade with its body parts and killings in humanwildlife conflict situations, particularly with ranchers in Central and South America. [129], To estimate population sizes within specific areas and to keep track of individual jaguars, camera trapping and wildlife tracking telemetry are widely used, and feces are sought out with the help of detection dogs to study jaguar health and diet. Pocock did not have access to sufficient zoological specimens to critically evaluate their subspecific status but expressed doubt about the status of several. As a keystone species, it plays an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and in regulating prey populations. [134] In the Muisca religion in Altiplano Cundiboyacense, the jaguar was considered a sacred animal, and people dressed in jaguar skins during religious rituals. The crest of the Argentine Rugby Union features a jaguar. [82] [73][74] It employs an unusual killing method: it bites mammalian prey directly through the skull between the ears to deliver a fatal bite to the brain. Join us and you can help stop the illegal wildlife trade and tackle other threats facing our natural world. [116] It has been hypothesized to be an adaptation to "cracking open" turtle shells; armored reptiles may have formed an abundant prey base for the jaguar following the late Pleistocene extinctions. It has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2002. Its size and weight vary considerably: weights are normally in the range of 5696kg (123212lb). In the Andes, a jaguar cult disseminated by the early Chavn culture became accepted over most of today's Peru by 900 BC.
Its muscular legs are shorter than the legs of other Panthera species with similar body weight. [31], The jaguar is a compact and well-muscled animal. [125], In Mexico, a national conservation strategy was developed from 2005 on and published in 2016. With a body length of up to 1.85m (6ft 1in) and a weight of up to 158kg (348lb), it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the third largest in the world. This situation may be advantageous to the cougar. The jaguar has featured prominently in the mythology of indigenous peoples of the Americas, including those of the Aztec and Maya civilizations. Jaguars remain with their mothers for up to two years. Females had one to two cubs. Hunting jaguars is prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, the United States, and Venezuela. [38] They need that bulk behind them to take on big prey, including giant caiman. Youll find out why later Jaguars used to be found from the south-west USA, throughout South America to almost the far north in Argentina. [132], In the pre-Columbian Americas, the jaguar was a symbol of power and strength. [86] Though demand for their skins has declined since the mid-1970s, jaguar paws, teeth and other parts are still sought after, mostly from China for traditional medicine and ornaments. [71][72] [38] In northern Mexico, the jaguar and the cougar share the same habitat, and their diet overlaps dependent on prey availability. [67] [77], The jaguar uses a stalk-and-ambush strategy when hunting rather than chasing prey. Interview surveys with 533 people in the northwestern Bolivian Amazon revealed that local people killed jaguars out of fear, in retaliation, and for trade. [42] [139] In the later Maya civilization, the jaguar was believed to facilitate communication between the living and the dead and to protect the royal household. Habitat loss was most rapid in drier regions such as the Argentine pampas, the arid grasslands of Mexico and the southwestern United States. By 2014, direct linkages between two JCUs in Bolivia were lost, and two JCUs in northern Argentina became completely isolated due to deforestation. [7] The other corridors may hamper passage, as they are narrower and longer. The jaguar is the least likely of all big cats to kill and eat humans, and the majority of attacks come when it has been cornered or wounded. However, field work has shown this may be natural variability, and the population increases may not be sustained. In Aztec mythology, the jaguar was considered to be the totem animal of the powerful deity Tezcatlipoca. This results in many new threats to jaguars, from the loss of their home to isolating their populations, making breeding harder. [41] Jaguars in the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve on the Pacific coast of central Mexico weighed around 50kg (110lb), which is about the size of a female cougar (Puma concolor). [2], Reginald Innes Pocock placed the jaguar in the genus Panthera and observed that it shares several morphological features with the leopard (P. pardus). The flag of the Department of Amazonas features a black jaguar silhouette leaping towards a hunter. [40] In the Mayan forests of Mexico and Guatemala, 11 GPS-collared jaguars preferred undisturbed dense habitat away from roads; females avoided even areas with low levels of human activity, whereas males appeared less disturbed by human population density. [79], The jaguar uses scrape marks, urine, and feces to mark its territory. [59][60][61] They can grow up to 170cm long, not including their impressive tails which can be up to 80cm. Some Afro-Colombians in the Colombian Choc Department hunt jaguars for consumption and sale of meat. The activity pattern of the jaguar coincides with the activity of its main prey species. Sign up to get the latest WWF news delivered straight to your inbox. [53] Now, theyve been virtually eliminated from half of their historic range. It is sexually dimorphic, with females typically being 1020% smaller than males. [115] In Guyana, it is protected as an endangered species, and hunting it is illegal. [40], The jaguar closely resembles the leopard but is generally more robust, with stockier limbs and a more square head. Were also working with partners to help prevent the demand, poaching and trafficking of jaguars and other species. Human attitudes in the areas surrounding reserves and laws and regulations to prevent poaching are essential to make conservation areas effective. [118] [55], The jaguar is also used as a symbol in contemporary culture. We need your help to give rangers the strength and safety they need, and to tackle poaching and demand for products like ivory. [4], In 2001, a male jaguar killed and partially consumed two cubs in Emas National Park. Since 2017, the jaguar is considered to be a monotypic taxon. [104] The Mexican jaguar population increased from an estimated 4,000 individuals in 2010 to about 4,800 individuals in 2018. The evidence from Barro Colorado Island", "Jaguar interactions with pumas and prey at the northern edge of jaguars' range", "Reptiles as principal prey? [70] [75] It kills capybara by piercing its canine teeth through the temporal bones of its skull, breaking its zygomatic arch and mandible and penetrating its brain, often through the ears. Generation length of the jaguar is 9.8 years. [88] The male is sexually mature at the age of three to four years. Consumption of reptiles appears to be more frequent in jaguars than in other big cats. [69], Between October 2001 and April 2004, 10 jaguars were monitored in the southern Pantanal. The modern species may have descended from Panthera gombaszoegensis, which is thought to have entered the American continent via Beringia, the land bridge that once spanned the Bering Strait. [4], By 2005, nine subspecies were considered to be valid taxa. The description of P. o. palustris was based on a fossil skull. [78], The jaguar is generally solitary except for females with cubs. [1] In Ecuador, hunting jaguars is prohibited, and it is classified as threatened with extinction. [112] [52] [128], In setting up protected reserves, efforts generally also have to be focused on the surrounding areas, as jaguars are unlikely to confine themselves to the bounds of a reservation, especially if the population is increasing in size. Less habitat also means jaguars prey is reduced - over a quarter of their range is thought to have depleted numbers of wild prey. If ecotourism is used to aid in jaguar conservation, some considerations need to be made as to how existing ecosystems will be kept intact, or how new ecosystems will be put into place that are large enough to support a growing jaguar population. Sign up to be kept informed about our conservation work and how you can help such as fundraising, campaigning and events.
