Jaguar 3

Name: Jaguar (Also called the Panthera Onca)

Classification: Mammal, in the family Felidae.

Description:

-The size of a Jaguar typically ranges from 3.9 to 6.4 ft and ranges from 2.1 to 2.5 feet tall from their shoulders to the ground.

-And a female typically is 10% to 20% smaller than a male jaguar.

-As an Adult, a Jaguar can typically range from 120 to 210 lbs depending on Gender and location of the jaguar.

-A Jaguar’s coat is normally yellow and tan, but the color can vary from reddish brown to black.

-A Jaguar's lifespan (In the Wild) is 12 to 15 years and up to 20 years in zoos.

-The Jaguar is one of the largest cat native to South and Central America region. The Jaguar also has the strongest jaw structure of any feline. And unlike many felines, a jaguar has the ability to swim. A jaguar doesn’t change in appearance as it matures.

Pictures:

Habitat:

-Jaguars are typically found in forests and woods, but can also be found in the desert, but in general can be found near water like lakes or ponds.

-Jaguars prefer wet lowland areas the best, like savannas or tropical and subtropical forests.

-Jaguars can be found on American Continents like Texas, Arizona, the southern part of California, and New Mexico but are mostly found in Amazon rain forests as well as Africa and Asia.

-Jaguars like their homes to have very soft and comfy ground. They use materials such as leaves, rotten tree trunks and other soft materials that they may find in the woods or in the rain forest. Jaguars would prefer to live alone, as they are territorial animals.

Niche:

-Jaguars are Predators and Solitary animals, who hunt and live alone.

-They usually hunt on the ground, but can use their skills at climbing trees to help them hunt for prey.

-Jaguars are considered Apex predators and a Keystone species.

=An Apex predator is an animal who lies at the top of the food chain and is prey to no other animals.

=A Keystone species is an animal who is crucial to the food chain, and without will cause drastic changes to that particular food chain.

=They are a Keystone species because without Jaguars, all herbivorous animals (in their food chain) would go out of control in population and eat all the plants (which wouldn't be very good for anyone)

Food Sources:

-A jaguar has over 80 different types of prey, but mainly include cattle (which is one reason why they get killed by humans).

-Others include, deer (their favorite food), fish, wild pigs, iguanas, turtles, capybaras, armadillos, crocodiles, and other kinds of rodents

-The Jaguar is a Predator!

Status:

-The Conservation Status is Threatened/Endangered.

-There are approximately 15,000 jaguars left in the wild, but don’t worry, there are zoos housing Jaguars to make sure they don’t go extinct!

Cultural Significance:

-The Jaguars are extremely important in Aztec and Mayan Culture as they have temples built for Jaguars.

-The Jaguar is representative of power, ferocity, and valor; they are the embodiment of aggressiveness.

-For others, they represent the power to face one’s fear, or to face one’s enemies.

-Jaguars are used as clothings for benevolent kings and for skilled hunters and warriors.’

-The Mighty Jaguar also inspired many Mayan gods. The Jaguar is associated with the underworld gods for their night hunting specialities.

Cool Story:

Once upon a time, there was a great jaguar who ruled over the savanna. He was a legend to the herbivores and a king to the other jaguars for his prowess and strengths. Even though he was so powerful, there was one thing that scared him and the other animals, which were the ‘big human monsters’ (machines) who devour forests in days and kill animals in mere seconds. These ‘monsters’ (machines) were devouring the forests around them, and are turning them in ‘human forests’ (cities). But one night, the humans were converging on his savanna. So he told the animals to run away, but they soon found out they were coming into the center of the forest from all sides, and they had no way of running to safety. As time passed and they could hear the machines, the herbivores started panicking, and then the predators, and finally, the jaguar, because they knew that in the end, their lives would come to an end, slowly and painfully. But then, almost from nowhere, a huge truck came and put the animals on board. We all thought that we would die, but on the contrary, they were taking us to our safety from those ‘monsters’.

Which is why have to support our zoos more, so that they can go out to a dying ecosystem and save the animals before they die by “accident”.