Jaguar
Jaguar (Panthera onca)
Classification
Reign	Animalia
Branch	Chordata
Sub-ember.	Vertebrata
Class	Mammalia
Subclass	Theria
Infra-class	Eutheria
Order	Carnivora
Suborder	Feliformia
Family	Felidae
Genre	Panthera
Binomial name
Panthera onca ( Linnaeus , 1758 )
Geographical Distribution
Conservation Status IUCN : NT: Near Threatened
Status CITES :	Annex I , Revised 01-07-1975
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The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a mammalian carnivore of the family of felines. This is one of four " big cats "of the genus Panthera , with the tiger , the lion and leopard. Its current range extends from Mexico to most of Central America and the South America , to northern Argentina and Paraguay. Apart from occasional wanderings of specimens from Mexico, the jaguar is a species extirpated from the United States since the early 1970's.

This spotted cat physically resembles the leopard, but it is generally larger and more massive appearance. In addition to its habitat and behavior are closer to those of the tiger. Although the rainforest is dense, its preferred habitat, the jaguar accommodates a wide variety of open and wooded. It is strongly associated with the presence of water and, like the tiger, he likes to swim. It is a predator solitary stalking, while being opportunistic in prey selection. It is also a superpredator which plays an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and regulating the populations they hunt. He developed a powerful bite exceptional, even compared to other big cats, which allows it to pierce the shells of reptiles and to employ a method of killing unusual: it bites directly the skull of its prey and thus carries a fatal blow to the brain.

The jaguar is a near-threatened (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and its numbers are declining. It is particularly threatened by habitat destruction, more or less linked to the fragmentation copaysagre. While international trade in jaguars or their derivatives is prohibited, this animal is still regularly hunted by man, especially when it conflicts with ranchers and farmers in South America. Although more and more reduced, its range is wide.

Given its historical distribution, the jaguar has featured prominently in the mythology of many cultures, Amerindian , including that of the Mayas and Aztecs.

Summary 1 Description 1.1 Head 1.2 Body 1.2.1 Biometrics 1.2.2 Coat 2 Evolution of the species and subspecies 2.1 Place in the phylogenetic tree 2.2 Sub-species 3 Behaviour 3.1 Reproduction and lifecycle 3.2 Structure Social 3.3 Power 4 Ecology and Distribution 4.1 Habitat 4.2 Role ecological 4.3 Range 4.3.1 The case of United States 4.4 Preservation of the species 5 The case and the man 5.1 Etymology and semantics 5.2 In mythology and culture 5.2.1 Pre-Columbian America 5.2.2 Contemporary culture 6 Annexes 6.1 Related articles 6.2 External Links 6.2.1 References taxonomic 7 Notes and references 7.1 Notes 7.2 References 7.3 Source

Description

Head

The head is robust and the jaw extremely powerful. The ears are round, black on the back with a white spot in the middle, for individuals not melanin. The pupil is round. It has been suggested that the bite of the jaguar is the largest of all cats , even allowing this force to pierce the shells of turtles . This gives a method of killing unusual: it bites directly into the skull of its prey and delivers a fatal blow to the brain . It was reported that a jaguar "can drag a 360 kg bull 8 m in its jaws and pulverize the bones even more robust . The jaguar hunts wild animals can weigh up to 300 kg in the dense jungle, and short and sturdy physique is thus an adaptation to its prey and its environment.

Body

Feline stocky and rather short legs, however, the jaguar is very adept at climbing, exploring and swimming . In its range, it can not be confused with any other cat: only the puma (Puma concolor) may be as big as him but it is tawny. However, the jaguar resembles the leopard (Panthera pardus) that lives in Africa and Asia. Both animals can be distinguished by their rosettes: those of the jaguar are larger, less numerous, usually darker and have thicker lines and small spots in the middle that the leopard has not. The Jaguars also have rounder heads and shorter than the leopard, and a far more solid . As the cats of the Old World , the jaguar has nineteen pairs of chromosomes . In nature, the jaguar reacts to catnip .

Biometrics

There are significant variations in size among its population, weight is usually between 56 and 96 kg. Males were the heaviest weighed 159 kg , which corresponds approximately to the weight of a tigress or a lioness , and the smallest known males have an extremely low weight of 36 kg. Females are generally smaller than males 10 to 20%. The length of the jaguar varies from 1.4 to 1.8 meters for males and 1.2 to 1.7 meters for females. The tail measures 55 to 65 cm for males and 43-60 cm for females. The animal is about 68 to 76 cm in height at withers .

Other variations were observed across regions and habitats, the size of the animal tends to increase north of its range. A study of the jaguar in the Chamela Biosphere Reserve-Cuixmala , on the coast of Mexico from the Pacific Ocean , showed individuals of only 30 to 50 kg weight close to that of the puma . In contrast, a study of jaguars in the region of Pantanal in Brazil shows an average weight of 100 kg . Jaguars live in dense forest areas are often darker and much smaller than those found in open areas, probably due to fewer herbivorous prey in forested areas : the average is in effect only 57 kg for males and 42 kg for females in the rainforests and respectively 87 and 76 kg in the plains of the Pantanal .

The jaguar is the third largest wild cat in the world after the tiger and lion. It is the largest cat of the Americas , slightly surpassing puma .

Coat

The jaguar's coat is usually mottled yellow, but can range from brown to black. The underside of the animal's throat and the outer surface of the leg and lower sides are lighter in color, near white. The animal is covered with rosettes of camouflage for the Amazon forest , its 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 quite distinct from other spots, full (without rosette) on the neck, they join to form stripes .

Forms melanin exist in this case. Advanced form melanin affects approximately six percent of the population , and is less common than the more mottled reported on jaguars in South America, and is the result of an allele dominant . The Jaguars advanced to the form melanin appear entirely black, but their spots are still visible if you look carefully. Jaguars affected by deep melanism are known informally as the "black jaguar" and sometimes "black panther", but does not form a species or distinct subspecies. Individuals affected by albinism , sometimes called "white jaguars, are rare but exist among jaguars, as with other big cats .

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  The rosettes are visible despite the black livery.

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  Melanic forms, although dependent on a dominant allele , remain rare.

Click on a thumbnail to enlarge

Evolution of the species and subspecies

Place in the phylogenetic tree

The jaguar is the only member of the genus Panthera existing New World. His study DNA shows that the lion (Panthera leo), the tiger (Panthera tigris), the leopard (Panthera pardus), jaguar (Panthera onca), the ounce (uncia Uncia) and clouded leopard (N. nebulosa) share a common ancestor and that this ancestral group is between six and ten million years . Fossil evidence consider the emergence of the genus Panthera or 3.8 to 2 million years ^, . Studies Phylogenetic are generally clouded leopard at the base of this group ^{, , ,} . The position of other species, including that of the ounce , varies between studies and is still pending ^{, , , ,} .

Based on morphological data, the British zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock concluded that the jaguar is most closely related leopard . However, DNA does not provide evidence about the location of the jaguar in relation to other species and it varies between studies ^{, , ,} . Fossils of extinct species Panthera, as European jaguar (Panthera gombaszoegensis) and the American lion (Panthera atrox), show both the characteristics of the lion and the jaguar . The presence of the jaguar is attested by fossils of two million years . It is an American cat since crossing the land bridge of Beringia during the Pleistocene. The immediate ancestor of the modern animal was larger than the contemporary feline . Analysis of mitochondrial DNA of the jaguar date the emergence of the species between 280,000 and 510,000 years, that is to say later that the fossil record suggest . augusta or Panthera Panthera onca augusta Jaguar is a giant who lived in an area corresponding to the United States there are 100,000 to 1.6 million years .

Phylogenetic tree of the subfamily Pantherinae

Pantherinae	N. nebulosa - clouded leopard Neofelis diard - clouded leopard of Borneo Panthera Panthera tigris - Tiger Uncia uncia - Snow leopard Panthera leo - Lion Panthera onca - Jaguar Panthera pardus - Leopard

Subspecies

The first intra-specific subdivisions containing 24 jaguar subspecies , a taxonomic delimitation of the species conducted by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1939 reduced the number of eight subspecies on the basis of geographical origins and the morphology of the skull . However, he did not have access to sufficient specimens to assess clearly all subspecies and he expressed doubts about several of them. In 1989 , the researcher KL Seymore separates these subspecies Panthera onca onca only three (comprising P. o. onca and P. o. peruviana), Panthera onca hernandesii (comprising P. o. centralis, P. o. arizonensis, P. o. o. veraecrucis and P. Goldman) and Panthera onca palustris .

Recent studies have also failed to find evidence of well-defined subspecies and are no longer recognized . In 1997, Shawn Larson studied the morphological variation of the jaguar and showed that there is a cline of population by a north-south but also north-south difference is sometimes greater than between populations alleged subspecies, and therefore does not justify the assertion of different subspecies . A genetic study conducted by Eduardo Eizirik et al. Was in 2001 , confirms the absence of a clear geographical substructure, but this study found that the major geographical barriers such as the Amazon , limited exchange of genes between different populations . A further detailed study has confirmed this prediction of the structure in the population of jaguars in Colombia .

Now, advances in investigative techniques genetics to determine the relationships between families and species. The jaguar is the only large carnivore with a very wide range but not subspecies. In other words, the Jaguars have mixed their genes for millennia, and individuals in northern Mexico proved to be identical to those of southern Brazil ; result only possible through regular exchanges between groups widely separated from each other .

However, sub-species are still regularly used Pocock , and in Mammal Species of the World and ITIS database , there are nine subspecies of the jaguar, adding eight Pocock Panthera onca paraguensis, which was originally specified by fossils and living animals . Jaguar Species Survival Plan recommends, however, does not consider subspecies during actions of captive breeding and public education and the International Union for Conservation of Nature follows the same recommendation .

Behavior

Reproduction and lifecycle

Females reach sexual maturity at the age of two to three years and males aged between three and four . The jaguar is considered active throughout the year in the wild, although births may increase when prey are abundant . Research on males in captivity support the hypothesis of mating throughout the year, without seasonal variation in sperm and the quality of the ejaculate . However, in the north of its range, the activity is more intense in December-January, when prey are more numerous . A low rate of reproduction was also observed in captivity . The estrus of the female is 6 to 17 days on a cycle of 37 days and the female shows her fertile period with brands urinary grunts and increased . His calls can attract one to three males . Copulation is brief but frequent, up to a hundred times a day .

The couple separated after breeding, and the female takes full responsibility for the young. The period of gestation lasts 91 to 111 days and females give birth to two to four small , usually both. The mother did not tolerate the presence of males after the birth of the young, for fear of cannibalism , a behavior that is also found in the tiger .

Young people who weigh between 700 and 900 grams at birth, are blind and open their eyes after two weeks. At birth, their woolly fur is light brown speckled with bullet points. They are weaned at five months and six months they begin learning to hunt with their mother, who will continue for one to two years before the young leave their mothers to gain their own territory . The vocal repertoire of the young is almost complete at the age of one year . Young males are primarily nomadic, competing with their older counterparts until they are able to claim its own territory. The life expectancy in the wild is estimated at about 12 to 15 years and in captivity, the jaguar can live 23 years, placing it among the cats with greater longevity .

Social Structure

Like most cats, the jaguar is solitary when he leaves his mother. Adults meet solely for the court and reproduction, although attempts have been socializing observed anecdotally . The marks of scratches and deposits of urine and feces are used to mark territory .

Territory size	Male	Female
Mexico	100 to 190 km 2	NC
Pantanal	90 to 152 km 2	32 to 139 km 2
Cockscomb Basin	33 km 2	10 km 2

Like other big cats, the jaguar is capable of roaring and allows to keep ahead of the other individuals on land issues and mating. The male can do it with more force than the female. Episodes of intense exchanges between individuals have been observed in nature . Their vocalization often looks like a cough or repetitive calls short and deep, and jaguars can also issue meows , grunts , growls and blowers. The prusten is also emitted when two Jaguars meet in a friendly manner . Fighting between males for mating are rare, and avoidance behaviors have been observed in nature . When combat occurs, conflict is usually the territory. A territory of one male can include two or three females, and it does not tolerate the intrusion of other adult males or bathed in water that particularly affects . Individuals of both sexes hunt, but males move more every day than females. The jaguar may hunt during the day if prey is available and if not disturbed by humans. It's a cat as it is energetic enough active 50 to 60% of the day . Males travel each week approximately 2.5 km ²

Food

Like all cats, the jaguar is a carnivore. It is an opportunistic hunter and its diet includes 87 species . The jaguar prefers large prey and hunting deer , capybaras , tapirs , peccaries , dogs , foxes , and sometimes anacondas and caimans. However, the cat can eat all the small species that can catch, including frogs , mice , birds , fish , the lazy , the monkeys and turtles. It can also hunt livestock , including cattle and horses adult , which is why it is sometimes killed by farmers. He sometimes attack young Cougars , the second largest cat in the New World . Unlike all other species of the genus Panthera , the jaguar rarely attack the human . Most of the rare cases where the Jaguars have turned against the man shows that the animal was either old or injured.

Instead of using the typical technique of Panthera , that is to say the bite deep into the throat and cause suffocation, jaguar prefers a killing method unique amongst cats: it pierces the temporal bone of skull with canines , piercing the brain. This may be an adaptation to the shells of turtles , which after the extinction of the Pleistocene , became with other shelled reptiles, an abundant source of prey for the jaguar ^, . This technique of etching of the skull is used particularly on mammals, particularly the capybara. With reptiles like caimans, jaguars can jump behind the prey to break his neck vertebrae , immobilizing the target. Able to crack the shell turtle, the jaguar can empty the flesh . Animals in captivity weigh between 50 and 60 kg, over 2 kg of meat per day is recommended . In the wild, consumption is naturally more erratic, the Jaguars spent considerable energy to capture prey, they can consume up to 25 kg of meat at once, followed by periods of famine .

Ecology and Distribution

Habitat

The cat habitat includes rainforests of Central and South America that are seasonally flooded. Of these habitats, the jaguar prefers dense forest . Adapted to many habitats, it is not present in the deserts , and at altitudes too high, although observations at 2700 meters in the Andes 3800 meters and Costa Rica have been reported .

The presence of water ( swamps , lakes , mangroves ) is an important parameter for its installation in a region .

Ecological role

The jaguar is an adult superpredator , which means it is at the top of the food chain and is not itself considered a prey in nature. The jaguar is also a keystone species because it regulates prey populations, maintaining the structural integrity of forest systems ^, . However, determining the precise effect of species like the jaguar on ecosystems is difficult because the data must be compared both from regions where the species is absent in their habitats, while controlling the effects of human activity. It is generally accepted that the prey population increases in the absence of predators, and this has negative effects cascade . However, fieldwork showed that the variability of natural populations could be, thus, the term "keystone species" for the jaguar is not trusted by all scientists .

The jaguar also has an effect on other predators. The jaguar and the puma , the largest feline in the Americas, are often sympatric and have often been studied together. Where exactly their territories overlap, the cougar has a smaller territory than the average of its kind and that the jaguar. The jaguar tends to take larger prey and puma small, reducing the size of it . This may be advantageous for the puma as the possibility of taking larger prey, it can give him an advantage over the jaguar habitat altered by humans . The puma has a range much greater and is not considered nearly threatened .

Range

The range history of the species covers most of the American continent, however, it is declining. The cat quickly lost its range in the dry areas of habitat as the pampas of Argentina, the arid grasslands of Mexico and the southwestern United States .

Its range extends from Mexico up to South America , through the Central America and much of the Amazon . The countries included in this area are the Argentina , the Belize , the Bolivia , the Brazil , the British , the Costa Rica (including the Osa Peninsula ), the Equator , the United States , the Guatemala , the Guyana , the Honduras , the Mexico , the Nicaragua , the Panama , the Paraguay , the Peru , the Suriname and Venezuela. It is also present in Guyana. The jaguar is still considered a species extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay . In Central America it is considered common only in Belize .

Given the inaccessibility of most of the range of the jaguar, the estimated population of animals is difficult. The research generally focus on specific regions and thus the complete analysis of this case are rare. In 1991 , 600 to 1 000 individuals were estimated to be living in Belize. A year earlier, from 125 to 180 jaguars were estimated to be living in Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve , with 350 others in the state of Chiapas. The Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala contain, in turn, from 465 to 550 animals . Work using telemetry GPS in 2003 and 2004 showed that there were only six to seven jaguars per 100 km ² in the region of Pantanal , compared to the ten to eleven in using traditional methods, suggesting that the methods sampling formerly used could overestimate the actual number of cats .