The Jaguar (Panthera onca)

He who kills with one leap

The largest cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world, the Jaguar gets its name from an Indian word meaning 'he who kills with one leap'. It is also the only one of the big cats which cannot roar.

A male Jaguar can grow nearly 2 metres long and can weigh up to 160 kilos. In Brazil, the species inhabits the Pantanal, Amazon and Atlantic Forest regions, where the vegetation is thick and where there is easy access to water.

Biology
During most of the year, the jaguar lives alone, and only in August or September males and females get together for mating. But they do not stay together for long. The female can have two to four little jaguars, which are born without being able to see at first - they only open their eyes 13 days after birth.

Prey
These beautiful spotted cats can both climb trees and swim in the search for food, which can be birds, fish, lizards and mammals as large as Cabybaras and peccaries (wild pigs). Although their sense of smell is not outstanding, the vision is keen and acute, and using their extremely powerful jaws, a Jaguar will even make a meal of an armadillo - shell and all.

Predators
Despite its dominant position in relation to other animals, the spotted jaguar is considered an endangered species. It has two natural enemies. One is the giant Anaconda snake, which is capable of suffocating an adult Jaguar. The other enemy, inevitably, is man.

As is the case with other large predators, jaguars are natural competitors of humans when it comes to food, and suffer harsh persecution as a result. They cause damage when living near ranches, seeking refuge and escaping from the destruction of their natural habitats. With a decrease in the number of wild species that could serve as food for the jaguar in its habitat, the animal ends up attacking cattle or domestic animals.

In the 1960's and 70's, around 18,000 Jaguars were killed in South America for their skins. The species has practically disappeared from North America. It is possible that the jaguar has also been wiped out of El Salvador, Uruguay and Chile; running a serious risk in Argentina, Costa Rica and Panama.

Today, of course, Jaguar-hunting is outlawed - but illegal hunting still goes on - and there are now thought to be only 3,500 of these beautiful animals left in the Pantanal. The quick devastation of its natural habitat can also compromise the future of the species. The main threats come from agricultural, logging and colonising activities.

Source:
- WWF Brazil