The jaguar is the largest feline on the American continent, with jaguars also being the third biggest cat in the world behind the African lion and the Asian tiger. Jaguars have the strongest bite force of all the cats and like other pantherines they
can roar. The jaguar is indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. Jaguars
inhabit the tropical rainforest's of South America with the elusive
jaguar spending a great deal of its time asleep in the trees or hunting
in dense undergrowth. However, due to the habitat loss within this jaguar kingdom, the jaguar population numbers are declining making jaguars an endangered species.
Jaguars have a similar rosetting
pattern to a leopard, but the jaguar has a much heavier and sturdier
build. Jaguars hold the reputation for being very aggressive,
though attacks on humans have historically been rare. Undoubtedly a
strikingly beautiful animal, the jaguar has caught the attention of
scientists and hunters alike, with many jaguar individuals having been
poached for their distinctively patterned fur. Black jaguars occur
from time to time. In jaguars the black colouration is a simple
dominant gene. Two black jaguars can produce a lighter spotted cub in a
litter of blacks. As with black leopards, you can see the spotting as
black on black in strong sunlight.
Jaguars tend to prefer
thick, dense, moist jungle where the jaguar has plenty of cover in order
to successfully hunt and the ambush prey. Although this is the case,
jaguars appear to be fairly adaptable animals and jaguars have been
known to reside in reed thickets, shrub land and swamps. A jaguar was
found in the desert region of southern Arizona a couple of years ago.
The highest concentration of jaguars is today found around the Amazon Basin,
where there is plenty of food, water and shelter for the jaguar to live
undisturbed.
Although jaguar cubs are generally born between the months of December and March, it is not uncommon for jaguar cubs to be born throughout the year. Female jaguars
typically give birth to two or three jaguar cubs. In mating season, the
female jaguar will use loud vocal calls to attract a male jaguar into
her territory. Once the jaguar cubs are born however, the female jaguar
will not tolerate the male jaguar in her territory as the female jaguar
becomes very protective of her cubs at this stage. Jaguar cubs are born
blind and gain their sight after about two weeks.
Jaguar populations are rapidly declining. The animal is considered Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, meaning it may be threatened with extinction in the near future. The loss of parts of its range, including its virtual elimination from its historic northern areas and the increasing fragmentation of the remaining range, have contributed to this status.