Jaguar (Panthera onca)

Jaguar, Woodland Park Zoo Photograph by Symonty. Some rights reserved.

Description

The Jaguar is a large tan cat with black spots and rings. Some Jaguars are all black. Jaguars are similar in appearance to leopards but are stockier and have a larger head.

Other Names

Tigre

Size

Length: 1.2m. Height 0.8m - 1.0m . Tail length: 50cm - 75cm. Weight: 30kg - 150kg.

Habitat

dense rainforest, coastal forest, scrubland, open country with cover

Food

medium to large mammals e.g deer, peccaries. Also feeds on fish, frogs, reptiles.

Breeding

A litter of 1-4 cubs are born after gestation of 93 - 110 days. The cubs remain in the cover of the den for the first 2 weeks. They learn to hunt after about 6 months, and live with their mother for up to two years.

Range

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela.

Conservation Status

The conservation status in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals is "near threatened".

Classification Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Panthera Species: onca

Relatives in same Genus   African Lion (P. leo)   Asiatic Lion (P. leo persica)   Leopard (P. pardus)   Tiger (P. tigris)

Jaguar, Chester Zoo. Photograph by Chester Zoo. Some rights reserved.

Black Jaguar Photograph by Ron Singer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. License: Public Domain.