| Jaguar Panthera onca |
The jaguar is one of the two largest cats of the Americas (or New World), along with the mountain lion. The jaguar is similar in size and coat pattern to the leopard, a species found only in the Old World. However, ithas a more stocky build and its coat pattern differs from that of the leopard in having one or two small spots within a rosette of larger spots. The jaguar does not roar like a lion - instead it growls and makes deep grunts that sound somewhat like a cough.
Size: females 36 kg (80 lbs) males 55 kg (122 lbs).
Habitat: Usually found near water in moist forest, but also occur in more arid habitats such as savannah and scrub where water is available.
Primary prey: An excellent swimmer, jaguars eat fish, turtles, caimans, and snakes as well as deer, sloths, capybaras, monkeys, and armadillos. .
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Principal threats: Loss of habitat due to deforestation; illegal hunting.
Distribution: The range of the jaguar has shrunk greatly in the last 100 years. Whereas it formerly ranged into the southwestern United States, it is now confined to southern Mexico and parts of Central and South America. The last jaguar killed in California was in 1860 and jaguars had disappeared from the United States by 1950.
| Jaguars |
| Young Jaguar Brothers |
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Produced by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. © Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Foundation This page was made possible by a grant from Friskies Pet Care Corporation and the National Science Foundation. All photographic images contained within these web pages ARE COPYRIGHTED and may not be reproduced, or utilized in any manner, without the express written consent the owner. Original Jaguar photographs by Nancy Vandermey, © Nancy Vandermey, Exotic Feline Breeding Compound. Composite photograph by Jim Angus. Page design by Jim Angus |