JAGUAR
THREATENED
NEAR
15,000
left in the wild
Height : 63 - 76cm
Weight : 45 - 113 kg
Habitat : South America
The Jaguar is one of the top predators at the top of the food chain in South America. They are the only big cats to live in the Americas and are the third biggest after Tigers and Lions. Unlike the other big cats, Jaguars are very good swimmers and often live near rivers and lakes making them incredible hunters. They are opportunistic hunters and can prey on almost anything sometimes travelling over 6 miles a night for their prey. Jaguars are territorial animals who live alone. They mark their territory with their waste or clawing at trees. When a Jaguar wants to mate they can roar to call to others, which sounds like a saw cutting through wood. They usually have litters of 2 cubs but can have up to 4. Once a female has given birth they protect their cubs fiercely even from their own father. The cubs will stay with their mother for up to 2 years to learn how to hunt and live alone. Although Jaguars are at the top of the food chain in their habitat, they have lost more than half of their territory since the 1880s due to the threats they face.
THREATS
Deforestation
South and Central America have a high rate of deforestation for land and agriculture which is damaging and destroying Jaguars habitat. This is causing Jaguars to be boxed into small patches of forest stopping them from travelling to mate or hunt, which can cause extinctions in other animals they prey on.
Human Impact
Because of deforestation and Jaguars being boxed in, they can be reduced to hunting livestock. Ranchers then kill the Jaguars in retaliation. Humans are Jaguars only predators and they have long been hunting them for their fur, and illegally poaching them for their bones and teeth which are sold to China.
Loss of Habitat
As human population expands and grows so does the space that humans need. This leads to more agriculture, settlements and roads being built which in turn takes away the space from other mammals leaving less room for free roam. In particular for Jaguars the introduction of the US-Mexico border wall threatens to block Jaguar Migration routes.
Lack of Food
Jaguars play an important role in controlling the populations in other species. They are the top predators in their environment. With the loss of their habitat and reduced travelling they can only kill the prey that is around them which is causing other species to become extinct and lack of food for the Jaguar which affects the whole balance of survival for all animals in that area.
Did You Know?
Jaguars eat almost anything. They can kill their prey with one single powerful bite.
Scientific Name : Panthera Once
Life Span :12 - 15 years
Diet : Carnivorous (Deer, Fish, Birds etc.)
Predators : Humans
Gestation : 93 - 105 days
