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Jaguar
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Mammals |
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South & Central America, North America |
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Maya Temple Ruins |
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Falidae |
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45 to 115 K.G |
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Tropical forest, wet prairies |
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Mammals, reptiles, fish |
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31 to 111 days |
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1 to 4 |
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Crocodiles |
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Endangered |
Along with the tiger, it is the
only cat that appreciates water.
The jaguar is an incredible hunter with great strength, powerful muscles and
strong legs. The unique yellow fur is covered with black rosettes. Inside each
one there are one or a few black spots. The jaguar is an excellent swimmer. It
is able to swim across rivers that are many kilometres wide. The short legs
enable it to climb up trees. The powerful jaws and sharp teeth enable it to
crush turtle shells on which it feeds. The diet includes a wide variety of
items, it can feed on terrestrial as well as aquatic preys, like fish, reptiles
and amphibians. The weight varies between 45 and 115 kg (100 to 250 lbs) and it
can be up to 1.2 metre (4 feet) long. The distribution includes, Central and
South America, from Mexico to Bolivia and north of Argentina. It is a solitary
and nocturnal mammal. A litter is composed of one to four young, two in average.
The female alone takes care of its young, which will leave its mother between
the ages of one and two years old. During that period, the female will feed
them, protect them from dangers and teach them to hunt. Only crocodiles can kill
adults; the young are vulnerable to predation by other carnivores. A jaguar can
live between 11 and 12 years old in nature. For a long time, it was considered
to be a God in the Maya mythology and is still today a symbol of strength and
power. The jaguar is considered an endangered species because of intensive hunt
and loss of habitat caused by the expansion of cities and agriculture.