Everyone knows that the jaguar is one of the largest cats on our planet. His skin is covered with specks, he eats what he has obtained on a hunt, and lives somewhere very far away ...
What else do you know about these animals? Our article will help wildlife lovers expand their horizons. We will talk about how, why, and at what speed the jaguar moves in its natural habitat.
Distinctive features
It is not difficult to recognize this beast among other members of the family. Photos of jaguars and a list of characteristic features of the species presented in our article will help:
- The skin is covered with large black rosettes with dark red centers. The leopard has smaller rosettes, and the contrast between the middle and the main tone is less pronounced. The cheetah does not have sockets, it is covered with medium-sized spots.
- Jaguar is a large predator. In size, only a lion and a tiger are superior to him. By the way, all these animals, as well as the leopard, belong to the genus panther, that is, they are in close relationship.
- The jaguar has a massive tail with a thickening at the end, large paws, a head with a powerful forehead and rounded compact ears. The chest, belly and tip of the tail are always lighter than the sides, head and back.
- The pupils of the jaguar are round, not slit-like, like a domestic cat.
- An adult animal weighs an average of 70-90 kg, but cases of greater weight among older males are documented - up to 120 kg. The length of the body from the nose to the base of the tail is 120-180 m.
So, the beast is quite large. It can be assumed that he is agile and strong. Is it really?
Where does the jaguar run?
Let's first understand why this beast needs to run at all. Here is a wolf, for example, legs are fed, even first graders know this. And a man is a runner very mediocre compared to the neighbors on the planet. Therefore, he likes to repeat that there is no truth in the legs.
It is impossible to find any information about the jaguar in Russian folklore, and this is not surprising. But if you turn to old Native American tales, you can find very interesting information.
According to the legends of the indigenous inhabitants of Central and South America, jaguars are able to hypnotize (by the way, this is also believed by modern hunters hunting in those parts). And this animal, according to the Indians, skillfully imitates the voice of any of its potential victims.
Scientists, of course, have not found evidence of any of these versions. However, it is worth paying tribute to the observation of the Indians: the jaguar is cunning. This predator prefers ambush hunting. It is not surprising that the indigenous inhabitants of the Selva accompanied with mystical details his slowness, ability to wait and cunning, and did not sing the speed of the jaguar. The animal really does not really like to run.
Continuing to answer the question about motives, we note that there is simply no one to escape from the jaguar: it is at the top of the food chain and keeps all large predators sharing its range in fear.
Hunting tactics
But to conclude that the jaguar does not run at all is too early. As a rule, on a hunt, he sits in ambush for a long time, looking for a victim. Having waited for her approach, the predator makes a lightning throw. But, like some brothers (for example, his distant cousin the cheetah), he does not chase game for a long time, saving his strength for a powerful jerk. Capture occurs after several tens of meters of pursuit, otherwise the hunter throws the idea.
Jaguar on land and not only
Even without direct reasons for the development of sprint talent, the beast learned to run with great speed. He is on the list of the fastest among land predators, representatives of the cat family and in general all modern animals. The speed of the jaguar can reach 80-90 km / h.
But his talents are not limited to this. He is an excellent jumper, able to make throws at 7 and even 9 meters.
He is a wonderful dart frog, which even for sleep can be arranged in a dense crown. He is so strong that he is able to drag a large victim on the branch and enjoy a meal there.
And the jaguar is a great swimmer. It is pointless to escape from him in the water: most likely, there he will be even faster and faster than the victim. In ponds, he not only fishes, but simply splashes for the sake of pleasure and salvation from the midday heat.
Potential victims
Jaguar is a predator whose diet includes at least 85 species of animals living in the same territory. Among the gourmet's favorite treats are capybaras, bakers' pigs, tapirs, deer, masamas, and even caimans and anacondas. If the hunt for the desired prey was not successful, the jaguar will be content with waterfowl, rodents, small snakes. An important place in the diet is fish.
Among the potential victims, there is not a single animal that could not catch the jaguar. Running speed, cunning and dexterity are qualities that let him not know what hunger is.
The fastest relatives
Looking at the photos of these animals, it is difficult to understand who is faster - a cheetah or a jaguar. Indeed, the latter really has many indisputable advantages. Against his background, the cheetah (in the next photo) seems an awkward teenager: he has a compact body on thin legs, a small head, a plain-looking tail. The jaguar looks like a seasoned fierce beast next to an angular lean relative.
But the cheetah would have won sprint competitions. Of course, they never met in the wild (the jaguar is the only one of all species of panthers who lives in the New World, and the cheetah is African). But the available scientific data can be simply compared: the speed of the cheetah can reach 120 km / h, this is an absolute record among all animals known to science. The jaguar will not succeed either in catching him or escaping from him.
The five leaders include a close relative of our hero - a lion. Science has only approximate data on the speed of the king of animals, it is impossible to accurately measure this indicator. But we can say that the speed of a lion and a jaguar is comparable. Indicators range from 80-90 km / h.
A little inferior to the jaguar cougar - his unloved neighbor. These animals live nearby, but never share the same territories, in every possible way avoid each other. Some scientists believe that a stronger jaguar dominates the cougar, displaces and oppresses it. But the version does not find 100 percent confirmation because of the specific conditions in which it is very difficult to conduct observations. It is assumed that the speed of the cougar can reach 70-78 km / h.
Other members of the panther genus - the leopard and the tiger - do not even step on the heels of the jaguar sprinter. They travel at a maximum speed of about 60 km / h.
Another contender for the title of excellent runner is a leopard. The inhabitant of the snow-covered slopes can accelerate on the plain to almost 80 km / h.
Everything is relative
To better understand whether the running speed of the jaguar is large, let us make a small comparison.
- A pet cat can reach a top speed of 13.5 km / h.
- Hippopotamus, which is considered one of the best runners in Africa and is one of the most bloodthirsty and dangerous animals in the world, can reach speeds of 35-40 km / h on land.
- The pronghorn antelope is able to escape from the pursuer at speeds up to 100 km / h. She has relatively large lungs and a heart, so she has the strength to run at high speed much longer than any of the hungry predators.
- The wildebeest, greatly frightened, accelerates to 90 km / h.
- Thompson's gazelle cannot run faster than at a speed of 80 km / h, but even a cheetah cannot catch it. The light-legged artiodactyl is saved thanks to endurance. If the jaguar had the opportunity to hunt Thompson's antelopes on the plain, where there is nowhere to hide, he would remain hungry.
- Moose can race at speeds up to 72 km / h. A terrible sight! He sweeps away everything in his path. The jaguar would not bother with such dangerous game. However, for sure we will not know this: the ranges of these animals are too far apart.
- A person moves on foot at a speed of 5-6 km / h. Fleeing from the jaguar, the average citizen could develop a speed of 12-18 km / h. For someone who regularly plays sports, this figure could rise to a mark of 30 km / h. Olympic athlete Donovan Bailey set a record at a speed of 43 km / h. As you can see, our chances of running away from the jaguar are negligible.
Interesting Facts
The ability to hide well, run fast and swim perfectly, unfortunately, did not guarantee the jaguar's safety. Although he does not have natural enemies, in some primordial regions of his habitat this beast was completely exterminated by man. In El Salvador, Uruguay and American Texas, not a single jaguar remains.
Today, hunting for these animals is strictly controlled. Limited shooting is permitted in Bolivia, Mexico and Brazil.