A beast that can kill in one jump - this is what they say about the jaguar, by the way, the name of the animal is also translated from the language of the American Indians. For the first time, this beautiful cat was discovered on the American continent by the colonizers of the New World. And the Mayans and the Aztecs idolized the animal, and in the places where the jaguar lives, evidence was found that the inhabitants of these places decorated themselves with its teeth.
Appearance
The jaguar belongs to the genus panther and looks like a leopard, but much larger. On the head and body of the beast, thick fur, short. On top of the head are small black rounded ears with a yellow spot.
The maximum body weight is 150 kilograms, with growth (height at the withers) 80 centimeters. Where does the jaguar live? The largest individuals are found in the state of Mato Grosso (Brazil). Small ones live in Honduras and in Guatemala.
The color of the animal is sand color, with red spots and a fringing of a dark brown hue. Paws and face are covered with black specks. The soles and bottom of the body are white.
The beast has a very massive jaw, much larger than that of other feline representatives.
Habitat
Where does the jaguar live? Such places can be described as sparsely populated. But today there are less and less such places on the planet, respectively, and the population of wild cats is rapidly declining.
Where does the jaguar live - in North or South America? Once upon a time it was possible to meet an animal in all of South America and even in the south of North America. Today, the cat lives in South and Central America right up to the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Also found in northern Argentina. In fact, this is only a third of the territories where the animal used to live. In El Salvador and Uruguay, wild cats are generally completely exterminated.
Jaguar prefers tropical forests, but it also occurs on the coast, where it feeds on sea turtles and their eggs. The animal is found in mountainous areas and can live at an altitude of up to 2 thousand meters above sea level.
The animal leads a solitary lifestyle. The territories where the jaguar lives can reach 100 square kilometers. A wild cat can hunt with its relatives, but will not allow other representatives of the cat family to enter its territory. Pairs are created by animals only for the mating season.
Species diversity
In nature, there are black jaguars, which are often confused with panthers. The black color is due to melanism, and in this case, such individuals are not a separate species.
There are several types of jaguars and are classified mainly by habitat:
- Peruvian, often regarded as an Amazonian species, lives not only in Peru, but also in Ecuador;
- Central American (Central America);
- Arizona, lives in southern Arizona and to the territories of Sonora in Mexico;
- Mexican (Mexico);
- Brazilian, found in southern Brazil;
- Paraguayan, often considered as a Brazilian subspecies and lives in the territory of Paraguay;
- Texas, previously residing in central Texas, is now considered a completely exterminated species;
- the Amazonian, nominative subspecies, prefers the rainforests of the Amazon;
- Goldman Jaguar, this species lives on the territory of Guatemala, Mexico and Belize.
On what continent, where does the jaguar live? Wild cat lives in South America and is listed in the Red Book. Partial shooting is allowed in Mexico and Brazil.
An amazing swimmer who can't growl
The animal is an excellent swimmer. Overcome in one swim can be more than 10 kilometers. An animal can use logs to make swimming easier. By the way, a cat can hunt even in water.
Wild cat jaguar does not know how to growl. Before the attack, she makes hissing and snorting sounds. It is believed that the animal is able to imitate the voices, in particular the sounds that the baby monkey makes. The jaguar does this in order to attract monkeys and attack them.
Interesting Facts
The largest individual humans have ever seen is a 158-pound jaguar. Although often the weight of the animal does not exceed 130 kilograms.
Jaguar and lion can interbreed in the wild. However, in such a union sterile offspring is born.
Each beast has its own individual color, which is never repeated.
Where does the jaguar live? Mainland - South and Central America, the countries of the New World, in other parts of the world the animal does not occur.
The beast can even attack a crocodile, although only young animals, adult individuals for the jaguar, are too serious rivals. The cat can attack any animal, from rodents to deer, while instantly biting the victim's throat. There have been cases when a cat attacked an anaconda, but this is the largest snake on the whole planet. The beast hunts at night, and sleeps during the day. Attacks his victim from an ambush. A person can be attacked only if he defends himself from him.
The fossil remains of the animal give the right to say that the jaguar is the oldest inhabitant of the planet. The beast lives on Earth for at least 2 million years.
The Mayan tribes were allowed to wear animal skins only to the most brave warriors.
Despite its large size, up to two years of age no more than half of young live.
In jaguars, the female selects herself a suitable partner.