Researchers use isotopic analysis to map territories of jaguars in Belize
How do you study a predator with both camouflage and stealth that make it virtually invisible in the forest?
How do you study a predator with both camouflage and stealth that make it virtually invisible in the forest?
Plants & Animals
Jul 18, 2023
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9
Prisoners in Bolivia are trading in jaguar skins and other wild animal body parts to produce wallets, hats, and belts for sale in local markets. The fangs and bones of jaguars are being illegally exported for use as traditional ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 28, 2023
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21
Researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) published the results of an international investigation finding that the online trade of jaguar parts is openly detectable on multiple online platforms, representing ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 24, 2023
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4
A new study co-authored by Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC) and partners has found novel evidence of wild male jaguars forming coalitions and ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 8, 2022
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1895
A captive-born jaguar released into Argentina's Ibera National Park last year has given birth to two cubs—the first to be born wild in the protected wetland in 70 years, the Rewilding Argentina conservation body said Thursday.
Ecology
Jul 22, 2022
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56
Conservationists have conducted the first comprehensive review of national laws across the range of the jaguar (Panthera onca) to show opportunities for strengthening legal protections of the largest cat species found in ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 6, 2022
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23
Jaguars are the only species of big cat found on the American continent. They range as far south as Argentina, and once roamed as far north as the Grand Canyon in the U.S. Today the northernmost breeding population is in ...
Ecology
Apr 19, 2022
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8
A jaguar named Jatobazinho was released into a national park in Argentina Friday as part of a program to boost the numbers of this endangered species.
Ecology
Jan 1, 2022
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489
Big cats are among the most widespread top predators on Earth. Lions stalk zebra in the African savanna, tigers ambush antelope in the forests of Asia and jaguars hunt deer in the jungles of South America. They play an important ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 17, 2021
1
21
A pair of researchers at Southern University of Science and Technology, in China has found that when hydroelectric power plants are built, tiger and jaguar habitats are lost, putting the cats at risk. In their paper published ...
The jaguar ( /ˈdʒæɡwɑr/ or UK /ˈdʒæɡjuː.ər/; Panthera onca) is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Apart from a known and possibly breeding population in Arizona (southeast of Tucson), the cat has largely been extirpated from the United States since the early 20th century.
This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, although it is usually larger and of sturdier build and its behavioral and habitat characteristics are closer to those of the tiger. While dense rainforest is its preferred habitat, the jaguar will range across a variety of forested and open terrain. It is strongly associated with the presence of water and is notable, along with the tiger, as a feline that enjoys swimming. The jaguar is largely a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush predator at the top of the food chain (an apex predator). It is a keystone species, playing an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and regulating the populations of the animals it hunts. The jaguar has an exceptionally powerful bite, even relative to the other big cats. This allows it to pierce the shells of armoured reptiles and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of prey between the ears to deliver a fatal bite to the brain.
The jaguar is a near threatened species and its numbers are declining. Threats include habitat loss and fragmentation. While international trade in jaguars or their parts is prohibited, the cat is still frequently killed by humans, particularly in conflicts with ranchers and farmers in South America. Although reduced, its range remains large; given its historical distribution, the jaguar has featured prominently in the mythology of numerous indigenous American cultures, including that of the Maya and Aztec.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA