Jaguar

__**Phyla:**__ Chordata

__**Class**__: Mammalia

__**Common Name**__:Jaguar

__**Scientific Name**__**:** //Panthera onca// __**Location:**__ //Jaguars are located in parts of Central and South America, and on occasion been rarely seen as far north as the Southern parts of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.//



__**Size:**__ -Length: Head to Body ,5-7 feet -Weight: 112-200 lbs

__**Habitat:**__ The jaguar prefers to live in the rain forest, although it may be spotted in large open terrains and forests. Living Requirements: Jaguars are meat-eaters and are considered as an apex predator. They prefer large animals as their prey, like dogs, deer, foxes, etc. Sometimes they attack and kill anacondas too. They hunt for prey in dark, especially during dawn and dusk and they have a habit of burying their prey for subsequent use. The killing technique of jaguar is somewhat similar to that of other members of the panthera family. They bite through the skull of prey between the ears and pierce the brain. Jaguars leap on the prey from the back and bites through the skull, making the prey almost immobile. This method is usually employed while attacking mammals.

__**Life Cycle**__: The jaguars mate year around. About 100 days after mating the female has one to four kittens. She will give birth in a cave den or a thicket. The kittens are born with their eyes closed. At birth they have fuzzy spotted fur. The kittens can hunt when they are six months old. They stay with their mother for two years. Jaguars have a lifespan up to 15-20 years of life.

__**Male:**__The male is the hunter, and is smaller than the female. __**Female:**__The female feeds its young. Interesting Facts:Jaguars are one of the few feliens that enjoy swimming in water.Jaguars regularly kill prey (especially capybaras) by piercing the skull with their canines.Jaguar are endangered through loss of habitat (deforestation and mining) and through hunting or poaching.

__**Human Impact on Organism:**__ Jaguar populations suffered intense persecution from the commercial skin trade throughout the 20th century. Since its inclusion in an international treaty (CITES) which banned trade in wildlife products derived from endangered species, commercial jaguar hunting has declined. Today direct persecution from livestock owners, combined with reductions in habitat and wild prey, pose the main threat to jaguars. The future of the jaguar is uncertain; their declining numbers are estimated at below fifty thousand individuals throughout their entire range. In order to persist, this species requires space, prey and connectivity between populations. Levels of ranching and arable agriculture are increasing throughout Central and South America, and suitable jaguar habitat is becoming surrounded by a matrix of human development. Their environment is being destroyed and fragmented by deforestation, while hunters deplete stocks of wild prey. The jaguars are forced into human habitation where they may predate on livestock and face direct conflict with people. Farms and villages often have an abundance of livestock, and those that link forest fragments are potentially resource rich corridors for big cats. They are rarely tolerated. Lethal control is common and larger ranches may function as sinks for big cats from the surrounding areas. This depletion is unlikely to be sustainable for jaguar populations in the long-term.

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