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Jaguars are members pf the cat family.
They belong to a group called the "big cats". Their closet
relations are the lions, tigers, and leopard. |
| Jaguars are easlit confused with
leopards, which have similar fur color and very similar markings on their
fur. Jaguars are stockier and are more powerful then the leopards. They
also have shorter tails. Their markings on their fur are different, too.
The Jaguars markings go in the circle like the leopards but in the middle
of the circle there is an extra dot. Another way to tell them apart is,
jaguars do not roar, they give out a sort of "cough" instead. |
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Jaguars are the smallest of the
"big cat" family. A fully grown male may measure up to 9 feet
from the tip of its tail and to the tip of its nose. They weigh up to 230
pounds (males). Females, however, are much smaller. They only weigh up to
90 pounds. |
| Jaguars are the only big cats that can
be found living in the Americas. They live in Central and South America.
Jaguars live in the rainforests mostly in Central America. The ones that
liver there are the smallest . Those that live in swampy areas, open
grasslands of Brazil are the largest. |
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Depending on where the jaguar lives,
they are different size and have a different behavior. |
| Jaguars have the most fearsome teeth
and jaws of any animal.They have sharp "fangs" at the front of
their mouth. They use these teeth to grip their prey and deliver a bite
that kills. A bite of the Jaguar is said to have the most deadly of all
cats. It is said because they have extremely powerful jaws. It is so
powerful that it is the only cat to be able to puncture its prey's skull
with its teeth. |
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Jaguars
have camouflage, too. Most of them have yellowish-or- reddish-brown fur
with black spots on them. Their spots are often arranged in a pattern.
With several spots in the middle. Not all jaguars look like this.
Sometimes jaguars are born black. Luckily for them they are only active at
night. So they blend into the dark. Very rarely are jaguars born white. |
| Jaguars
like to huny and live alone. They are very protective of their territory.
They mark their territory by scratching the trees or leaving a scent on
them. The smell is so powerful that it warns off other jaguars. |
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Female
jaguars are ready to mate once every 37 days. Her calls attract males. The
male get excited by these calls. |
| Female
jaguars are usualy pregnant for about 100 days. She gives birth in a cave
or canyon, or under a river back or in a big dense brush. Jaguars can have
one to four cubs. Usually they will give birth to twins. The cubs are born
blind and are only 16 inches long. |
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A week
after the cubs are born the mother leaves the den for her cubs. The cubs
won't start hunting with their mother at least 6 weeks old. At 6 months
old they start hunting for themselves. |
