Jaguar, Panthera onca

The grass sways slightly in the breeze. Or does it? Is there a creature hiding there instead? There, the grass sways again. There is no breeze this time. Look closely, what do you see? Two great big golden-green eyes peer back at you from the grass. The shape and size of the body that lies in the grass is hard to make out. Laying in shade with the grass all around him the jaguar, (Panthera onca) checks on his prey. Unless this large cat moves, you probably won't see the rest of his body. The jaguar is one of the large wild cats that roam South and Central America. He is slightly larger than the leopard, has a shorter tail, and is stockier and more muscular in build. Overall, it gives the impression of power as opposed to the grace and speed of the leopard. The coloring of his coat, tawny-yellow has isolated spots on his head and neck, and larger spots on his sides and flanks. According to an Indian myth, the jaguar acquired its spots by daubing mud on its body with his paws. Lying down in tall grass this helps with his camouflage (helps him hide from his dinner) while hunting. As with all cats, the jaguar stalks, ambushes, and pounces on his intended victims. Once dinner is acquired, the jaguar kills his prey by biting the base of the skull resulting in instant death. Although the jaguar hunts primarily on the ground, he will climb a tree to lay in wait for his prey. He is a fast sprinter, but tires quickly. He is a nocturnal (hunts at night) predator. Preferring to live in jungles or swampy grasslands, it will at times frequent open country. Also unlike any other cats, which swim only of dire necessity, jaguars readily hit the water and are completely at home in it. Woe to any animal, which the big cat, catches in the water. Most of the jaguar's important prey species are concentrated near or must come occasionally to water. These include deer, capybara, peccaries, anteaters, and tapirs. Jaguar's are even good fishermen, and will scoop our turtles and fish, which they find, close to banks. Although jaguars are included in the group of the four roaring cats, their roar has been identified more as a series of hoarse coughs. These are used to proclaim territory boundaries and to announce their presence. Adult jaguars are solitary, seeking company during breeding season. A young jaguar will stay with its mother for a few years before finding his own hunting territories. Life expectancy in the wild is 15-20 years, in captivity the jaguar sometimes exceeds 25 years.

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