The Jaguar

The jaguar can be found near moist forests, yet sometimes you will be able to see it in arid places such as the Savannah or where ever there water to drink. This shows that they can adapt to very different climates.

This powerful animal can eat many things. Some of its prey are caimans, snakes, deer, sloths, capybaras, monkeys, and armadillos. Since the jaguar is such a good swimmer, it is able to get turtles as well. Another way it will get its food is climbing trees, but usually it stays on the ground. When the jaguar runs to catch its prey, it is able to cover short distances fast but will tire quickly. The jaguar only hunts at night.

Like the tiger, the jaguar also lives alone. They only join together during mating season. The mother can give birth to 4 cubs at a time. They will weigh about 25-32 pounds at birth. The cubs will stay with the mother for only a few years until they go out on their own. At age six, the cubs will start to hunt A baby, after it has left the mother, will go find its territory. The size of a jaguar's territory depends on how much food is available. The size can range from 3-200 square miles. If there is hardly any food then the size can be larger and if food is plentiful, the area can be smaller.

The only threat to the jaguar is losing its habitat. People are cutting down the trees and the rain forests. Also these animals lives are lost due to illegal hunting of this beautiful animal. Because of this its population has shrunk greatly over the last 100 years. The last jaguar to be killed in the U.S. was in California in 1860; by 1950 the jaguar had totally disappeared from the United States.