For millennia, jaguars have served as potent cultural
icons for many
indigenous American people from the Mayans and Incas, to the
Guaraní Indians
of the Gran Chaco. The Maya believed the jaguar's skin symbolized
the night
sky, while the Aztecs fed the hearts of sacrificial victims to
the big cats.
Among Amazonian societies, the jaguar, with its shining, reflective
eyes,
were thought to connect to the spirit world.
Today, Jaguars remain an important symbol
in many religious and artistic
expressions in the New World. However, there is a growing conflict
between
those that would honor the jaguar for its spiritual, cultural
and ecological
significance with those that continue to cause its decline.
The Jaguar is the largest cat in the
Western Hemisphere and the third
largest cat in the world (after the Lion and the Tiger.) It is
also one of
the four roaring cats. It differs from a lion's roar and is more
of a series
of hoarse coughs. It is often confused with the leopard but the
Jaguar is a
stockier animal. It is usually larger with a broad head and shorter
legs and
tail. The color is generally a tawny yellow with dark spots on
the head and
neck and dark rings on the body. Inside these rings there is
usually a dark
spot. This is the primary difference between the spots on a Jaguar
and the
spots on a Leopard.
Occasionally
jaguars are born completely black and are often called Black
Panthers. However, they are just a different colour variation
not a different species. These are usually found in dense forests.
The body length is between 4 and 6 feet and its tail is about
30 inches long.
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Body Length
(mm) -1200-1800
Weight
(kg) - 70-120
Litter Size
- 1-4 average
Life Span -
12-16 years
Status
- Near Threatened
Other names:
Zac-bolay (Mayan)
Jaguareté (Paraguay)
Otorongo (Peru)
Penitigri (Surinam)
Yaguar (Venezuelan)
Habitat:
Central and South America. SW USA. Dense
tropical forest, swamps, and
open country. Understory layer of rainforest.
Diet:
Grown animals (loves peccaries, capybara, sloth, tapir, deer,
monkeys),
cattle, fish, frogs, turtles and small alligators. Loves meat
and will eat
almost anything.
Enemies:
Poachers (humans) which hunt it for its
coat.
Jaguars :
are moving towards being an endangered animal because
of habitat
destruction and poaching.
are rarely seen in the rainforest, even by the people
who live there.
are excellent climbers, but usually stalk their prey
on the ground.
are sometimes hunted for their beautiful fur.
like to swim and spend lots of time doing so.
are very fast and cover short distances very quickly.
reach their adult size at about age four.
are the only big cats who do not roar. They grunt
and snarl.
sleep on branches.
have hooked claws for climbing and catching fish.
"almost" never attack people. Some have
killed people.
birth to 2-4 young and they are born blind.
can live up to 22 years.
heavily built with glowing eyes. They can be up
to 73 inches in
length, have a red nose, and very sharp teeth which can bite
through
caiman hide.
are a very solitary animal.
sit at the top of the rainforest food web.
can
weigh up to 250 pounds. (males). Females can weigh up to 150
pounds.
arethe
3rd largest cat.
are
not usually black. A spotted father and a black mother produce
a spotted and black cub.
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Associacao Pro-Carnivorous
The Association for the Conservation
of Neotropical Carnivores - (AssociaÁ"o PrÛ-CarnÌvoros
in Portuguese ) - is a Brazilian non-profit, non-governmental organization
devoted to the conservation of South American carnivores.
Bagheera,
a website for Endangered Species
Bagheera both provides information about endangered species and
indicates ways to take action. Combined with Endangered
Earth, Bagheera.com provides all the necessary information
and resources for individuals to become more knowledgeable about
this important
issue, and to make a difference.
Wildlife Conservation Society
The Hornocker Wildlife Institute (HWI),
long known for its breakthrough
research on Siberian tigers, mountain lions and other carnivores,
has become
part of the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS),
which has
been saving wildlife and wild lands around the world since 1895.
The new relationship, which combines the talents of each of these
world-class conservation organizations, will result in the world's
largest
carnivore protection program, with active field projects safeguarding
everything from wolverines in Montana, to jaguars in Brazil's
Pantanal.
The Cat Specialist Group
The Cat Specialist Group consists of
the world's leading scientists and wildlife managers involved
with the 36 species of wild cats in more than 50 countries. It
is one of over 100 similar groups of scientists and other specialists
from all over the world forming part of the the Species Survival
Commission of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The members
serve as honorary advisers to the Union. They provide data on
wild animals and plants for the World Conservation Monitoring
Centre in Cambridge, England, which is hosted by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP). They advise governments which are
Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITIES).
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Animal Wise: The Spirit Language and Signs of Nature
By Ted Andrews
Swamp Screamer
By Charles Fergus
Panther: Shadow of the Swamp
By Jonathan London
Jaguar Woman
By Lynn V. Andrews
I Once
Met Some Cats
Black
Panther
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Jaguar's
Wisdom Includes:
*Seeing the roads within chaos
*Understanding the patterns of chaos
*Moving without fear in the darkness
*Facilitating soul work
*Empowering oneself
*Moving in unknown places
*Shapeshifter
*Psychic sight
More About Animal Totems
Animalspirits
Jaguar
Cars has just made a major
investment in the future of its corporate symbol. The producer
of the British-made sports cars and sedans will donate $1 million
to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) over the next five
years for the protection of the jaguar, the largest cat of the
Americas.
"When we learned that the cat was endangered, it was
an easy decision to getinvolved," says Terri Nelson, Jaguar's
dealer marketing manager. "It would not be very environmentally
friendly, or customer friendly, not to become
involved in the effort."
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The Big Zoo
The Dublin Zoo
BBC"s Really Wild Zone
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
& Jaguar Preserve
This unique sanctuary in southern Belize
covers an area of about 150 square
miles of tropical forest, and is the world's only Jaguar Preserve.
Declared
a Forest Preserve in 1984 and finally a Jaguar Preserve in 1986,
the park is
the culmination of many years of work and perseverance by individuals
and
national and international organizations.
Jaguar Research Page
"Hi,
my name is Amanda Moschel. I'm in sixth grade at Meridian Middle
School in Buffalo Grove, IL. In Mrs. Ireland's science class,
we are studying endangered species. An endangered specie is an
animal that is endangered and close to becoming extinct. We all
picked a country or state in North America. I picked Mexico.
Then, we had to find an endangered specie in our country or state,
and research it. I picked the jaguar. This is my research report. "
Mainely Felids
Wild Feline Conservation & Education. Mainely Felids is dedicated
to promoting responsibility in private captive husbandry of wild
felines.
Wild About Cats
Wild About Cats is dedicated to providing responsible homes for
captive-bred
wild felines, and promoting preservation of habitat for their
wild-born
cousins. There is a strong emphasis on the philosophy that education
is the key
that will produce results for both.
Jaguar Expedition, Jaguar, Lord
of the Mayan Jungle
"Our expeditions feature a rich
multimedia adventure best experienced with the latest browser
and the flash plug-in from Macromedia."
Florida Panther Society
Floridians' Knowledge, Opinions and Attitudes
toward Panther Habitat and Panther-Related Issues
Huichol Art Online
"All of these jaguar heads are hand carved by Indians
in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico and are supplied to the Huichols
by traders for beading. The jaguar is a sacred animal to the
Huichol . it guards the gates of heaven."
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Site research by Sunnie
Lindell
Site construction by Dwayne
Edward Rourke
Photos provided with permission from Artoday.