The Family of Cats
Jaguar
Description:
The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas, with adult males of the largest
subspecies, i.e. Panthera onca paraguayensis, occasionally exceeding 300 lbs
(148 kg). Jaguars living in heavily forested areas are considerably smaller
than those from populations in more open areas like the Pantanal of the Mato
Grosso of Brazil and the Llanos of Venezuela. The jaguar is the only living
representative of the genus Panthera found in the New World. The fur has a
spotted pattern; its markings differ from those of the leopard by their having
larger, broken-edged rosettes that contain small black spots within them.
Jaguars have a large head, stocky build and relatively shorter limbs than
others of their genus. Melanism is present in some populations.
Range: Historically, jaguars ranged
from the southern United States (Texas, Arizona and New 
Mexico)
through Mexico and Central America to Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil and northern
Argentina. Current distribution is in a broad belt from central Mexico through
Central America to South America as far south as the northern portion of Argentina.
Within that range, only populations in Amazonia, Venezuela and the Guianas
are sustaining or increasing.
Habitat: Jaguars swim well and are strongly associated with water. Favored habitats include rain forest and seasonally flooded swamp areas. They are also found in lesser numbers in thorn scrub woodland and dry deciduous forest. Jaguars have been found at elevations as high as 3,800 meters in Costa Rica but typically avoid montane forest and have not been found in the high plateau of central Mexico or above 2,700 meters in the Andes.
Diet:
Over 85 species have been recorded in the jaguar's diet. Large prey such as
peccary, deer, tapir and capybara are favored but jaguars will eat almost
anything that can be caught. In areas where cattle ranching is widespread,
domestic livestock may become the most frequently targeted prey species. Jaguars
are the only big cat which regularly kills prey (especially capybaras) by
piercing the skull with their canines. It is suggested that the massive head
and stout canines are an adaptation to "cracking open" well-armored
reptilian prey such as land tortoises and river turtles.
Their ability to survive the great Pleistocene extinction that saw the disappearance of many large ungulates and their predators may be related to the jaguar's ability to take advantage of a super-abundant prey base of aquatic reptiles (turtles, caimans and snakes).
Social
Organization: Jaguars are solitary, territorial carnivores. The territories
of males are larger than those of females, and may overlap those of several
females. After a gestation of about 101 days, females give birth to 1-4 cubs
(average 2) that will become independent in 1.5-2 years. Males are sexually
mature in 3-4 years, females in 2-3 years. In captivity, jaguars are probably
the longest lived of any species of cat, Threats to Survival: Although once
heavily hunted for their skins, this threat has declined drastically since
the mid-1970's when anti-fur campaigns reduced the popularity of coats made
from spotted cats and CITES controls progressively shut down international
markets. Today most populations are threatened by high deforestation rates
which fragment jaguar populations and makes them more vulnerable to continuing
persecution by man. Regardless of legal protection, jaguars are often shot
on sight, especially in areas possessing cattle ranches. Because jaguars consume
a large amount of cattle in their diet (where cattle are abundant), some farmers
employ hunters to pursue local jaguars and today such conflict is the most
urgent conservation issue facing this species. Translocation of problem animals
has been attempted in Brazil and Venezuela but with inconclusive results.
Attempts to relocate problem individuals in Belize found that jaguars often
return to stock killing.
The Sumatran Tiger
Name: Sumatran Tiger
Scientific name: Panthera tigris sumatrae
Range: Fragmented portions of Sumatra, South East Asia
Habitat: Heavily wooded forest
Status: Endangered
Diet in the wild: antelope, zebra, young hippo, crocodiles, snakes, warthogs,
carrion
Diet in the zoo: carnivore diet
Location in the zoo: Asian Falls
Physical description:
Height 30" at shoulder, weight 200-450 lbs. Body length of 84-106".
The fur on the upper parts of its body ranges from orange to reddish- brown,
making it darker in color than other tigers.
General
information: Tigers are the largest of the cat species. The Sumatran tiger
is the smallest tiger subspecies. They inhabit only the small island of Sumatra,
where there small size makes it easy for them to move in the dense tropical
jungle. Unlike lions, tigers are not great socializers. Except for courtship
and mating, tigers prefer to live alone. Males stake out separate territories
from each other, but these will overlap with several female territories. The
teeth are the largest canines among all meat eaters. The skull shape strengthens
jaw leverage. The legs are heavily muscled with longer hind legs for jumping.
Although not the most endangered of the tigers, the Sumatran's numbers have
benn greatly reduced in recent years. There are only 650 of these tigers that
remain in the wild today.
Special anatomical, physiological or
behavioral adaptations:
The ability of big cats to roar is related to the arrangement of bones under
the tongue. A Tiger's stripes make it a master of camouflage. To hunt a tiger
relies on sight and hearing rather than smell. Unique to this subspecies,
are the distinctively long whiskers, which serve as sensors in the dark and
dense undergrowth.
Comments about the Sumatran tigers of the Fort Worth Zoo
The smallest sub-species of the world's largest cat. Their gestation period is around 100 days. Tiger's mate at anytime throughout the year and once they have the female has anywhere from three to four cubs. Their lifespan is about 15 years. Cubs open their after one to two weeks after birth, and are taught to hunt successfully by eleven months into their lives. The stripes of a tiger make it seem to disappear in tall grass. To the colour-blind deer and antelope on which the Sumatran preys in the wild, the tiger appears to be just many patches of sunlight mixed with deep shadows. A tiger cannot run as fast as a deer over a long distance, so it is important for a tiger to be able to hide and then make a sudden leap at its prey.
Personal Observations:
Even though I didn't get to see the Sumatran tiger at the Fort Worth Zoo,
I am still very interested in these animals and I hope that this subspecies
of the tiger doesn't become extinct. One day I would like to go and see the
tiger in the wild, to see how it fends for itself and basically how it gets
on with day to day life.
Current research:
If more research summaries are needed on the Sumatran tiger or any other tigers
then you are able to access a lot of information on the internet. I found
a lot of information on the internet through Infoseek which is in the netscape
navigator. I also found some information from various other zoo's across the
country. I found information from the San Francisco zoo on the Sumatran tiger.
Other relative information is available from encyclopedias. Also if you would
like know more about tigers at the Fort Worth Zoo, check out the Bengal Tiger
or the Indochinese tiger.
Sources of information:
Fort Worth Zoo information placards.
The Encyclopedia,and the Internet.
LINKS:
Tiger Territory
Sumatran Tiger at the San Francisco
Zoo
Sumatran
Tigers Profile at Five Tigers
Sumatran Tiger at the Honolulu
Zoo
