The Jaguar
Photo By: Lowell Nash
The Jaguar is an endangered species in Texas. It is the largest spotted American cat. Its' body color is tan, and has dark spots with lightened centers. It can get up to 90 kg in weight.
Jaguars are the third largest cat in the world, ranking behind the tiger and African lion. In spite of their large size, they are shy and retiring. They seldomly attack man unless cornered or at bay. They like to roam over a large territory.
Their food habits are not known well. In Mexico, they are known to prey on peccaries. many of the Mexicans believe that each large herd of peccaries is trailed by a jaguar so that he can feed on the stragglers. They probably prey also on deer and large ground-dwelling birds. Jaguars are reputed to be so destructive of cattle and horses that the larger Mexican ranches retain a "tiger hunter" to kill them or at least to drive them away. Jaguars are also fond of sea turtle eggs and they roam the beaches on spring nights to dig up and eat the eggs that are buried in the sand.
This information is by William B. Davis and David J. Schmidly
The jaguar is at home in the water. As well as enjoying rollicking in the water, the big cat relies upon the waters for it’s food – fish. The jaguar will paddle out to the best fishing spot. The jaguar is an excellent swimmer. In fact, they swim so fast that they make bow waves. The jaguar will then emerge from the river close to an area that is abundant in fish. Then, in an instant, his razor sharp claw will swoop down and snatch his prey from the water. The power of such swoops are such that the massive aitkainte (leatherback turtle) has been known to have been thrown 13 feet ( four meters) through the air. Authors' name not available.
Picture from http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=622274&item=308579
The roar of a Jaguar 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.
(Note):There are also black Jaguars. These are usually found in dense forests and are often called Black Panthers. The body length is between 4 and 6 feet and its tail is about 30 inches.
Distribution of the Jaguar in Texas
Inhabits the dense, chaparral and timbered sections of the new world tropics and rarely goes into the high, cooler inland areas.
Used to be fairly common over Southern Texas
Is now extirpated from Texas
This information is from http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/pantonca.htm
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