MadSci Network: Zoology |
Greetings, The following is the answer to your question regarding Leopards and Jaguars. http://library.thinkquest.org/11234/jaguar_any.html Photo from the Cathouse (FCC) Male Weight: 175 to 225 pounds Female Weight: 170 to 190 pounds Life Span: 15 to 20 years Litter Size: 1 to 4 cubs Gestation: 95 to 105 days Physical Characteristics The jaguar, weighing up to 300 pounds, exhibits a look of shear power, grace, and fear; the jaguar is one of the four roaring cats. It is commonly confused with the leopard. The jaguar can be distingushed by having larger rosette markings and a larger, more powerful looking body; the jaguar also has a shorter tail. The strength of the jaguar is amazing with its jaws so strong that it often kills its prey by piercing the skull in one, fatal bite. The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas. The color of the jaguar is a tawny-yellow with spots on the head, neck and legs and rosettes on other parts of its body. The rosettes will have one to four dark spots inside. An Indian myth says that the jaguar got its spotted coat by dabbing mud on its body with its paws. If you look closely at the coat of a jaguar, markings can seem like a paw print! The Life and Habitat of a Jaguar The solitary jaguar is found in the tropical rainforests and swampy grasslands in through Central America stretching into South America. The jaguar is known as a forest dweller, with its highest population found in the lowland rain forests of the Amazon Basin. They are also found in high altitudes. The jaguar generally chooses an area where there is a source of water and enjoys swimming or resting in a stream on hot days, like the tiger does. Hunting and Feeding Unlike many other big cats, the jaguar does not kill their prey by attacking at the neck yet bites through the temporal bones of the skull. South American Indians call the jaguar 'yaguara', meaning 'a beast that kills its prey with one bound'. The jaguar lives mostly on smaller prey, but will prey on what ever is available such as livestock, deer, smaller prey such as fish, rodents, and also reptiles and monkeys, or any other animals that seems fitting to the jaguar; the jaguar stalks its prey. Reproduction and Cubs The jaguar has no breeding season. After mating and a gestation period of 95 to 105 days, one to four cubs are born in a den which they will stay in for up to six months. They are weened by three months and then begin to accompany their mother on hunts. By the time the cubs are two years of age, they will have set off on their own to try and make their own territories. Status During the sixties and seventies around 18,000 jaguars were killed every year for their beautiful coat. Today there is still poaching, but not nearly as bad as before. The destruction of the jaguar's habitat from logging and cattle ranching as well has having to compete with humans for food has brought a large decrease to their population. More trees are cut every day, and more jaguars are killed as the demand for their skin increases. http://www.africa- insites.com/zambia/travel/Wildlife/leopard.htm Picture from the Cathouse (FCC) Length: 5 to 8 feet Weight: 60 to 210 pounds Litter Size: 2 to 3 Infant Mortality: 40 to 50% Life Span: 2 to 17 years Physical Characteristics The leopard is often confused with the jaguar, but the leopard is less stocky and does not have any spots inside its rosette markings, unlike the jaguar. The leopard is strong and agile and can roar just like the lion, tiger, and jaguar. The leopard may weigh anywhere from 60 to 210 lb. The male leopard is slightly larger than the female, and size and weight varies through its geographical range. The leopard is five to eight feet in length and has a long tail which it uses for balance. 'Black panthers' are actually leopards with a recessive melanistic gene. They are more common in areas with less light; out of all the big cats, leopards are the most likely to have melanistic coloration. Habitat and Daily Life Leopards are found in Africa below the Sahara desert and in southwest Asia in woodlands, lowland forests, and savannas. Its ability to live in many different habitats and feed on a larger source of prey has given it a better chance for survival then that of the cheetah or lion. The leopard favors areas where there are trees, and in the savanna leopards are often seen near one; they are amazing climbers. Territory is marked by scratches, feces, urine, and secretions. Male territories are larger than that of the female, and may overlap several female territories. Hunting and Feeding The leopard is a solitary hunter, and stalks its prey generally at night. After a catch is made, the leopard will carry it up a tree, even if the prey is three times its weight, showing tremendous strength and agility. In the open grasslands of the savanna, leopards prey on wildebeest, impala, gazelle, and young eland, as well as hares, reptiles, and even insects. In woodland areas common prey includes small monkeys, duiker, and various rodents such as rats, porcupines, and squirrels. Reproduction and Cubs Breeding usually takes place in January or February, all though there is no breeding season. After the mating is over, the male and female will separate. After a gestation period of about 95 days, 2 or 3 cubs are born blind and helpless, weighing under two pounds. They are weaned by three months and begin to join their mother in hunts where they will learn how to survive. By their second year, the now sub-adults will leave their mother to establish their own territory. Status The leopard is rarely seen in northern Africa. The Amur leopard is now extremely rare in the wild due to habitat loss, and the leopard is under extreme threat in the Middle East and southwest Asia. The leopard is listed in CITES Appendix 1. June Wingert Mad Scientist
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