MadSci Network: Zoology
Query:

Re: What is the diference between Leopard and Jaguar?

Date: Fri Oct 20 19:31:24 2000
Posted By: June M. Wingert , RM(NRM),Associate Scientist
Area of science: Zoology
ID: 971994411.Zo
Message:

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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