The largest of the big cats in the New World, Jaguars have been recognized for their beauty and power since early Native American Cultures. Now primarily found in the Amazon Basin of South and Central America, it used to be that Jaguars could be found from Cape Horn to the US-Mexico border. In these native cultures throughout South America, jaguars were feared and revered for their killer instinct and majesty. Derived from the native word yaguar, jaguar means “he who kills with one leap”. Because of this reputation, a jaguar was often used to depict the God of the Night or ruler of the underworld.
The jaguar’s reputation with the natives isn’t without backing. Weighing up to 250 pounds and measuring up to 6 feet in length, the jaguar is the largest predatory mammal in South and Central America. With the strongest bite out of all the big cats relative to its size (1,350 psi), it will typically choose to bite and crush the skull of its prey. What makes the jaguar’s jaw so unique compared to other large felines is the “arrangement of its jaw muscles” and the fact that its slightly shorter jaws “[increase] the leverage for biting”, according to BBC Wildlife Magazine. It’s fairly compact size and strong bite make the jaguar perfect for stalking just about anything in the rainforests in which it lives.
Jaguar’s diets consist of large animals such as deer, capybaras, and tapirs. These beasts will often perch in trees waiting for the right moment to strike—all it takes is surprise and a single bite. What may come as a surprise, however, is that jaguars are as proficient at swimming as they are climbing. Because of this attribute, jags also turn to rivers for food. Jaguars have been known to also eat fist, turtles, or caimans. With their strong bites, they have no trouble piercing alligatorlike hides and crushing turtle shells.
With beautiful fur, these animals are often hunted for their pelts. Jaguars have tan or orange fur with black spots, or “rosettes”. These spots are named as such because of their distinctive rose shape. While this is the typical image conjured of a jaguar, they can also be melanistic jaguars—or black jaguars. Black jaguars have much darker furs that appear spotless unless close. Interestingly, they are also known as black panthers, an umbrella term for any large cat with black fur. What differentiates a “black panther” from other cats is actually the presence of a specific gene. This mutation is most commonly seen in the leopards of Asia and Africa and the jaguars of South America.
Jaguars are very territorial animals, claiming areas that cover many square miles with their waste or by clawing and marking trees. Mothers are even more so when defending their blind and helpless cubs. Mothers have even been known to ferociously attack the father of their cubs, should he come too close. It’s because of this that one should be wary when running into these animals. Like the grizzly bear, there is a specific protocol to follow if you ever do. In a Costa Rica-based field biologist’s blog, the procedure is stated as such: stay calm upon contact; raise your arms slowly and avoid abrupt movements; without bending over, slowly lift any children that might be with you; back away slowly and do not turn your back on the animal.
Jaguars are multi-faceted animals to say the least. With their unique lethality and affinity for water, I would love to observe one of these animals in the wild, in action. Though that might be a bit of a frightening experience, I have no doubt it would be extremely rewarding as well.
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