Jaguar Hunting and Rowland Ward SCI World Record Book Score.

Jaguar

(Panthera onca)

Current SCI all time record: Score 19 8/16 - Mexico, Ocosingo - 1/93

Description: The jaguar is a member of the cat family; allied with "roaring" cats (African lion, tiger and leopard). It is the largest cat native to the Western Hemisphere. Adult males average 200 pounds and may exceed 300 pounds. Adult females average 150 pounds. Juveniles average between 80 and 100 pounds. Animals at the northern edge of the range (Arizona-New Mexico) are smaller than those farther south. Jaguars are cinnamon-buff in color, with many black spots. A black or melanistic color phase occurs primarily in southern parts of the range. They are muscular, with relatively short, massive limbs and deep-chested body. Adult lengths range from about six to eight feet (body and tail).

Other Common Names:

Size:

Range: Central America and along both coasts of Mexico; year around but not importable into the U.S. (however, may be darted as a part of a Mexican study).

Natural History: The scientific name for the jaguar is Panthera onca. Panthera is Greek meaning "for all" and "hunter," a reference to this animal's position at the top of the food chain; onca is Greek meaning "hook" or "barb," a reference to the jaguar's formidable set of claws.

Jaguar habitat varies: toward the center of their range they prefer lowland wet habitats, typically swampy savannas or tropical rain forests; at the northern and southern periphery, they occupy warmer, more arid habitat types, including oak-pine woodlands.

Jaguars breed year-round, range-wide. Gestation is about 100 days; litters range from one to four cubs (usually two). The cubs remain with the mother for nearly two years. Females mature at three years of age, males at four. Studies have documented few wild jaguars more than 11 years old.

The list of prey taken by jaguars includes more than 85 species, such as javelina, armadillos, caimans, turtles, birds, fish, and various livestock. In Brazil, people claim the jaguar sometimes uses its tail as a lure for fish. In the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, javelina and deer are presumably dietary mainstays.

Jaguars are known to be far ranging. Movements of 500 miles have been recorded. If food is abundant, they may become sedentary and range over only a few square miles. Like most cats, this one is territorial and marks its boundaries with scents. Jaguars roar to announce their presence to other members of their species.

Hunting Characteristics: