JAGUAR
- Scientific Name : Panthera onca
- IUCN Status : Near Threatened
- The jaguar is the third biggest cat in the world.
- Jaguars are opportunistic hunters and can prey upon almost anything they come across.
- The jaguar is threatened by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, poaching for trade with its body parts and killings in human–wildlife conflict situations, particularly with ranchers in Central and South America.
- The jaguar has featured prominently in the mythology of indigenous peoples of the Americas, including those of the Aztec and Maya civilizations.
- Melanistic jaguars are also known as black panthers.
- The jaguar prefers dense forest and typically inhabits dry deciduous forests, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, rain forests and cloud forests in Central and South America; open, seasonally flooded wetlands, dry grassland and historically also oak forests in the United States.
- The jaguar is mostly active at night and during twilight.
- The jaguar is sympatric with the cougar.
- The jaguar is an obligate carnivore and depends solely on flesh for its nutrient requirements.
- The jaguar is threatened by loss and fragmentation of habitat, illegal killing in retaliation for livestock depredation and for illegal trade in jaguar body parts.
- In 1999, field scientists from 18 jaguar range countries determined the most important areas for long-term jaguar conservation based on the status of jaguar population units, stability of prey base and quality of habitat. These areas, called “Jaguar Conservation Units” (JCUs)