How the Jaguar hunting

The jaguar is most active at dusk and night. Being a short distance runner fast enough hunting their prey mainly on the ground. It is a great swimmer and can even cross rivers with a width of several kilometers. 

The jaguar goes over 50% of their time hunting and, then, can cover a distance of 3 or 4 miles a day and even during drought when there is little food. The jaguar has a fixed territory can cover up to 40 km2. 

The jaguar is considered an opportunistic carnivore and its diet depends on the density and prey availability. More than 85 species have been recorded in the jaguar diet (Seymour 1989). Large dams such as peccaries, tapirs and deer are their favorites, but also feeds on other mammals such as monkeys and sloths, always depending on their availability at each location. Keep in mind that such large herbivores are fewest in the jungle than in open areas, which are designed to form large groups, this is one of the causes that make a difference in their feeding areas in forests and open. Also hunts frogs, turtles, snakes and even alligators can attack, but are significantly bigger than him. It also eats fish and birds have their nests on the ground. 

In areas inhabited by jaguars and cattle there are cases that hunt prey to these easy due to the scarcity of natural prey and the passivity of these new dams. 

The jaguar eats small prey whole and immediately. When hunting large prey, eat some and removed for a nap and then return later to finish. If an animal kills a jaguar out of the forest takes you inside. Sometimes even drags its prey across the River. 

The aperture of the mouth known is at an angle of about 65 to 70 °. This feature coupled with its strong canines are vital to hunt him: indeed, the art of hunting is stalking jaguar, culminating in a sudden leap and a nape bite to break the cervical vertebrae or the skull of his victim. The drilling of the skull only the Jaguars made from big cats to kill their prey. According to some authors (Emmons (1987)) large head and big strong dogs could be an adaptation to open cracks in animals 'armored' such as some reptiles and turtles.

Jaguar Names in Venezuela

VENEZUELA: Daab (Bari), Ira (Yanomami), Gápanemé (Yaruro) Pondamé (Yaruro), Sabra(Bari), Tigre, Tigre homosexual, Toobe (Warao), Washaema (Yanomami), Yaguar.

Jaguar Habitat and distribution throughout the Americas

A late fifteenth century, the area of distribution of P. onca was much greater than at present, its northern boundary was located much further north in North America, found in parts of California, Texas and New Mexico, in the current United States and its southern boundary was around 40 º S, in Chubut, Argentina. From then until now, the jaguar has been exterminated by man out of the jungle or inaccessible areas. 

The jaguar lives in an area of land currently estimated at 8.75 million km ², and it is estimated that in the long term have a chance to stay in more than 6 million km ² (Sanderson et al., 2002). Yet we must not drop our guard, because it is threatened by the continuing loss of habitat and persecution by his well-shaped body and beautiful skin. Along with these habitat fragmentation are major threats for which is considered close to the threat, hoping it would not skip the threshold. And is that if the threats continue, it is expected to become globally vulnerable in the near future. 

Its habitat consists of a variety of ecosystems: rainforests of the Amazon basin, deciduous forest, moist forest, scrub, grassy plains and riparian zones, wetlands and savannas dry thorn scrub. Apparently tolerates a wide range of environmental conditions, but is mainly characterized by its close association with wetland habitats near streams and dense vegetation cover, as well as those with abundant prey, so it is more abundant in tropical rainforests Central America and Brazil, and its presence decreases in the mountains, where it is replaced by the puma. 

The jaguar and the puma (Puma concolor) their ranges overlap, but divide the territory, so it is assumed that the two species differ ecologically and thus can coexist stably. The Puma also uses dry areas and takes smaller prey than the jaguar where their ranges overlap. 

The range of the species has suffered a series of changes due to agricultural and livestock expansion, conversion of land for crops and livestock has reduced their habitat and their prey considerably. (Romero et al. 2004). 

In the Colombian Orinoco region, both the Bita river as Tuparro Volume and still have 85-95% of intact ecosystems (Romero et al. 2004). 

America is currently distributed from the southwestern United States and southern Mexico to southern Brazil and northern Argentina (provinces of Salta, Jujuy, Formosa, Misiones, Chaco and Santiago del Estero). You can find up to 3,300 meters. 

Most jaguars live in the temperate parts of South America, along the great rivers Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay. The largest population is in the Amazon basin, where a jaguar adult per 15 km2.

Situation according to our country

Threat category: vulnerable. 

Heavy calculations made about the number of copies in 1987 (Hoogesteijn and Mondolfi) indicated the possible and hopeful figure of between 2,500 and 3,600 individuals. However, studies in density in other regions, values were smaller, jaguar densities of 1 per 13 km2 and up to 1 per 100 km2, depending on the habitat where the estimate is made (Smith 1976, Schaller & Crawshaw 1980, Crawshaw & Quigley 1984, Rabinowitz 1986b). 

What is clear is that until the fifties and even a few years later as seen in the data above, the jaguar has a wide distribution (Hoogesteijn & Mondolfi 1991a). But among other threats to the species, the most striking in Venezuela and other countries was that of hunting in this country were called 'tigreros areas' characterized by the abundance of the species and the attraction offered to sportsmen . Barinas State, the western and southern Apure and Guarico Cojedes became the second most important hunting of jaguars in the world, after Brazil's Mato Grosso (Hoogesteijn & Mondolfi 1991b). To this was added the explosion of the international fur market in the late sixties, when exported from South America for a total of 31,104 jaguar skins to the United States estimated that the quantity exported to Europe revolved around 7,000 to 9,000 additional skins ( Hoogesteijn & Mondolfi 1991a). 

Today, only the populations located in the states of Amazonas and Bolívar remain relatively stable, those located in Sierra de Perija, western plains and Andean foothills of the Orinoco delta are steadily decreasing and in the Cordillera de La Costa virtually extinct (Hoogesteijn & Mondolfi 1990, Medina et al. 1992). The increased pressure on the jaguar is located in the town located in the basin of Lake Maracaibo (Hoogesteijn com. Comm.). 

In Venezuela, the clearing of forests, hunting, mechanization and transportation are the main causes of the decline of the jaguars. This picture is aggravated, as a direct consequence of the action "devastating" the man has caused severe declines in natural prey of jaguars (peccaries, chigüere, deer, paca, baba, agouti, among others). Therefore, the jaguars are forced to feed on domestic livestock, leading to relentless reaction from farmers, who in one way or another, end up physically removing any cat to be around for their land and its surroundings. 

In Venezuela, created the first refuge of jaguars in the wild in 2003, The Private Refuge Wildlife Jaguares El Baul, which aims to establish a Private Area for Conservation, by which their owners contribute, through a collective effort, with conservation of the jaguar population in the region, their natural prey and their habitats.

Jaguar conservation threats and

Jaguar threats 

As important is the threat of habitat loss P. onca. High deforestation rates in Latin America, and fragmentation of habitat and jaguar populations make this species vulnerable to man (Nowell 

and Jackson 1996). 

This cat inhabits the tropical forests of South and Central America, the same habitats as climate scientists that have been converted into savanna or desert if they continue cutting down forests at this step, and that at this point the water is not may be replaced.

Especially because of the construction of the Trans, a road that cuts across much of the Brazilian rainforest, large areas of tropical forest is being destroyed by settlers. These settlers used this area for 2 or 3 years as pasture for their livestock or as nearly barren fields until the harvest is so small they cut other areas. But the forest has been destroyed so irreplaceable and the thin layer of topsoil has been washed away by rain.The first step in creating even a desert has been made. The jaguar is not the only to suffer its consequences. 

In addition, people compete with jaguars for prey, and jaguars are frequently shot, despite protective legislation (Nowell and Jackson 1996). 

By losing habitat and prey, often are forced to attack the cattle, and this causes them to be persecuted by farmers. In many areas won almost moves by large unprotected areas and in areas with a shortage of natural prey have evolved into an important part of the jaguar's diet, especially in seasonally flooded savannah. 

The vulnerability of the jaguar to persecution is demonstrated by its disappearance in the mid-twentieth century Mexico and the United ofthis areas where now the only inhabitant is the puma. Currently, commercial hunting and trapping for their pelts has declined drastically from 70 thanks to the campaigns for and against the rules of CITES (Nowell and Jackson 1996).

Conservation measures

The jaguar is included in Appendix I of CITES (the Treaty of International Wildlife Trade), which means it is illegal to trade in your skin or any of its parts. 

For inclusion in CITES prices jaguar skin on the international market collapsed, slowing down the activity to not be profitable for hunters (Hoogesteijn & Mondolfi 1991a). 

The Jaguars are protected by national law in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, Belize, USA and Venezuela. 

Hunting is considered legal problem animals in Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. The jaguar was worshiped as a god and considered by the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mexico, Peru and Central America, but now is being persecuted by some ranchers, who hold the belief that this felid attacks their livestock . Studies show that such attacks are rare. 

The trophy hunting is allowed in Bolivia. 

It has no legal protection in Ecuador and French Guiana. 

Some large parks in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela protect some jaguars, as well as in other countries, others are essentially protected by large private ranches in Brazil and Venezuela. The world's largest reserve created especially for the protection of the Jaguar was created in Belize on December 2, 1984. To ensure adequate protection for the remaining populations and their habitats, it has been suggested that the determination of population sizes and habitat assessment, and control over the game are needed (Seymour, 1989). 

The Wildlife Conservation Society has conducted studies and has promoted the establishment of areas for conservation in Latin America. The new efforts are now coordinated by the Jaguar Conservation Program, funded by the Jaguar car brand. 

It is important to focus efforts on environmental education of landowners or livestock and it is important to promote ecotourism as a way to make money without harming the environment through biodiversity.

Taxonomy of the Jaguar TAXONOMY

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: MAMMALIA

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Scientific name of the jaguar, Panthera onca

Author of the species: Linnaeus, 1758

Common name: English and French: Jaguar