Jaguar ( Penthera onca )
Jaguar - Jaguar information - Jaguar facts
Panthera onca is found in the United States (central and western part) and in South America. They are dark in colour while females are generally lighter. Besides, the jaguars living in forests are darker in colour in comparison to the ones living outside the forests. They inhabit grasslands, woodlands and swamps. Their coat gives them a perfect camouflage when hunting.
The jaguars have got large rounded head with powerful jaw and knife-sharp teeth which are able to break a neck. Extremely agile and muscular body and strong legs with claws enable them to climb trees without any obstacles. They are approximately 5 feet long with a tail measuring 30 inches and weighing up to 250 pounds. The females are smaller. Its diet consists mainly of other animals for instance: deer, rodents, hares, reptiles, birds, fish, monkeys etc. They can kill they prey by using their sharp teeth and extraordinary strong jaw. They can reach and jump at a very high speed so they can catch up almost any animal. Apart from that they are also perfect swimmers. They are solitary animals and hunt for food usually alone especially before dawn and at dusk.
They are sexually mature at the age of 4. The mating occurs in September or in October and the gestation time is 4 months. Small young are blind and weigh up to 30 ounces. Life span is approximately 15 years. The number of all jaguars all around the world is rather small because of hunting for their fur and destroying their natural habitat. Therefore they are on the brink of extinction.
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