Comparing big cats - differences/changes with time

[BlakeW39]

@Ashutosh first of all, thanks for showing me that there's a much more efficient way of replying to someone haha.

That's definitely a very interesting point. Big cats are indeed an evolutionary success story, seeing as hoe they outcompeted most other carnivores as apex predator, likely pushing many taxa to extinction. Sundarban tigers are, likewise, a good example of big cats' adaptability. 

But, nevertheless, I'm not so sure Sundarban tigers and jaguars are a great comparison. This is because Sundarban tigers, while insularly isolated, are only a subpopulation of tiger, and thus aren't derived enough to have developed the morphological divergence that jaguars have. Tigers, though adaptable (as are all large predators), specialize in hunting terrestrial megafauna which is something you can see in their diet across their range. Sundarban tigers are still tigers and are adapted to this purpose, but very recently have been deprived of large prey, and so had to adapt to other prey. You've already seen them converge in with jaguars by becoming smaller and feeding often on aquatic and semi-aquatic species, as well as reptiles. But they haven't the time to change their physiology significantly.

So in my opinion my theory on how jaguars became the most generalistic big cat still stands. Of course that's what's great about the conversation, we can't know for sure and we all have our separate ideas :) but jaguars show very definitively divergent morphology. They have a disproportionately large head, massive jaws, and short limbs. I see the reason for this being a need to generalize their predation based on a lack of large prey and need to prey on smaller but often very compact creatures, and often on armored reptiles, by ambushing them in dense habitat and kill them efficiently. Because cats are adaptable but they are also quite diverse and I see clear differences between jaguars and tigers. As for who is more aquatic, that's debatable but I'd say jaguars are at least more well adapted for aquaric life and more frequently rely on these habitats. But it's totally up for debate, both cats do well in wetland.

@Pckts well, the studies I have reviewed all seem to indicate that where jaguars overlap with tapirs, that tapirs aren't preferred prey. Similarly, jaguars do indeed overlap with ungulata but where they do, these prey are also not preferred. Likewise, I've also seen it put that jaguars prey preference seems to have the least consideration for the morphology of prey, and take the smallest prey relative to thwir body mass of large felids. Jaguars, then, can be inferred to be the most generalist big cats.

We are in agreement that jaguars are well adapted for water. Moreso than the other large felids. Pantanal jaguars do seem to be the most aquatic of jaguars. But these differences are slight variations of characteristics they already have, and while it is possible they continue to grow more aquatic, I personally think it's implausible. Jaguars' adaptability is much of their success and their adaptation to the Pantanal is a product of this great adaptability and generalized diet. I don't see them becoming any more water-adapted but that's not something that's predictable, so I guess we will see in 100 years haha. As for their skull, spine, stocky build; I don't see the former or the latter as adaptation for swimming in any matter, but a flexible spine is helpful for this purpose I agree. However I find it unlikely this was the sole reason for their curved spine as it can be justified for other reasons, even as a product of their stocky build and short limbs. Reply