There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
This book is excellent and thanks for sharing the whole pages so people can read the full context and not carefully selected excerpt to give a false impression. It seems like people who have seen African big cats get surprised when they see Pantanal jaguars because they don't expect them to be so large. He has seen multiple lions and leopards at Sabi Sands and these are his thoughts (that's Kyra and her daughter Patricia which is also shown in the book pages from your post):
*This image is copyright of its original author
*This image is copyright of its original author
His opinions are mirrored by that of Londolozi trackers:
*This image is copyright of its original author
*This image is copyright of its original author
Btw, based on your safari experience and knowing what we know now about average Pantanal male jaguar sizes, how would Aju (an average male) compare with the lionesses and tigress you've seen?
Quote:Btw, based on your safari experience and knowing what we know now about average Pantanal male jaguar sizes, how would Aju (an average male) compare with the lionesses and tigress you've seen?
Aju and Marley seemed to be the same dimensions in terms of frame *about the size of a large Rottweiler or Bull Mastiff* but Aju was a tank, he was much more dense than Marley and his head was massive.
But Marley was still a sub adult at this time although Aju looks to be good sized now a days as well, I'm still curious how'd they stack up as adults.
That being said, I've been lucky enough to see a small Tigress *85kg Choti Tara* and a Massive Tigress *Largest female Cat I've ever seen* named Link 8.
I've also seen Lioness of all sizes as well. If we were to compare a Tigress like Choti Tara to Aju, I'd say she was a little larger in frame *longer and taller* but no where near as bulky in girth. But when talking about the really big Tigress like Link 8 or the Durga Female, they are quite a bit larger than Aju. They are significantly taller and longer and their bulk is on par. The Durga female was smaller in dimensions than Link 8 but quite muscular where the Link 8 female looked to be as large as a smaller male but not quite as muscular as the Durga female but still very muscular. The Lioness didn't seem as muscular as the Tigress but still would out size Aju for the most part.
I can't imagine how bulky a 140+ KG Jaguar must be, they really are the most stocky big cat you can imagine even with their long, curved spines.