Modern Weights and Measurements of Jaguars

[Balam]

I don't think I've seen this studies posted here, correct me if I'm wrong.

From the study: Spatial organization and food habits of jaguars (Panthera onca) in a floodplain forest, by Azevedo and Murray, the average weights for captured jaguars in an area or the Southern Pantanal we're as follows:

*This image is copyright of its original author

The range of weights and the ages of the jaguars were not given, though they were stated to be adults.

Average for females (n:5) was 61.5 kg
Average for males (n:6) was 99.7 kg

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From the study: Comparison of semen samples collected from wild and captive jaguars (Panthera onca) by urethral catheterization after pharmacological induction by Araujo et al, found the following average for 4 males at on the Pantanal:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Average 110.5 kg, range 96-130 kg.
I believe the males from Barranco Alto sampled here are Sossego and Mancha Preta, the other two being from Taimã.

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A few conclusions from the data above, when discussing the mass range and averages for Pantanal jaguars we find a range of ~100 kg in the lowest areas to 116 kg in the highest one (Caiman Ecological Refuge, range 102-140+ kg). The average gathered of ~110 kg from all recent captures seems to be a nice middle point between these different ranges and an accurate representation of what an adult male from the Pantanal should weight at more often then not (i.e. Aju being an average-sized Pantanal male jaguar), with males at 100 kg and lower being small ones, and anything between 120 - 140 kg being large ones, and 140+ kg being outliers.

Another thing to notice is that jaguars grow significantly smaller in captivity. This is something I read recently in the book Jaguars of the Northern Pantanal, and is corroborated by the second study. My belief is that in captivity jaguars lack the ability to gorge on prey the way they do in the wild when capturing large animals, and this might force them to limit their growth to a specific level. Very rarely is ever do captive jaguars reach or surpass 100 kg in weight, while in the wild this is a common occurrence. Reply