Modern Weights and Measurements of Jaguars

[Balam]

(10-27-2023, 10:12 PM)ravager Wrote:

(10-27-2023, 05:22 PM)Balam Wrote:

(10-27-2023, 04:43 PM)ravager Wrote:

*This image is copyright of its original author

These data seem to include together weights from the Atlantic Forest and the Upper Paraná wetlands, as well as weights that do not come from recent scientific sources. To get a more detailed and reliable look at weights for jaguars from this region take a look at our online spreadsheet. 

The idea that a modern Atlantic Forest jaguar weighs 90 kg on average is comical, with all due respect. No jaguar from the AF proper has surpassed 100 kg under the scientific literature. The Atlantic Forest has been greatly degraded and only a small remnant of it remains. Jaguars and their prey are critically endangered there due to overhunting and habitat loss. Important jaguar prey like white-lipped peccaries has dissapeared from areas close to Iguazú, for example, so jaguars have been going through a process of size-reduction as a result.

Atlantic Forest jaguars, without counting the Upper Paraná Wetlands which is not the same type of eco-region, are not bigger than those from the Chaco or Cerrado.

I simply just found it interesting. I'm wondering how and why the individuals of 112kg and such from the 1990s and early 2000s are not used here. Considering that the creator of this table did indeed cite his sources regarding the weights of these individuals.

They are included, but the difference is that we are treating them as two distinct populations. Check the "Upper Paraná" and "Atlantic Forest" tabs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...=906471670. This was done under the advice of the late Dr. Crawshaw who gave us a lot of information about jaguars from the UPW.

The 112 kg male belongs to the Upper Paraná wetland ecosystem which is distinct from the Atlantic Forest in terms of biome, even if some sources include it inside the broader AF region. The Upper Paraná is more accurately a transitional eco-region between the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest and is more similar to the Pantanal, that's why the jaguars there grow much bigger than those from the forested areas as they have access to greater prey availability.

Other claims I'm seeing from the table from the mid-20th century probably do not come from reputable scientific sources. I'm not saying they are fake but there are no sources to go by in the contents of the table itself. Reply