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.
--- Peter Broekhuijsen ---

  • 2 Vote(s) - 4 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - C - THE JAGUAR (Panthera onca)

Venezuela epaiva Offline
Moderator
*****
Moderators
#46
( This post was last modified: 04-03-2017, 07:53 AM by epaiva )

Estimated Size of Pleistocene North American Jaguar

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
5 users Like epaiva's post
Reply

Venezuela epaiva Offline
Moderator
*****
Moderators
#47
( This post was last modified: 06-12-2017, 08:09 AM by epaiva )


*This image is copyright of its original author


Huge skull of Jaguar hunted in 1945 by Paul Stempel, it measures 31,25 cm long, 22,50 cm wide, one of the largest in the world.
Picture from Book El Jaguar Tigre Americano
6 users Like epaiva's post
Reply

Greatearth Offline
Banned
#48
( This post was last modified: 12-17-2017, 10:13 PM by Greatearth )

I've made one interesting hypothesis and found very valuable photos of extinct Texas jaguar.



A.

The prehistoric ice age jaguar like Panthera onca augusta was about the size of a fully grown tiger. They lived during Pleistocene. Climates, biomes, animals, plants, natures, continents were 100% different than today.
Beside the giant prehistoric jaguars, today's North American jaguar and Central American jaguar are generally known as small size jaguar. However, we don't really know anything of the United States jaguar in Holocene.

The jaguar was once common in southern USA. It was once discovered Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and California. In the the early 20th century, the jaguar's range extended as far as north as the Grand Canyon, as far west as Southern California, and far east as near Louisiana.


B.

North American jaguar in Texas was bigger than Central American jaguar and other North American jaguar.


Texas is very large state. It is the 2nd largest to the Alaska. However, Texas is still bigger than majority European countries like Poland and about 7 times bigger than my home country South Korea.

Obviously, Texas has a very diverse climates and biomes (vegetation regions). Texas has more habitat diversity and living species than any other state of the USA.
Example: Western Texas has a lot of desert, northern Texas has a lot of open plain, southern Texas has a lot places look like rainforest (not exactly the rainforest), and eastern Texas has a lot of swamp land.

Therefore, jaguars in Texas were lived in many different habitats. Its sizes were a lot different in location within Texas.


The biome or vegetation region of the Texas.


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author



The diverse Class species ranking of the USA.


*This image is copyright of its original author


http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/fi...tation.jpg
http://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/map...070r_6.gif









C.

Drawing of the jaguar by American naturalist John James Audubon.


*This image is copyright of its original author

https://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2010/0...s-jaguars/



Texas jaguars:

This jaguar was hunted in Goldthwaite, Texas, 1903. I couldn't find any information beside the location and time.
It looks small size jaguar. Goldthwaite's biome is like either cross timbers and prairies or rolling plains or edward plateau. 


*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/parks/index.html

The location of the Mills country.


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author





This was a large Texas jaguar. 
It was probably a male jaguar. He was 214.6 cm and 91 kg.
He was shot in the San Benito, Texas on January 30, 1946.
This place is South Texas brush country or Tamaulipan mezquital.


*This image is copyright of its original author


The location of the San Benito

*This image is copyright of its original author


http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/ar...80987.html




There is no photo, but jaguar was once lived in California.
The Tehachapi Mountains are also the last known breeding site of the jaguar in the United States. The big cats were found there as recently as the late 1800s.

This is from Wikipedia. I know many people don't trust wiki, but I found this information as useful:
    The only extant cat native to North America that roars, the jaguar was recorded as an animal of the Americas by Thomas Jefferson in 1799. There are multiple zoological reports of jaguars in California, two as far north as Monterey in 1814 (Langsdorff) and 1826 (Beechey). The coastal Diegueño (Kumeyaay people) of San Diego and Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs had words for jaguar and the cats persisted there until about 1860. The only recorded description of an active jaguar den with breeding adults and kittens in the U.S. was in the Tehachapi Mountains of California prior to 1860. In 1843, Rufus Sage, an explorer and experienced observer recorded jaguar present on the headwaters of the North Platte River 30–50 miles north of Long's Peak in Colorado. Cabot's 1544 map has a drawing of jaguar ranging over the Pennsylvania and Ohio valleys. Historically, the jaguar was recorded in far eastern Texas, and the northern parts of Arizona and New Mexico. However, since the 1940s, the jaguar has been limited to the southern parts of these states. Although less reliable than zoological records, Native American artefacts with possible jaguar motifs range from the Pacific Northwest to Pennsylvania and Florida.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar#Jaguars_in_the_United_States


The location of the Tehachapi Mountains. It is very far west than I expected. I think jaguar probably discovered in Sequoia National Park 200 years ago. It would be amazing to see the jaguar is roaming the Sequoia forest.


*This image is copyright of its original author





Arizona jaguar:

I don't know anything about this photo. 
It was one of the Arizona jaguar shot near Wilcox, Arizona in 1986.


*This image is copyright of its original author


The location of the Wilcox.

*This image is copyright of its original author






The Texas and Arizona jaguars are extinct. A few jaguars are discovered in the Arizona. These are crossing boarder from Mexico and they were probably the same subspecies as the Arizona jaguar back in pre 1900s.
These are jaguar in Arizona these days.

This photos are famous Arizona jaguar name "Macho B." I think he died mysteriously in 2009.


*This image is copyright of its original author
 

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author
 
*This image is copyright of its original author


http://www.hcn.org/issues/48.9/the-tenuous-fate-of-the-southwests-last-jaguars
http://justseeds.org/whistling-for-macho-b-an-interview-w-janay-brun-pt-2/
http://wildsonora.com/?page=3
https://investorshangout.com/post/view?id=409200




There is another male jaguar name "El Jefe" these days. He is living in the Santa Rita Mountains.
Jaguar seen roaming around a creek and other parts of a mountain range just south of Tucson.

But president Trump said he will going to build wall. I don't think jaguar will come back to USA again if they build actual wall.



Videos of El Jefe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdLoAfhR30E

El Jefe in 2013.

*This image is copyright of its original author



El Jefe in the snow.

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.northernjaguarproject.org/ph...y/jaguars/

http://thewildlife.wbur.org/2016/02/09/el-jefe-the-uss-only-wild-jaguar-can-we-keep-him/
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/496675/jaguar-spotting-a-new-wild-cat-may-be-roaming-the-united-states.html




D.

By climate
Arizona jaguar is/was smaller version of the jaguar. They were and are usually living in desert, semi desert, and dry woodland in Arizona and New Mexico states. However, jaguar was also discovered in Grand Canyon, which winter minimum temperature sometimes falling -17.8 °C. 

Texas is a lot different. There is many dry forest or normal forest or grassland. There is many pinny wood,  swamp, open wetland basin, wet woodland & savannah like Pantanal and Los Llanos in Eastern Texas like Houston. 

Texas jaguar was probably variable in size. Jaguar of the Goldthwaite looks small like other jaguars in North America and Central America. It could have been female. However, jaguar of the San Benito was 91 kg, about size of South American Jaguar. 

California jaguar may have been small to large just like South American jaguar. If jaguar did lived in place like Sequoia National Park, then they may have been huge size. The jaguar in Mojave desert was definitely small. I can't really tell the Tehachapi Mountain since it is California interior chaparral and woodlands ecoregion (woodlands are varied and rich in plant life).

By prey
Arizona jaguar main prey is mostly javelina and deer. Coati, raccons, frogs, birds, reptiles, and desert bighorn sheep may also be on the menu. It is usually similar prey as jaguar in central America (smaller size jaguar).

Texas is a lot different. May different animals are living in different part of Texas. Central and southern Texas were probably the same as Arizona beside more wet climate.
Eastern Texas is different.
There is many descent size of mammals, birds, fishes and reptiles in Texas. Back in 1800s, there was American bison was also abundant lived in Texas.  I don't believe jaguar can take down full grown healthy bull bison easily (most liekly not unless it was 2 or 3 male jaguars are cooperate together). But female, calf, and old bison are different. 

I believed the prey animal of the jaguar in Texas: white tailed deer, mule deer, bighorn sheep, javelina or collard peccary, coyote, mink, otter, opossum, fox, weasel, raccoon, coati, American bison, badger, american alligator, alligator snapping turtle, common snapping turtle, many other turtle species (land turtle, river turtle, and sea turtle), large snake like indigo snake, Alligator gar fish, bass, carp, trout, ...etc. I passed on birds because I don't know bird is largely based diet of the Jaguar. 

Texas jaguar has a lot of large size prey animals unlike in Arizona.

California.. I really don't know. But prey animal size of the California is still larger and more abundant than Arizona.

By studying the Southern United State nature. A large North American jaguar in Holocene probably could grow the same size as average size of Pantanal jaguar. 


Bison range map of the USA before White American almost made them to extinct to take over the Native American.



*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_vault/2014/05/19/LgBisonMap.jpg
https://historyonthefox.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/bison-map.jpg?w=515


Just like in Pantanal, it was possible to see jaguar was hunting american alligator 200 years ago in Texas



*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author



I am ending by photos of North American jaguar with its prey.

Collared peccary (javelina) is main prey of the North American jaguar

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author





The skulls of black bear was killed by Jaguar the El Jefe, evidence of the first recorded jaguar predation on a bear.


*This image is copyright of its original author


https://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-w...ar-hunter/
https://news.mongabay.com/2014/07/seekin...in-mexico/
http://thewildlife.wbur.org/2016/02/09/e...-keep-him/
http://animals.mom.me/sonoran-desert-jag...-3736.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-na...180960443/





 
6 users Like Greatearth's post
Reply

Italy Ngala Offline
Wildanimal Enthusiast
*****
#49

The numbers of the beast: Valuation of jaguar (Panthera onca) tourism and cattle depredation in the Brazilian Pantanal Tortato, Izzo, Hoogesteijn & Peres, 2017

Highlights
• Ecotourism is a controversial tool for conservation.
• This is the first study providing market values for a jaguar population.
• Jaguars represent a revenue 52 times higher than usual economic at the same scale.
• Jaguar tourism can provide funds to compensate the predation damage on the livestock.
• The integration of both economic activities can be done at the same site rationally.

Abstract:
"Large carnivores fascinate people because of their beauty and potential as human predators and have therefore become focal species for the ecotourism industry. Wildlife tourism has grown exponentially and has often been used as a financial argument for species conservation. However, carnivores depredate livestock, leading to a direct economic conflict with rural livelihoods, often resulting in lethal retaliation action. Here we show that jaguar ecotourism represents a gross annual income of US$6,827,392 in land-use revenue across a representative portion the Brazilian Pantanal, the world's largest wetland. Considering the aggregate costs of jaguar depredation on livestock within the same area, we estimate that the resident jaguar population would induce a hypothetical damage of only US$121,500 per year in bovine cattle losses. This large discrepancy between economic gains and losses reinforces the importance of wildlife tourism as a conservation tool in boosting tolerance of jaguars in private ranches. We also evaluate the partnership between ecotourism and cattle ranchers, in which cattle losses induced by jaguars could be compensated by a system of voluntary donations from tourists, ensuring that both traditional livestock husbandry and ecotourism can co-exist within the same ranches, thereby promoting landscape-scale jaguar conservation."
4 users Like Ngala's post
Reply

peter Offline
Co-owner of Wildfact
*****
Moderators
#50

NGALA

Interesting study, clearly showing that ecotourism has to be preferred over hunting and 'eco-hunting'.


GREATEARTH

Excellent post. This is how you do it.
3 users Like peter's post
Reply

Venezuela epaiva Offline
Moderator
*****
Moderators
#51
( This post was last modified: 08-15-2017, 07:22 AM by epaiva )

Jaguar Skeleton courtesy of Alan Turner Director of Yorkshire Skeleton Museum


*This image is copyright of its original author
3 users Like epaiva's post
Reply

Venezuela epaiva Offline
Moderator
*****
Moderators
#52
( This post was last modified: 07-13-2017, 09:37 AM by epaiva )

Jaguar Skull from Estado Amazonas, Venezuela
*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


Jaguar Skull from Estado Amazonas, Venezuela, In this Region you find the smallest Jaguars in Venezuela. The skull measures 22 cent long, 16 cent wide.
Upper canines measure 4 cent and lower canines 3 cent.
3 users Like epaiva's post
Reply

Venezuela epaiva Offline
Moderator
*****
Moderators
#53
( This post was last modified: 07-13-2017, 09:35 AM by epaiva )

Jaguar Skull compared with Puma Skull
*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


Same Jaguar Skull from Estado Amazonas left compared with Puma Skull right from Estado Apure
4 users Like epaiva's post
Reply

Italy Ngala Offline
Wildanimal Enthusiast
*****
#54

Long term monitoring of jaguars in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize; Implications for camera trap studies of carnivores Harmsen et al., 2017

Abstract:
"In this study, we estimate life history parameters and abundance for a protected jaguar population using camera-trap data from a 14-year monitoring program (2002-2015) in Belize, Central America. We investigated the dynamics of this jaguar population using 3,075 detection events of 105 individual adult jaguars. Using robust design open population models, we estimated apparent survival and temporary emigration and investigated individual heterogeneity in detection rates across years. Survival probability was high and constant among the years for both sexes (φ = 0.78), and the maximum (conservative) age recorded was 14 years. Temporary emigration rate for the population was random, but constant through time at 0.20 per year. Detection probability varied between sexes, and among years and individuals. Heterogeneity in detection took the form of a dichotomy for males: those with consistently high detection rates, and those with low, sporadic detection rates, suggesting a relatively stable population of 'residents' consistently present and a fluctuating layer of 'transients'. Female detection was always low and sporadic. On average, twice as many males than females were detected per survey, and individual detection rates were significantly higher for males. We attribute sex-based differences in detection to biases resulting from social variation in trail-walking behaviour. The number of individual females detected increased when the survey period was extended from 3 months to a full year. Due to the low detection rates of females and the variable 'transient' male subpopulation, annual abundance estimates based on 3-month surveys had low precision. To estimate survival and monitor population changes in elusive, wide-ranging, low-density species, we recommend repeated surveys over multiple years; and suggest that continuous monitoring over multiple years yields even further insight into population dynamics of elusive predator populations."
2 users Like Ngala's post
Reply

Venezuela epaiva Offline
Moderator
*****
Moderators
#55


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
6 users Like epaiva's post
Reply

Greatearth Offline
Banned
#56

epaiva

Do you know many good information of jaguar in Los Llanos? The Los Llanos jaguar is one of the largest jaguar along with the Pantanal jaguar. I don't know which one is the largest.

I personally believe Texas jaguar in 1800 could have been large and massive as the Pantanal jaguar and Los llanos jaguar due to prey and temperature of Texas.

I heard Venezeula is very dangerous place these days. I am curious what would happen to jaguar in venezeula.
2 users Like Greatearth's post
Reply

Venezuela epaiva Offline
Moderator
*****
Moderators
#57
( This post was last modified: 12-14-2017, 08:57 PM by epaiva )

(12-14-2017, 03:54 PM)Greatearth Wrote: epaiva

Do you know many good information of jaguar in Los Llanos? The Los Llanos jaguar is one of the largest jaguar along with the Pantanal jaguar. I don't know which one is the largest.

I personally believe Texas jaguar in 1800 could have been large and massive as the Pantanal jaguar and Los llanos jaguar due to prey and temperature of Texas.

I heard Venezeula is very dangerous place these days. I am curious what would happen to jaguar in venezeula.

@Greatearth

Pantanal Jaguars are the largest of them all, the next larger Jaguars are in the Venezuelan Llanos. It is very hard to spot them in the wild like you do in Pantanal because when ever they see people coming near them they go away, normally in other parts of the world including the Pantanal is a lot more difficult to spot Pumas than Jaguars I have seen Pumas 3 times in the Venezuelan llanos, I have been in places where Jaguars live but have not seen even one in many trips to los Llanos.  People hunted them a lot before  but they are still out there in many ranches because they know how to keep away from people. 
You are right my Friend saddly Venezuela is very dangerous this days, that is the reason I did not go out to see wild animals in los llanos this 2017 and last year. If you need any information about the size of Jaguars from los Llanos let me know I have good information of them. Here in Venezuela the best place to find and see them if you are lucky is a big ranch named Hato Pinero it is more than 600 square kilometers it has about 30 Jaguars where they are protected and many people from other parts of the world come here, it is located in Estado Cojedes 5 hours from Caracas by car. You can see that ranch http://www.hatopinero.com
6 users Like epaiva's post
Reply

Venezuela epaiva Offline
Moderator
*****
Moderators
#58
( This post was last modified: 12-14-2017, 08:55 PM by epaiva )

I have been very close to them in los Llanos but I only found this, they call them Tigres here in Venezuela.


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
5 users Like epaiva's post
Reply

Greatearth Offline
Banned
#59
( This post was last modified: 12-17-2017, 10:17 PM by Greatearth )

Sympatric Jaguar and Puma


Only two species of big cats live in the New World: the jaguar (Panthera onca) and the puma (Puma concolor).  Both species occur together in tropical forests and savannas. 

When two or more species live in the same area, ecologists say they are sympatric.  In this article, we compare the habits of sympatric jaguar and puma, and examine the many important ways that they differ from each other.


Difficulties in Studying Sympatric Jaguar and Puma

Before we begin our review and synthesis of the literature, however, we should take a moment to consider the many problems that researchers face when attempting to study sympatric jaguar and puma.  Because both cats range over large territories, any researcher confining his or her study to one locality will probably encounter only a few individuals of each cat species.  This is not good because it is difficult to draw general conclusions from such a small number of individuals.  Yet, in most cases, the researcher has not been given adequate funding to allow sampling in other localities.
Another problem is that most of the animals eaten by jaguar and puma are also hunted by humans.  In many areas, overhunting and poaching by humans has reduced these prey populations to very low numbers.  In such localities, jaguar and puma may not be able to specialize on different foods, because overall prey abundance is so low that they must hunt any animal they can find (including domestic livestock).

Furthermore, jaguar and puma are themselves extensively and illegally hunted by humans in some areas.  When this happens, the populations of these big cats can become so low in relation to the food supply, that they do not compete with each other, and therefore might not differ as much in their food habits as under natural conditions. The best places to study sympatric jaguar and puma are in wilderness areas where neither of these big cats, nor the animals they prey upon, have been reduced in numbers by hunting, poaching or trapping.  Unfortunately, such areas are increasingly difficult to find in our modern world.

General Food Habits

The major prey of both jaguar and puma are mammals, and a diverse number of mammal species are eaten by both cats (Emmons 1987; Aranda & Sanchez Cordero 1996; Chinchilla 1997; Taber et al. 1997; Farrell et al. 2000; Núñez et al. 2000).  However, while the two cats often eat the same species of prey, some animals are eaten more frequently by puma and some more frequently by jaguar.  In addition, the two cats prefer different-sized prey.  We will now look at these differences in detail.



Differences in Body Size and Prey Size

The jaguar is the largest cat in the Western Hemisphere and can subdue larger prey than can the puma.  The puma, however, has a greater geographic distribution than the jaguar, ranging from Alaska and Northern Canada to the southmost tip of South America.  Iriarte et al. (1990) compared the ratio of head length to body length of puma across its entire geographic distribution, and found that the puma's body size becomes smaller in areas where it is sympatric with jaguar.  This decrease in puma body size is also correlated with a decrease in the body size of its prey.
When sympatric with jaguar, the puma generally takes more medium-sized and smaller prey, while the jaguar shows a preference for larger prey (Taber et al. 1997; Maxit 2001; Polisar et al. 2003; Azevedo 2008).   For example, on the llanos of Venezuela, Scognamillo et al. (2003) found that jaguar selected mainly large prey (greater than 15 kilograms), while puma selected mainly medium-sized prey (1-15 kilograms).


Predation on Tapir


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author
The three species of New World tapirs (Tapiridae) are the largest native land mammals of the Neotropics and the last surviving elements of the Pleistocene megafauna of Central and South America (Fragoso and Huffman 2000).  Jaguar prey more frequently on tapir than do puma.  (Roth 1941; Schaller 1983; 
Mondolfi & Hoogestijn 1986; Crawshaw & Quigley 1984; Taber et al. 1997).
One possible explanation is that jaguar, being larger than puma, are better able to subdue larger prey than puma.  Another possible explanation is that jaguar encounter tapir more often than puma because both jaguar and tapir use waterside habitats more frequently than puma (see below; Bodmer 1991; Salas 1996).


Predation on Deer


*This image is copyright of its original author

Deer are preyed upon more frequently by puma than by jaguar (Aranda & Sanchez Cordero 1996; Chinchilla 1997, Maxit 2001; Scognamillo et al. 2003; Foster et al. 2009)

For example, on the llanos of Venezuela, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) constituted 21% of the biomass consumed by puma, but only 7% of the biomass consumed by jaguar (Scognamillo et al. 2003).  While these results could indicate that the puma is a more efficient deer killer, another possible explanation is that puma encounter white-tailed deer more often than jaguar, because these deer use open habitats that are less frequently visited by jaguar (Scognamillo et al. 2003).
In protected areas of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala, remains of white-tailed deer were found 3 times more frequently in puma scats than in jaguar scats, and remains of brocket deer (Mazama species) were found 6 times more frequently in puma scats than in jaguar scats (Novack et al. 2005).

Predation on Peccaries


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author



Peccaries are preyed upon more frequently by jaguar than by puma (Aranda & Sanchez Cordero 1996; Chinchilla 1997; Maxit 2001; Scognamillo et al. 2003; Novack et al. 2005; Foster et al. 2009).

On the llanos of Venezuela, Scognamillo et al. (2003) found that while jaguar took adult collared peccaries (Tayassu tajacumore frequently than did puma, puma took juvenile collared peccaries more frequently than did jaguar.
At sites in Panama where jaguar were rare or absent, puma expanded their niche by feeding more on collared peccaries (Moreno et al. 2006).


Predation on Armored Reptiles


*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author



Large armored reptiles make up a significant portion of the jaguar's diet, but usually only an insignificant part of the puma's diet (Guggisberg 1975; Mondolfi & Hoogestijn 1986; Emmons 1987,1989; Carrillo et al. 1994; Scognamillo et al. 2003; Silveira et al. 2010).  Large armored reptiles include caimans, crocodiles, turtles and tortoises.



Armored reptiles are relatively scarce today, but were more abundant in the past, before they were ruthlessly overhunted by humans.  The jaguar's habit of feeding extensively on these unique prey is related to its own unique anatomy.

For example, the jaguar's unusually large head (compared to other big cats) and powerful canine teeth are marvelously adapted for crushing the hard shells of turtles and tortoises, and breaking through the extremely hard integuments of caimans and crocodiles (Biknevicius and Van Valkenburgh 1996).  In contrast, the puma has a relatively small head, with relatively thin canine teeth (Emmons 1987,1989). 

Emmons (1989) estimates that a single large tortoise can satisfy the jaguar's daily food requirement of 1.4 kilograms of meat.

On the llanos of Venezuela, both jaguar and puma preyed upon spectacled caimans (Caiman crocodilus) that weighed less than 15 kilograms, but only the jaguar preyed upon spectacled caimans that weighed greater than 15 kilograms (Scognamillo et al. 2003). 


Predation on Armored Mammals

 
*This image is copyright of its original author
 
*This image is copyright of its original author

The jaguar also specializes in eating armored mammals.  For example, in the Maya Biosphere Reserve of Guatemala, the remains of nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) were found 6 times more frequently in jaguar scats than in puma scats (Novack et al. 2005).
Similar results were found in Belize.  When feeding on medium-sized (5-10 kg) prey species, jaguar specialized in eating nine-banded armadillos while puma specialized in eating paca (Agouti paca), a rodent (Foster et al. 2009).


Predation on Monkeys


*This image is copyright of its original author


In the Maya Biosphere Reserve of Guatemala, remains of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffryii) and howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) were found over seven times more frequently in puma scats than in jaguar scats (Novack et al. 2005).  In Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica, Chinchilla (1997) also found that the remains of monkeys were more frequent in puma scats than in jaguar scats.


Habitat Selection


Jaguar use habitats near water more frequently than do puma.  For example, Emmons (1987) compared use of habitats by jaguar and puma along a tributary of the Amazon river in eastern Peru, and found jaguar using waterside habitats more often than puma.  In the rainforest away from the river, Emmons found jaguar tracks on 35 days and puma tracks on 32 days, suggesting equal use of this habitat by the 2 cats. 

However, along the margins of lakes and rivers, Emmons found jaguar tracks on 39 days and puma tracks on only 5 days.  In addition, she reported that the puma was seen only once in the open along the river sunning on a log, while jaguar were often seen resting, sunning or walking along the beaches of rivers and lakes, and their tracks could be followed for thousands of meters along the exposed beaches and mud banks there during the dry season.



Thus, the jaguar's ability to exploit the once-abundant reptile resources of the tropics (see above) is correlated with its more frequent use of habitats near water (Emmons 1987,1989).  Observations of other researchers are consistent with Emmons' conclusions.  For example, in the Pantanal region of Brazil, Schaller and Crawshaw (1980) report that puma are generally most abundant in dry vegetation types, while jaguar are more abundant in moist vegetation types.


In large forest patches greater than 300 hectares in area on the Venezuelan llanos, both jaguar and puma usually occur within 500 meters of the forest edge (Scognamillo et al. 2003).  However, the jaguar is twice as likely as the puma to be found deeper in the forest (i.e. more than 500 meters from the forest edge).
In contrast to the above findings, a number of studies have found jaguar and puma with similar or near-similar habitat preferences (Harmsen et al. 2009; Foster et al. 2010).


Temporal Differences

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author


On the Venezuelan llanos, jaguar and puma show significant differences in activity patterns.  Both cats are more active (i.e. move around more) at night than during daytime.  However, in the rainy season, jaguar are more active than puma during daytime, while puma are more active than jaguar at night (Scognamillo et al. 2003).  During the dry season, puma are more active than jaguar during both night and daytime (Scognamillo et al. 2003).
One explanation given for the greater movement of puma at night is that puma hunt smaller, less detectable prey than jaguar, and so must devote more time searching for them (Scognamillo et al. 2003).


Predation on Mesocarnivores


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author
  


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author



Like other large mammalian carnivores, the jaguar and puma prey upon smaller-sized carnivores (Palomares & Caro 1999).  For example, in one Mexican study, the second most frequent prey found in the scats of both jaguar and puma was the white-nosed coati (Nasua nasua) (Aranda & Sanchez-Cordero 1996).  In another Mexican study, predation by jaguar and puma accounted for about half of all mortality experienced by adult white-nosed coatis (Hass & Valenzuela 2002).

In the Maya Biosphere Reserve of Guatemala, remains of white-nosed coati were found 22 times more frequently in jaguar scats than in puma scats (Novack et al. 2005).
On the llanos of Venezuela, remains of the crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) were found in 5% of jaguar scats (Scognamillo et al. 2003).  In addition, jaguar predation on ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) has been reported from Venezuela and Costa Rica (Mondolfi & Hoogestijn 1986; Chinchilla 1997).

http://www.ecology.info/ecology-jaguar-puma.htm
5 users Like Greatearth's post
Reply

Greatearth Offline
Banned
#60
( This post was last modified: 12-15-2017, 05:40 PM by Greatearth )

epaiva

I do have a friend in Venezuela and there is one lecturer professor from venezuela. All of them suggested to not go venezuela since it is very dangerous.
I have a friend  who is recently graduated phd student in my university. He is getting funded from National Geographic to study Crocodilians. I think he wants to go venezuela to study the crocodile and caiman in Venezuela, but he couldn't. His visa was denied or something

I hope jaguars in your country  would be okay. Venezuela has amazing nature just like many South America (Atlantic rainforest, Iguazu falls, many clouded forest near Andean mountain, Cerrado, Pantanal, lencois desert, and many others). I am curious size and life style of jaguars in each areas just like tiger, leopard, and snow leopard. Unfortunately, many places in South America are dangerous to travel. 


Yes, write something about jaguars in los llanos and jaguars living near Angel falls.
I want to know about other big cats like jaguar, puma, leopard, cheetah, snow leopard, clouded leopard, and extinct Machairodontinae much as tiger. Especially jaguar is very interesting since they are the only surviving members of Pantherinae in America continents today. The same for other animals and natures. But there is too much things to study to know all of these amazing life. I am fine with studying just big cats for now.
I think people in Wildfact are mainly for tiger, but I wish I could know more information of other big cats just like tiger.
1 user Likes Greatearth's post
Reply






Users browsing this thread:
1 Guest(s)

About Us
Go Social     Subscribe  

Welcome to WILDFACT forum, a website that focuses on sharing the joy that wildlife has on offer. We welcome all wildlife lovers to join us in sharing that joy. As a member you can share your research, knowledge and experience on animals with the community.
wildfact.com is intended to serve as an online resource for wildlife lovers of all skill levels from beginners to professionals and from all fields that belong to wildlife anyhow. Our focus area is wild animals from all over world. Content generated here will help showcase the work of wildlife experts and lovers to the world. We believe by the help of your informative article and content we will succeed to educate the world, how these beautiful animals are important to survival of all man kind.
Many thanks for visiting wildfact.com. We hope you will keep visiting wildfact regularly and will refer other members who have passion for wildlife.

Forum software by © MyBB