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Why do jaguars bite the skull of the prey?
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  (01-03-2018, 09:32 AM)Wolverine Wrote:(12-14-2017, 09:53 AM)parvez Wrote: I have been wondering why jaguars bite the skull of their prey which is obviously tougher than relatively easy bite to the neck. One reason I can find is horns. The jaguar region prey doesn't have horns. So it is easier to bite the head of the prey. But there is the cougar that bites the neck that is in the same regions as jaguar. My another guess is over the course of evolution in American continents, they have learned biting the skull probably makes the prey immotile and hence it is easier choice to bite the head of the prey. I want to hear opinions of forum members on this. Please give your opinions. Thanks Wolverine; makes perfect sense. 
@parvez: do you know this amazing sloth hunting by a cougar ? That proves that, into the Jaguar country, the puma being an invading cat, can kill with its own specific assets and advantages, and thus, coexist with the jaguar...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90M7kH5wCtA 
I've also been thinking... connecting some dots perhaps the jaguar's generally chunky and stout physique ties in with the extra emphasis on its killing bite? Because the prehostoric saber-tooth cats also tended to have very stocky bodies. Also the clouded leopard is said to come in second after the jag in regards to musculature and lb 4 lb strength, and it also has a very well-developed set of jaws and canine teeth (the longest relative to body size among all felids). This seems to be a trend among felines - perhaps when tackling larger prey a very powerful upper body and forearms are needed to wrestle then hold it more firmly in place in order to deliver a more precise killing bite...
  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author I asked my Friend Rafael Hoogesteijn a Jaguar Expert who works with panthera in el Pantanal, Brazil, he is the author of a very good book in Venezuela named El Jaguar Tigre Americano, he told me that in his humble opinion Jaguars simply adapted to the extintion of large mammals in the plains of South America, they predate surviving reptiles of the American Tropic (with larger biomasses in the banks of rivers), this is the reason of the strong and fulminating bite to the skull of Caimans (Caiman crocodilus and Caiman Yacare), marine and terrestrial Turtles or Green Anacondas; they kill them very fast.Reptiles are very difficult to kill because they have a second nerve center at the level of the pelvis and for their strong and resistant skins are very hard to kill, he thinks that is the reason why Jaguars have such a powerful bite to the skull different to the other big cats that usually kill their prey biting the throat. Credits to @pantheracats and @pantanaloficial 
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)]I reremember this account of a leopard killing the same way, maybe the prey item correlation can help uncover why but I don't see much similarity between what this leopard preyed on and what jaguars typically prey on.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)]"An A. robustus skull was discovered in a South African cave with four holes in it. At first it was thought the holes were the result of a blow from a weapon, but later it was discovered they matched up perfectly with the teeth of a leopard also found in the cave. It appears that after the leopard killed the hominid it bit into its head piercing the skull with its teeth. Scientists speculate the leopard then dragged the early human into a tree where it could keep the kill away from scavengers such as hyenas. The skull later dropped from the tree and rolled into the cave"[/color] [color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)]Unfortunately the page I got this from has since been deleted but I am certain it's legitimate (I don't know why this is in colour btw) [/color] 
I would like to add to this old discussion that the skull bite killing method is also performed on large megafauna like buffalo or Brahman cattle by jaguars. That being said, something that is not as discussed in the "death kiss" killing method. This is the same method lions use when killing large game like buffalo, and jaguars have been recorded killing cattle the same way. This documentary shows this exact killing method on cattle at min 3:18:
Sub-adult buffalo killed by jaguar showing skull bite signs of death:  *This image is copyright of its original author The skull bite killing method was probably developed as jaguars relied on armored prey more heavily than other cats, as epaiva explained, but it's also effective because the death is instantaneous, so it makes sense for them to specialize on it to dispatch mammalian prey as well. The jaguar's short, wide and tall skull, with wide and relatively short canines are designed especially for large amounts of pressure.
The jaguar region prey doesn't have horns. So it is easier to bite the head of the prey.
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