From the coasts of Mexico through the rainforests of northern South America and down to the Cerrado of Brazil, the continent’s largest species of big cat can be found – the Jaguar. Characterised by yellow fur potmarked by black rings, these animals are truly beautiful to behold.
This, the only surviving species from its genus, Panthera, is an apex predator with individuals growing up to 1.85 m (6 ft) long and 160 kg (350 lb).
With its incredibly powerful jaws, Jaguars are able to crush through the skull between the ears of its prey and destroy the brain in animals as fearsome as Caiman and Giant Anaconda.
Most commonly, they target animals weighing between 50 and 80 kg (110 to 175 lb) by creeping on them slowly and then pouncing from their prey’s blind spot. Their strength in taking down prey enables them to pounce on prey in water.
Jaguar territories are highly variable depending on the habitat they live in – in the Pantanal, territories are among the smallest at around 16 km2 (6 sq mi) for females and 25 km2 (10 sq mi) for males whereas the larger territories of the Amazon Rainforest are closer to 55 km2 (21 sq mi) for females and 180 km2 (70 sq mi) for males. Bigger still, Jaguars in the Cerrado claim areas as large as 235 km2 (90 sq mi) in the case of females or almost 600 km2 (230 sq mi).
Markings of each individual’s territory normally involves urine or faeces.
As more solitary animals, Jaguars normally live in their territory alone and avoid one another. Some communication does occur, however, with roars carrying far across the wilderness.
Females will engage in more social behaviour when raising cubs. Once they become sexually mature at between 2 and 3 years of age, they can have 1 or 2 cubs at a time.
Cubs are raised from their dens for half a year and won’t leave their mothers for as long as 2 years. After this, they will assume the solitary lifestyle previously displayed by their parents and live for approximately 10 years in the wild.
The IUCN has listed Jaguars as Near Threatened. Across their ranges, deforestation has been the main reason for population decline.
Habitats which these animals rely on become smaller and increasingly fragmented, so their prey becomes less available. Often, farmland encroaches on their territories, so livestock are often killed which leads to retaliation by farmers.
An estimated 55% of Jaguar habitat had been lost by 2018, though only 85 km2 (35 sq mi) of that occurred between 2000 and 2012, and this was primarily between Jaguar Conservation Units.
International trade of Jaguar body parts is still a cause of population decline. Despite having decreased since its peak in the early 1970s, reports indicate that almost 900 Jaguars were traded between 2012 and 2018.
To help protect the species, international trade of body parts is illegal and the hunting of them is prohibited or restricted in many of the countries where they are found and protected Jaguar Conservation Units have been established. Corridors between these ensure safe movement of Jaguars along their most used routes between populations and overall cover approximately 2.6 million km2 (1 million sq mi).
We offer a range of experiences where you can hope to see these awe-inspiring animals in the wild from the savannahs of the Cerrado in southern Brazil to the humid rainforests of the Amazon.
Contact Us or check out the experiences below to book your trip where expert guides will help you through every step.