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76-533: Due to its geographical location and topography, the Cantão ecosystem combines several unique features that contribute to its high biodiversity and productivity: Roughly in the middle of its course, the Araguaia river splits into two forks, with the western one retaining the name Araguaia and the eastern one being called Rio Javaés . They flow their separate ways for over 400 meandering kilometers before reuniting, thus forming

152-480: A considerable variation in morphometry . The Panthera lineage is estimated to have genetically diverged from the common ancestor of the Felidae around 9.32 to 4.47 million years ago to 11.75 to 0.97 million years ago . Some genetic analyzes place the jaguar as a sister species to the lion with which it diverged 3.46 to 1.22 million years ago , but other studies place

228-446: A great diversity of plant life, and this becomes evident at the peak of the floods, when vines, shrubs, and floating vegetation flower, covering large areas with a mosaic of color. Most of these plants go on to produce fruit which are consumed by fish. In addition, broad mats of Paspalum repens grass and other floating vegetation with roots suspended in the current create a substrate for a very productive aquatic ecosystem. The roots of

304-407: A large number of river sand beaches on bends of the channels that weave through the interior of the park. The sand itself is the primary habitat for a number of species. Black skimmers , yellow-billed terns , yellow-spotted river turtles , the enormous Amazon river turtle , and other species nest directly on the sand in great numbers. Their eggs attract nest predators like the crested caracara ,

380-418: A product of its role as an apex predator in several different environments. The ambush may include leaping into water after prey, as a jaguar is quite capable of carrying a large kill while swimming; its strength is such that carcasses as large as a heifer can be hauled up a tree to avoid flood levels. After killing prey, the jaguar will drag the carcass to a thicket or other secluded spot. It begins eating at

456-689: A variety of forested and open terrains, but its preferred habitat is tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest , wetlands and wooded regions. It is adept at swimming and is largely a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush apex predator . As a keystone species , it plays an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and in regulating prey populations. The jaguar is threatened by habitat loss , habitat fragmentation , poaching for trade with its body parts and killings in human–wildlife conflict situations, particularly with ranchers in Central and South America . It has been listed as Near Threatened on

532-452: Is sexually dimorphic , with females typically being 10–20% smaller than males. The length from the nose to the base of the tail varies from 1.12 to 1.85 m (3 ft 8 in to 6 ft 1 in). The tail is 45 to 75 cm (18 to 30 in) long and the shortest of any big cat . Its muscular legs are shorter than the legs of other Panthera species with similar body weight. Size tends to increase from north to south. Jaguars in

608-509: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Jaguar   Former range The jaguar ( Panthera onca ) is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus Panthera that is native to the Americas . With a body length of up to 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) and a weight of up to 158 kg (348 lb), it is the biggest cat species in the Americas and

684-571: Is a compact and muscular animal. It is the largest cat native to the Americas and the third largest in the world, exceeded in size only by the tiger and the lion. It stands 57 to 81 cm (22.4 to 31.9 in) tall at the shoulders. Its size and weight vary considerably depending on sex and region: weights in most regions are normally in the range of 56–96 kg (123–212 lb). Exceptionally big males have been recorded to weigh as much as 158 kg (348 lb). The smallest females from Middle America weigh about 36 kg (79 lb). It

760-598: Is a considerable risk of fire, whether natural or caused by man. Natural fires due to lightning are quite common, but tend to be quickly put out by the ensuing rain. During the annual floods, deciduous forests are the only places where there is dry ground. They become the only feeding grounds available for bird species like the undulated tinamou , the bare-faced curassow , and the several species of wild pigeon that occur in Cantão. Many mammal species that don't do well on trees or in flooded areas also seek refuge in these forests, which consequently become prime hunting ground for

836-641: Is a river of Tocantins state in central Brazil and part of the Tocantins basin . It is a tributary of the Araguaia River . Between the two rivers there is an island called Bananal , the biggest fluvial island in the world. The Javaés River separates the Cantão State Park to the north from the Araguaia National Park to the south. This article related to a river in Tocantins , Brazil

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912-402: Is an apex predator , meaning it is at the top of the food chain and is not preyed upon in the wild. The jaguar has also been termed a keystone species , as it is assumed that it controls the population levels of prey such as herbivorous and seed-eating mammals and thus maintains the structural integrity of forest systems. However, field work has shown this may be natural variability, and

988-842: Is considered to be locally extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay . Jaguars have been occasionally sighted in Arizona , New Mexico and Texas , with 62 accounts reported in the 20th century. Between 2012 and 2015, a male vagrant jaguar was recorded in 23 locations in the Santa Rita Mountains . Eight jaguars were photographed in the southwestern US between 1996 and 2024. The jaguar prefers dense forest and typically inhabits dry deciduous forests , tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , rainforests and cloud forests in Central and South America; open, seasonally flooded wetlands , dry grassland and historically also oak forests in

1064-496: Is funneled through the delta of the Javaés, and during the floods, almost all of the Cantão ecosystem is submerged by fast flowing black water, for in effect the Javaés now becomes a single sheet of water nearly twenty kilometers wide, running through the open channels and under the canopy of the flooded forests of its delta with equal swiftness. Five distinct natural communities , each with its own unique species assemblages, occur within

1140-468: Is lower in canopy height than the igapó forests, and its undergrowth is thicker and more entangled. It also displays high plant species diversity, including abundant epiphytes like orchids and bromeliads . Many of the plant species of this natural community are drawn from the nearby cerrado. During the dry season, when up to 90 days can go by with no rain at all, many of the trees in the moist deciduous forest drop their leaves. During this season there

1216-407: Is one of many species which reproduces in the Cantão backwaters during the dry season. Another is the pirarucú , the world's largest freshwater fish, whose numbers are dwindling everywhere in the region due to relentless poaching. The remote and inaccessible lakes of the interior of Cantão are one of the last remaining sanctuaries for this species. During the floods, almost every aquatic species in

1292-530: Is possible to stay overnight on a platform overlooking one of the lakes, and to ride on a canoe powered by electric motor, which facilitates the watching of wildlife such as hoatzins, waterbirds, and giant otters. All visitors must be accompanied by a trained local guide, a list of which is available at the park visitor center. Visitors may stay and hire local guide services in the town of Caseara, which offers simple but clean accommodations and meals. Visitors can also hire guides to go exploring or sports fishing on

1368-608: The Araguaia river, as well as off-road bicycling and canoe/kayak tours. The nearest airport is in Palmas , 253 km away by paved road. Ecotourism operators in Palmas organize trips to Cantão, which may be combined with a visit to the famed Jalapão ecosystem. Rio Java%C3%A9s The Javaés River ( Portuguese : Rio Javaés or Braço Menor do Rio Araguaia , Javaé : ♂ Bero Biòwa [beˈɾo bɪɔˈwa], ♀ Bèraku Bikòwa [bɛɾaˈku bɪkɔˈwa])

1444-633: The Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve on the Pacific coast of central Mexico weighed around 50 kg (110 lb). Jaguars in Venezuela and Brazil are much larger, with average weights of about 95 kg (209 lb) in males and of about 56–78 kg (123–172 lb) in females. The jaguar's coat ranges from pale yellow to tan or reddish-yellow, with a whitish underside and covered in black spots. The spots and their shapes vary: on

1520-470: The IUCN Red List since 2002. The wild population is thought to have declined since the late 1990s. Priority areas for jaguar conservation comprise 51 Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs), defined as large areas inhabited by at least 50 breeding jaguars. The JCUs are located in 36 geographic regions ranging from Mexico to Argentina. The jaguar has featured prominently in the mythology of indigenous peoples of

1596-450: The Ilha do Bananal , the world's largest river island. Where the Javaés pours back into the main Araguaia, it forms a broad inland delta where it pours back into the main Araguaia, a 100,000 hectare triangular expanse of igapó flooded forest, blackwater river channels, and oxbow lakes. This inland delta is called Cantão. During the wet season, from December to May, the waters of the Araguaia and

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1672-553: The Pantanal are largely active by day, whereas jaguars in the Atlantic Forest are primarily active by night. The activity pattern of the jaguar coincides with the activity of its main prey species. Jaguars are good swimmers and play and hunt in the water, possibly more than tigers. They have been recorded moving between islands and the shore. Jaguars are also good at climbing trees but do so less often than cougars. The adult jaguar

1748-738: The Pantanal to 53.6 km (20.7 sq mi) in the Amazon to 233.5 km (90.2 sq mi) in the Atlantic Forest . Male jaguar home ranges vary from 25 km (9.7 sq mi) in the Pantanal to 180.3 km (69.6 sq mi) in the Amazon to 591.4 km (228.3 sq mi) in the Atlantic Forest and 807.4 km (311.7 sq mi) in the Cerrado . Studies employing GPS telemetry in 2003 and 2004 found densities of only six to seven jaguars per 100 km (62 mi) in

1824-459: The canine tip of 887.0 Newton and a bite force quotient at the canine tip of 118.6. A 100 kg (220 lb) jaguar can bite with a force of 4.939 kN (1,110 lbf) with the canine teeth and 6.922 kN (1,556 lbf) at the carnassial notch. Melanistic jaguars are also known as black panthers . The black morph is less common than the spotted one. Black jaguars have been documented in Central and South America. Melanism in

1900-528: The gene flow between jaguar populations in Colombia was high in the past. Since 2017, the jaguar is considered to be a monotypic taxon , though the modern Panthera onca onca is still distinguished from two fossil subspecies, Panthera onca augusta and Panthera onca mesembrina . However, the 2024 study suggested that the validity of subspecific assignments on both P. o. augusta and P. o. mesembrina remains unresolved, since both fossil and living jaguars show

1976-410: The tayra , and even the jaguar , which also takes adult turtles at night when they climb up onto the beach to nest. Sandy beaches and mud banks are also the preferred feeding habitat for wading birds like the roseate spoonbill , the whispering ibis , and several species of ducks. Among the more remarkable inhabitants of river islands and large beaches is the northern screamer , which can be seen in

2052-430: The third largest in the world. Its distinctively marked coat features pale yellow to tan colored fur covered by spots that transition to rosettes on the sides, although a melanistic black coat appears in some individuals. The jaguar's powerful bite allows it to pierce the carapaces of turtles and tortoises , and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of mammalian prey between

2128-503: The yellow-footed tortoise . It employs an unusual killing method: it bites mammalian prey directly through the skull between the ears to deliver a fatal bite to the brain. It kills capybara by piercing its canine teeth through the temporal bones of its skull, breaking its zygomatic arch and mandible and penetrating its brain, often through the ears. It has been hypothesized to be an adaptation to cracking open turtle shells; armored reptiles may have formed an abundant prey base for

2204-532: The 19th and 20th centuries, several jaguar type specimens formed the basis for descriptions of subspecies . In 1939, Reginald Innes Pocock recognized eight subspecies based on the geographic origins and skull morphology of these specimens. Pocock did not have access to sufficient zoological specimens to critically evaluate their subspecific status but expressed doubt about the status of several. Later consideration of his work suggested only three subspecies should be recognized. The description of P. o. palustris

2280-710: The Americas , including those of the Aztec and Maya civilizations . The word "jaguar" is possibly derived from the Tupi-Guarani word yaguara meaning 'wild beast that overcomes its prey at a bound'. In North America, the word is pronounced disyllabic / ˈ dʒ æ ɡ w ɑːr / , while in British English, it is pronounced with three syllables / ˈ dʒ æ ɡ juː ər / . Because that word also applies to other animals, indigenous peoples in Guyana call it jaguareté , with

2356-416: The Araguaia basin and one of the most endangered cetaceans in the world, has its largest protected population in Cantão and in adjacent Araguaia national park. In 1998 the state of Tocantins created Cantão State Park, with 90,000 hectares, in order to protect this unique ecosystem. The park is managed by Naturatins, the state environmental agency. The park's headquarters and visitor center are located near

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2432-527: The Araguaia spinetail is a river island specialist. The park is also important habitat for ten nearctic migratory bird species, including the peregrine falcon and the osprey . Eight mammal species on Brazil's endangered species list occur in Cantão. The flagship species is the giant otter , the most endangered large mammal in South America. The lakes of Cantão are an important reproductive are for this species. Other endangered mammal species that abound in

2508-480: The Brazilian Pantanal is recorded to primarily feed on aquatic reptiles and fish. The jaguar also preys on livestock in cattle ranching areas where wild prey is scarce. The daily food requirement of a captive jaguar weighing 34 kg (75 lb) was estimated at 1.4 kg (3.1 lb) of meat. The jaguar's bite force allows it to pierce the carapaces of the yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle and

2584-457: The Cantão ecosystem: Igapós are forests which are flooded for four to seven months every year by blackwater rivers. The igapós of Cantão begin to flood in December, and by March the water in the forest is five to eight meters deep, and running between the trees at speeds of one and two knots. Only trees adapted to such extreme conditions grow in the igapós, and the rushing annual floods mean that

2660-420: The Javaés delta as a whole. The entire rest of the Araguaia wetlands contains just over 200 lakes, illustrating the importance of Cantão for the great river's ecosystem. Oxbow lakes are the site of reproduction for many species of fish, and for concentrating 80% of the basin's lakes, Cantão is known as the "nursery of the Araguaia." The peacock bass or tucunaré, one of Brazil's most popular freshwater gamefish,

2736-423: The Javaés rise between six and nine meters over their dry season levels. The Javaés then overflows its banks and fills its broad low floodplain, which becomes an immense mosaic of lakes, marshes, and gallery forest. The water becomes saturated with tannins from the submerged vegetation, and the Javaés becomes a typical blackwater river, its waters turning considerably darker than those of the Araguaia. All this water

2812-625: The Pantanal region, compared with 10 to 11 using traditional methods; this suggests the widely used sampling methods may inflate the actual numbers of individuals in a sampling area. Fights between males occur but are rare, and avoidance behavior has been observed in the wild. In one wetland population with degraded territorial boundaries and more social proximity, adults of the same sex are more tolerant of each other and engage in more friendly and co-operative interactions. The jaguar roars /grunts for long-distance communication; intensive bouts of counter-calling between individuals have been observed in

2888-754: The United States was in the Tehachapi Mountains of California prior to 1860. The jaguar persisted in California until about 1860. The last confirmed jaguar in Texas was shot in 1948, 4.8 km (3 miles) southeast of Kingsville, Texas . In Arizona, a female was shot in the White Mountains in 1963. By the late 1960s, the jaguar was thought to have been extirpated in the United States. Arizona outlawed jaguar hunting in 1969, but by then no females remained, and over

2964-510: The United States. It has been recorded at elevations up to 3,800 m (12,500 ft) but avoids montane forests . It favors riverine habitat and swamps with dense vegetation cover. In the Mayan forests of Mexico and Guatemala, 11 GPS-collared jaguars preferred undisturbed dense habitat away from roads; females avoided even areas with low levels of human activity, whereas males appeared less disturbed by human population density. A young male jaguar

3040-476: The added sufix eté , meaning "true beast". "Onca" is derived from the Portuguese name onça for a spotted cat that is larger than a lynx ; cf. ounce . The word "panther" is derived from classical Latin panthēra , itself from the ancient Greek πάνθηρ ( pánthēr ). In 1758, Carl Linnaeus described the jaguar in his work Systema Naturae and gave it the scientific name Felis onca . In

3116-429: The age of about 2.5 years. Estrus lasts 7–15 days with an estrus cycle of 41.8 to 52.6 days. During estrus, she exhibits increased restlessness with rolling and prolonged vocalizations. She is an induced ovulator but can also ovulate spontaneously. Gestation lasts 91 to 111 days. The male is sexually mature at the age of three to four years. His mean ejaculate volume is 8.6±1.3 ml. Generation length of

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3192-516: The close relationship between P. gombaszoegensis (which is primarily known from Europe) and the modern jaguar. The oldest fossils of modern jaguars ( P. onca ) have been found in North America dating between 850,000-820,000 years ago. Results of mitochondrial DNA analysis of 37 jaguars indicate that current populations evolved between 510,000 and 280,000 years ago in northern South America and subsequently recolonized North and Central America after

3268-429: The decades, these seeds sprout and grow, overwhelming the cecropias, shading and stifling the undergrowth, and turning into an igapó flooded forest environment. However, further downstream, new sediments are being deposited, pioneer plants are sprouting on the sand, and all the beach and island successional stages are starting anew. The backwaters of Cantão include oxbow lakes, forest ponds (which dry out completely by

3344-498: The dry season, a reverse migration takes place, with large numbers of large mammals and waterbirds from the dried out cerrado crossing into the park in search of water, green grass, and refuge from the seasonal fires of the cerrado. Cantão is thus a key protected area for the conservation of the cerrado of the middle Araguaia valley, which is some of the best preserved lowland cerrado left in Brazil. The Araguaian river dolphin , endemic to

3420-650: The ears to deliver a fatal blow to the brain. The modern jaguar's ancestors probably entered the Americas from Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene via the land bridge that once spanned the Bering Strait . Today, the jaguar's range extends from the Southwestern United States across Mexico and much of Central America , the Amazon rainforest and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina . It inhabits

3496-449: The end of the dry season), and hundreds of kilometers of narrow channels which crisscross the delta of the Javaés river. All these waterbodies have in common the fact that during the floods, they are all interconnected as the black waters of the Javaés river rise and flow over the entire landscape, while in the dry season they become isolated from one another. There are 843 oxbow lakes within the borders of Cantão state park, and about 900 in

3572-790: The extinction of jaguars there during the Late Pleistocene . Two extinct subspecies of jaguar are recognized in the fossil record: the North American P. o. augusta and South American P. o. mesembrina . Felinae [REDACTED] Lion ( P. leo ) [REDACTED] Jaguar [REDACTED] Leopard ( P. pardus ) [REDACTED] Tiger ( P. tigris ) [REDACTED] Snow leopard ( P. uncia ) [REDACTED] Neofelis [REDACTED] Felinae [REDACTED] Lion [REDACTED] Leopard [REDACTED] Snow leopard [REDACTED] Jaguar [REDACTED] Tiger [REDACTED] Neofelis [REDACTED] The jaguar

3648-467: The jaguar following the late Pleistocene extinctions . However, this is disputed, as even in areas where jaguars prey on reptiles, they are still taken relatively infrequently compared to mammals in spite of their greater abundance. Between October 2001 and April 2004, 10 jaguars were monitored in the southern Pantanal. In the dry season from April to September, they killed prey at intervals ranging from one to seven days; and ranging from one to 16 days in

3724-723: The jaguar in human-altered landscapes. The jaguar is an obligate carnivore and depends solely on flesh for its nutrient requirements. An analysis of 53 studies documenting the diet of the jaguar revealed that its prey ranges in weight from 1 to 130 kg (2.2 to 286.6 lb); it prefers prey weighing 45–85 kg (99–187 lb), with the capybara and the giant anteater being the most selected. When available, it also preys on marsh deer , southern tamandua , collared peccary and black agouti . In floodplains, jaguars opportunistically take reptiles such as turtles and caimans . Consumption of reptiles appears to be more frequent in jaguars than in other big cats. One remote population in

3800-723: The jaguar is caused by deletions in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene and inherited through a dominant allele . Black jaguars occur at higher densities in tropical rainforest and are more active during the daytime. This suggests that melanism provides camouflage in dense vegetation with high illumination. In 2004, a camera trap in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains photographed the first documented black jaguar in Northern Mexico. Black jaguars were also photographed in Costa Rica's Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve , in

3876-564: The lion closer to the leopard. The lineage of the jaguar appears to have originated in Africa and spread to Eurasia 1.95–1.77 mya. The living jaguar species is often suggested to have descended from the Eurasian Panthera gombaszoegensis . The ancestor of the jaguar entered the American continent via Beringia , the land bridge that once spanned the Bering Strait , Some authors have disputed

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3952-412: The most common is the band-tailed antbird , which only nests during the flood season, on the tops of isolated shrubs, only a meter or two above the water. It does so to avoid the abundant predators, which include roaming bands of black-striped capuchin monkeys and coatis . In Cantão, moist deciduous forest occurs wherever the ground is high enough to remain above peak flood levels in most years. It

4028-600: The mountains of the Cordillera de Talamanca , in Barbilla National Park and in eastern Panama . In 1999, the jaguar's historic range at the turn of the 20th century was estimated at 19,000,000 km (7,300,000 sq mi), stretching from the southern United States through Central America to southern Argentina. By the turn of the 21st century, its global range had decreased to about 8,750,000 km (3,380,000 sq mi), with most declines occurring in

4104-485: The neck and chest. The heart and lungs are consumed, followed by the shoulders. The jaguar is generally solitary except for females with cubs. In 1977, groups consisting of a male, female and cubs, and two females with two males were sighted several times in a study area in the Paraguay River valley. In some areas, males may form paired coalitions which together mark, defend and invade territories, find and mate with

4180-545: The next 25 years only two males were sighted and killed in the state. In 1996, a rancher and hunting guide from Douglas, Arizona came across a jaguar in the Peloncillo Mountains and became a researcher on jaguars, placing trail cameras, which recorded four more jaguars. The jaguar is mostly active at night and during twilight . However, jaguars living in densely forested regions of the Amazon Rainforest and

4256-499: The park can be found in the interconnected backwaters. During the dry season, prey fish become concentrated in isolated water bodies, providing a veritable feast for predators like the giant otter, the Amazon river dolphin, the pirarucú, and the black and spectacled cayman. Along lake edges, five species of kingfisher , nine species of heron , and specialists like the sunbittern and the green ibis forage for fish and invertebrates. Neotropical cormorants and anhingas fish away from

4332-428: The park include the jaguar , the marsh deer , and the bush dog . All three species are well adapted to the seasonally flooded conditions of the Cantão ecosystem. In addition, endangered cerrado species like the giant anteater and the giant armadillo occur in the park and remain in all but the highest floods, when they swim across the narrow Rio do Côco to the surrounding cerrado grasslands and scrub forest. During

4408-460: The park throughout the year. The vegetation growing on this sandy, nutrient-poor environment goes through several successional stages, starting with annual grasses and herbs, which are heavily grazed by mammals and ducks in the dry season and by fish when submerged in the wet season. The next stage is dominated by Sapium and Psidium bushes, both of which fruit during the annual floods, and have their seeds dispersed by fish, especially pacús . As

4484-445: The park's two large terrestrial predators, the jaguar and the puma . Although forest vegetation predominates in the park, marshes , where grassy and shrubby vegetation is predominant, occur on the inside of river bends, at the ends of oxbow lakes, in channels that are in the process of closing, and at other places where recently deposited sediments are flooded by swift-moving water during the rainy season. The marshes of Cantão hold

4560-506: The population increases may not be sustained. Thus, the keystone predator hypothesis is not accepted by all scientists. The jaguar is sympatric with the cougar . In central Mexico, both prey on white-tailed deer , which makes up 54% and 66% of jaguar and cougar's prey, respectively. In northern Mexico, the jaguar and the cougar share the same habitat, and their diet overlaps dependent on prey availability. Jaguars seemed to prefer deer and calves. In Mexico and Central America, neither of

4636-511: The same females and search for and share prey. A radio-collared female moved in a home range of 25–38 km (9.7–14.7 sq mi), which partly overlapped with another female. The home range of the male in this study area overlapped with several females. The jaguar uses scrape marks, urine, and feces to mark its territory . The size of home ranges depends on the level of deforestation and human population density. The home ranges of females vary from 15.3 km (5.9 sq mi) in

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4712-561: The shore. Even jaguars join in the feast, diving into forest pools to catch large fish, or sitting in ambush for them as they pass through the shallow water channels that connect deeper lakes. Four bird species in the IUCN's red list occur in Cantão: the chestnut-bellied guan , the crowned solitary eagle , the bananal antbird , and the Araguaia spinetail . The last two are endemic to the middle Araguaia. The bananal antbird occurs in igapó forest, and

4788-544: The sides, they become rosettes which may include one or several dots. The spots on the head and neck are generally solid, as are those on the tail where they may merge to form bands near the end and create a black tip. They are elongated on the middle of the back, often connecting to create a median stripe, and blotchy on the belly. These patterns serve as camouflage in areas with dense vegetation and patchy shadows. Jaguars living in forests are often darker and considerably smaller than those living in open areas, possibly due to

4864-440: The smaller numbers of large, herbivorous prey in forest areas. The jaguar closely resembles the leopard but is generally more robust, with stockier limbs and a more square head. The rosettes on a jaguar's coat are larger, darker, fewer in number and have thicker lines, with a small spot in the middle. It has powerful jaws with the third-highest bite force of all felids, after the tiger and the lion. It has an average bite force at

4940-473: The southern United States, northern Mexico, northern Brazil, and southern Argentina. Its present range extends from Mexico through Central America to South America comprising Belize , Guatemala , Honduras , Nicaragua , Costa Rica , particularly on the Osa Peninsula , Panama , Colombia , Venezuela , Guyana , Suriname , French Guiana , Ecuador , Peru , Bolivia , Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina . It

5016-400: The tops of isolated trees in the middle of the marshes, safe from terrestrial or arboreal predators. Many other species of bird also nest over marsh waters during the wet season, including the ubiquitous great kiskadee and the peculiar greater ani , which builds its communal nests in tangled vegetation over water. Cantão State Park includes 24 sandy islands on the Araguaia river, as well as

5092-492: The town of Caseara . Cantão Park was formally opened for visitation in June 2013. Visitor infrastructure includes a visitor center featuring videos and interpretative displays, and an 18 km system of trails through the forest, including hiking trails and canoe trails. The trails give access to five pristine lakes in the interior of the park, where top predators such as black caiman, giant otters, and pirarucú fish can be seen. It

5168-464: The two cats are considered to be the dominant predator. In South America, the jaguar is larger than the cougar and tends to take larger prey, usually over 22 kg (49 lb). The cougar's prey usually weighs between 2 and 22 kg (4 and 49 lb), which is thought to be the reason for its smaller size. This situation may be advantageous to the cougar. Its broader prey niche, including its ability to take smaller prey, may give it an advantage over

5244-406: The understory is unusually open for a tropical forest. Many flooded forest trees flower and fruit during this season, and the fruit fall into the water and are eaten by fish, which disperse the seeds. The most common large tree species in the igapó forests of Cantão are the landi and the piranheira . Both of these commonly grow over twenty meters in height, and both of them drop their fruit into

5320-432: The vegetation are shaped so as to act like filters, trapping organic particles brought by the current, and doing so near the surface, where oxygen and sunlight are abundant. As a result, not only fish, but also fish predators like giant otters and the black-collared hawk move into the marshes to forage. Marshes are also the prime breeding habitat for the park's abundant hoatzin population. The build their stick nests on

5396-457: The water, to be dispersed by fish. The piranheira tree earned its name due to a further contribution it makes to the aquatic ecosystem: it sprouts new leaves after the peak of the floods, which attract great numbers of caterpillars. These drop into the water whenever the wind shakes the tree tops, attracting schools of small piranha and other omnivorous fish. The igapós of Cantão have a rich bird fauna, including some habitat specialists. One of

5472-469: The wet season from October to March. The jaguar uses a stalk-and-ambush strategy when hunting rather than chasing prey. The cat will slowly walk down forest paths, listening for and stalking prey before rushing or ambushing. The jaguar attacks from cover and usually from a target's blind spot with a quick pounce; the species' ambushing abilities are considered nearly peerless in the animal kingdom by both indigenous people and field researchers and are probably

5548-435: The wild. This vocalization is described as "hoarse" with five or six guttural notes. Chuffing is produced by individuals when greeting, during courting , or by a mother comforting her cubs. This sound is described as low intensity snorts, possibly intended to signal tranquility and passivity. Cubs have been recorded bleating, gurgling and mewing. In captivity, the female jaguar is recorded to reach sexual maturity at

5624-423: The years pass, the ever-thickening mass of roots begins to accumulate detritus brought by the floods, and the formerly barren sands turn into soils capable of supporting a greater variety of plant species. Finally, a canopy of Cecropia trees forms above the bushes. The cecropias fruit year-round, and the dense stands that form in attract a great many frugivores which bring seeds from the surrounding forest. Over

5700-590: Was also recorded in the semi-arid Sierra de San Carlos at a waterhole. In the 19th century, the jaguar was still sighted at the North Platte River 48–80 km (30–50 miles) north of Longs Peak in Colorado , in coastal Louisiana , northern Arizona and New Mexico. Multiple verified zoological reports of the jaguar are known in California, two as far north as Monterey in 1814 and 1826. The only record of an active jaguar den with breeding adults and kittens in

5776-565: Was based on a fossil skull. By 2005, nine subspecies were considered to be valid taxa: Reginald Innes Pocock placed the jaguar in the genus Panthera and observed that it shares several morphological features with the leopard ( P. pardus ). He, therefore, concluded that they are most closely related to each other. Results of morphological and genetic research indicate a clinal north–south variation between populations, but no evidence for subspecific differentiation. DNA analysis of 84 jaguar samples from South America revealed that

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