Endangered Species Report: Jaguar

901 Words2 Pages

Jaguars are part of exclusive group known as the “big cats,” which include the lion, tiger, and panther. The scientific name for this species is Panthera Onca. Panthera is a Greek term originating from the Latin word for panther while Onca is derived from the Latin word for lynx. Most Central and South American countries refer to the Jaguar as “el tigre” or the tiger. This is the only big cat found in the New World (western hemisphere) and the only one in the entire genus. The entire taxonomy classification is as follows: Kingdom- Animalia, Phylum- Chordata, Class- Mammalia, Order- Carnivora, Family- Felidae, Genus- Panthera, Species- Panthera Onca.

The range for the jaguar is fairly extensive. Its historical range started in the southern United States and stretched all the way down through Central America to cover most of South America. Fossils have been found as far north as Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee with jaguars they may have weighed in at around 420 pounds (Museum). Now, due to various reason such as habitat fragmentation, hunting, and other human interference, the range starts in the southwestern area of the United States. It was thought that the jaguar was extirpated from the United States but sightings have been reported in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The northern extent of the range has receded southward about 1000 kilometers and the southern extent about 2000 kilometers northward. The range still flows through Central America but it has become extinct in El Salvador and Uruaguy (IUCN). The southern tip of the range occupies mid to southern South America, covering parts of Argentina and Brazil. The numbers typically increase from north to south. Jaguars are usually found in dense rain forest and that is a l...

... middle of paper ...

...ance of livestock, population numbers actually were doing well. Farmers in Central and South America starting having trouble with jaguars attacking their livestock so they either tried to kill the jaguars themselves or they have been known to hire full time hunters. In the sixties, the fur-trade boomed, making jaguar skin as a high commodity (Save). This also helped the declining numbers. Another factor is the lack of conservation efforts like in El Salvador and Uruguay, which has seen the animal go extinct.

Works Cited

http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/larson/felis_onca.html

(Museum)

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15953

(IUCN)

http://savethejaguar.com/jag-index/jag-allabout/jag-aboutthreats

(Save)

http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/jaguar.php

(Defenders)

http://savethejaguar.com/jag-index/jag-allabout/jag-aboutecology

(Save 2)

More about Endangered Species Report: Jaguar

Open Document