Everyone knows that the jaguar is one of the largest cats on our planet. His skin is covered with spots, he eats what he got on the hunt, and lives somewhere very far away…
What else do you know about these animals? Our article will help wildlife lovers to broaden their horizons. We will talk about how, why and at what speed the jaguar moves in its natural habitat.
Distinguishing Features
It is easy to recognize this animal among other members of the family. The photos of jaguars presented in our article and the list of characteristic features of the species will help:
- The skin is covered with large black rosettes with dark red centers. In the leopard, the rosettes are smaller, and the contrast between the middle and the main tone is less pronounced. The cheetah has no rosettes, it is covered with medium-sized spots.
- Jaguar is a large predator. In size, it is surpassed only by a lion and a tiger. By the way, all these animals, as well as the leopard, belong to the genus of panthers, that is, they are closely related.
- The jaguar has a massive tail with a thickening at the end,large paws, head with a powerful forehead and rounded compact ears. The chest, belly and tip of the tail are always lighter than the sides, head and back.
- Jaguar pupils are round, not slit-like like those of a domestic cat.
- An adult animal weighs an average of 70-90 kg, but cases of greater weight among older males have been documented - up to 120 kg. The length of the body from the nose to the base of the tail is 120-180 m.
So, the beast is quite large. It can be assumed that he is agile and strong. Is it really so?
Where is the jaguar running?
Let's first understand why this beast needs to run at all. Here is a wolf, for example, they feed their legs, even first-graders know this. And the man is a very mediocre runner, compared to his neighbors on the planet. Therefore, he likes to repeat that there is no truth in the legs.
It is impossible to find any information about the jaguar in Russian folklore, and this is not surprising. But if you turn to old Indian tales, you can find very interesting information.
As the legends of the indigenous inhabitants of Central and South America say, jaguars can hypnotize (by the way, modern hunters who hunt in those parts also believe in this). And this animal, according to the Indians, skillfully imitates the voice of any of its potential victims.
Scientists, of course, have not found confirmation of any of these versions. However, it is worth paying tribute to the observation of the Indians: the jaguar is cunning. This predator prefers ambush hunting. It is not surprising that the indigenous inhabitants of the selva accompanied with mystical details his slowness, ability to wait and cunning, and notsang the speed of the jaguar. The animal really doesn't like running very much.
Continuing to answer the question posed about motives, we note that the jaguar simply has no one to flee: it is at the top of the food chain and keeps all large predators that share its range at bay.
Hunting Tactics
But it's too early to conclude that the jaguar doesn't run at all. As a rule, while hunting, he sits in ambush for a long time, looking out for a victim. Having waited for its approach, the predator makes a lightning throw. But, like some brothers (for example, his distant relative the cheetah), he does not chase game for a long time, saving his strength for a powerful breakthrough. The capture occurs after several tens of meters of the chase, otherwise the hunter abandons the idea.
Jaguar on land and beyond
Even without direct reason to develop sprinting talent, the beast has learned to run at great speed. It is included in the lists of the fastest among land predators, representatives of the cat family and, in general, all modern animals. The speed of a jaguar can reach 80-90 km/h.
But his talents are not limited to this. He is an excellent jumper, capable of throwing 7 and even 9 meters.
He is a wonderful poison dart frog, who can even sleep in a dense crown. He is so strong that he is able to drag a large victim onto the branches and enjoy a meal there.
And the jaguar is also a great swimmer. It is pointless to escape from him in the water: most likely, there he will be even faster and more agile than the victim. In reservoirs, it is not onlyfishes, but also just splashes for pleasure and salvation from the midday heat.
Potential victims
The jaguar is a carnivore whose diet includes at least 85 species of animals living in the same area. Among the gourmet's favorite delicacies are capybaras, peccary pigs, tapirs, deer, mazams and even caimans and anacondas. If the hunt for the desired prey was unsuccessful, the jaguar will be content with waterfowl, rodents, and small snakes. Fish occupies an important place in the diet.
Among the potential victims, there is not a single animal that could not catch up with the jaguar. Running speed, cunning and agility are qualities that make him not know what hunger is.
The fastest relatives
Looking at the photos of these animals, it is difficult to understand who is faster - a cheetah or a jaguar. After all, the latter really has a lot of undeniable advantages. Against its background, the cheetah (in the next photo) seems like an awkward teenager: it has a compact body on thin paws, a small head, and a nondescript tail. The jaguar looks like a seasoned fierce beast next to its angular, lean relative.
But the sprint event would have been won by a cheetah. Of course, they have never met in the wild (the jaguar is generally the only one of all panther species that lives in the New World, and the cheetah is African). But the available scientific data can simply be compared: the speed of a cheetah can reach 120 km / h, this is an absolute record among all known to science.animals. The jaguar will not be able to catch up with him or escape from him.
The top five includes a close relative of our hero - a lion. Science has only approximate data on the speed of the king of beasts, it is impossible to accurately measure this indicator. But we can say that the speed of a lion and a jaguar is comparable. Indicators fluctuate between 80-90 km / h.
Slightly inferior to the jaguar is the cougar, his unloved neighbor. These animals live side by side, but they never share the same territories, they avoid each other in every possible way. Some scientists believe that the stronger jaguar dominates the cougar, displacing and oppressing it. But the version does not find 100% confirmation due to the specific conditions in which it is very difficult to make observations. It is estimated that the speed of the cougar can reach 70-78 km/h.
Other representatives of the panther family - the leopard and the tiger - do not even step on the heels of the jaguar sprinter. They move at a maximum speed of about 60 km/h.
Another contender for the title of an excellent runner is the leopard. An inhabitant of the snowy slopes can accelerate on the plain to almost 80 km/h.
Everything is known in comparison
To better understand whether the jaguar's running speed is fast, let's do a little comparison.
- A domestic cat can reach a maximum speed of 13.5 km/h.
- Considered one of Africa's best runners and one of the most bloodthirsty and dangerous animals in the world, the hippopotamus can accelerate to 35-40 km/h on land.
- Pronghorn antelope is able to run away from the pursuer at speeds up to 100 km/h. She has relatively large lungs.and heart, so she has the strength to run at high speed for much longer than any of the hungry predators.
- Gnu wildebeest, very frightened, accelerates to 90 km/h.
- Thompson's gazelle can't run faster than 80 km/h, but even a cheetah can't catch up to it. Light-footed artiodactyl is saved thanks to endurance. If the jaguar had the opportunity to hunt Thompson's antelope in the plain, where there is no place to hide, he would be hungry.
- Moose can run at speeds up to 72 km/h. Terrible sight! He sweeps everything in his path. A jaguar wouldn't mess with such dangerous game. However, we will not know for sure: the ranges of these animals are too far from each other.
- A person walks at a speed of 5-6 km/h. Fleeing from a jaguar, the average citizen could reach speeds of up to 12-18 km / h. For someone who regularly plays sports, this figure could rise to the mark of 30 km / h. Olympic athlete Donovan Bailey set the record with a top speed of 43 km/h. As you can see, our chances of escaping from the jaguar are negligible.
Interesting facts
The ability to hide well, run fast and swim well, unfortunately, did not guarantee the safety of the jaguar. Although it has no natural enemies, in some of its original habitats this beast was completely exterminated by man. There is not a single jaguar left in El Salvador, Uruguay and American Texas.
Today the hunting of these animals is strictly controlled. Limited shooting allowed inBolivia, Mexico and Brazil.
