7 Amazing Facts About Jaguars, One of the World's Coolest Cats
The big cats are among the fiercest apex predators in the world.
Jaguars are some of the fiercest animals in the world. They're not afraid to go after deadly prey and they have no natural predators in the wild to worry about. Jaguars have a beautiful pattern on their fur that's been one of the main reasons they've become endangered. Humans have hunted them down to near extinction in order to wear and sell their spotted pelts.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) works alongside other organizations like the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to preserve the species before it's gone for good. You can help the WWF in their mission by adopting your own jaguar or, raise awareness about conservation efforts by brushing up on your big cat knowledge.
Here are some of the most interesting things about the big cats in honor of International Jaguar Day on November 29.
They Have a Dedicated Day
November 29 is International Jaguar Day. We know, it seems like there’s a designated day for everything now, but International Jaguar Day actually matters because it’s an effort to raise awareness about the conservation of the species. The holiday is supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society which was founded by Theodore Roosevelt among others.
Jaguars Can Roar But Not Purr
According to Discover, jaguars cannot purr like cats. In fact, they're not the only ones with ability to let our a ferocious roar but not purr; lions, tigers, and leopards can't purr either.
All of these cats belong to the Panthera genus and are able to produce roars thanks to a ligament taking the place of the epihyal bone within their voice boxes. Because a ligament is flexible, it can be stretched to let these animals belt out a wide range of roars.
Jaguars and Roses
Guess what jaguars have in common with roses? The spots covering jaguars are called rosettes because they resemble the shape of the flower. The difference between between a jaguar and a leopard, who both have rosettes, is that jaguar rosettes feature a spot at their center while leopard rosettes do not.
They Live in Unexpected Places
These big cats don’t just reside in jungles. Jaguars can be found across North, Central, and South America. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll run into one during your daily trail run—their numbers are so low that they’re classified as an endangered species.
In 2016, footage of a jaguar roaming the Santa Rita Mountains in Arizona was released that showed the majestic creature in stunning clarity.
They're BIG
According to Live Science, jaguars are “the biggest cats in the Americas” and weigh up to 250 pounds. Adults can range between 4 to 8 feet long from head to tail with males typically weighing more and having longer bodies than females.
Jaguars Are Good Swimmers
Jaguars dispel the myth that cats don’t like water. These guys are great swimmers and move quite deftly in water, especially when they’re hunting. And jaguars don’t let prey size affect their hunting, as evidenced in the video, the big cats will go after crocodiles among other tough-skinned and shelled animals such as turtles.
In fact, jaguars are apex predators and have no predators of its own in the wild, only humans who have hunted them to near-extinction for their fur.
Black Jaguars Still Exist
Black, or melanistic jaguars are anomalies in the animal kingdom. The creatures get their darker coloring from high melanin levels resulting in darker pigmentation on the skin and fur. Melanistic leopards also exist and look almost identical to black jaguars. Even though black panthers technically don’t exist, melanistic jaguars and leopards usually get mistaken for them.
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