JAGUAR

Yaguareté (JAGUAR) is a concept that comes from the Guaraní language, composed of the words yaguar (that is, the feline known in Spanish as “jaguar” ) and eté (which can be translated as “true” ). Beyond this detail provided by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary, the terms yaguareté , yaguar and jaguar are synonymous since they are all used to name Panthera onca.

 

This animal, which belongs to the Panthera genus, is the third largest feline on the planet, only behind Panthera tigris (the tiger ) and Panthera leo (the lion ). The jaguar inhabits the American continent, from the southern United States to the northern region of Argentina.

In the latter country it is of great importance, since it is one of the ten species of wild cats that live there (among the rest are the ocelot, the jaguarundí, the tirica, the puma and the wild cat). In some parts of Argentina it is considered a sacred animal ; In the province of Misiones, for example, many people do not dare to mention it because they believe that by doing so they invoke its presence.

 

Outside the material plane, where it already occupies a position of great importance, the jaguar is the protagonist of various myths and legends that are transmitted from generation to generation; his impetuousness and the mystery that he generates by avoiding human company are some of the triggers of these stories that are also part of the image that human beings have of him.

In addition to the names listed above, the jaguar is also known as Yagua-para, Chiví guazú, Uturunco, Manchado, Overo and even the Compadre. This variety is due to its great geographical distribution.

Similar in appearance to Panthera pardus (the leopard ), its behavior resembles the tiger. The jaguar is generally found in rainforests with high humidity and thick vegetation. However, it can also live in forests. Like the tiger , the jaguar enjoys contact with water.

Qualified as a super predator because it is located at the upper end of the food chain (it does not have natural predators ), the jaguar has solitary habits. When hunting, this carnivorous animal takes advantage of its strong bite, which allows it to penetrate from skulls to shells. It is important to note that in the American continent no feline surpasses it in dimensions, and that in the whole world it is only in third place (the largest is the lion and the second, the Bengal tiger).

With a typical weight of between 50 and 100 kilograms, the jaguar can measure up to 80 centimeters and have an approximate extension of 1.80 meters (not counting the tail). There are records, on the other hand, of males that have reached 140 kilograms in weight and a total length (that is, counting the tail) of 2.5 meters. Its dimensions do not reflect the absence of physical exercise: on the contrary, in addition to the energy invested in hunting moments, the jaguar greatly enjoys walking and is an excellent swimmer.

In addition to its impressive size and considerable weight, which can be seen in its robustness, the jaguar's head is large if we measure it in proportion to the rest of the body, and its jaw is very powerful. Its base coat is between brown and yellow, with spots that help it camouflage itself.

Although it enjoys solitude, the jaguar is a very territorial animal. With regard to its diet , it tends to hunt large vertebrates, such as deer, bush pig and tapir.

It should be noted that, due to the destruction of habitat and hunting, the jaguar is a species classified as "near threatened" since the number of specimens is in decline.