THE JAGUAR BIG CAT FELINE PANTHERA GENUS THE ONLY EXTANT PANTHERA SPECIES NATIVE THE TIGER THE LION LARGEST THE AMERICAS JAGUARS PRESENT RANGE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES MEXICO CENTRAL AMERICA SOUTH PARAGUAY NORTHERN ARGENTINA APART BREEDING POPULATION ARIZONA TUCSON NEW MEXICO THE CAT EXTIRPATED THE UNITED STATES THE EARLY THE LEOPARD BUILD HABITAT CLOSER DENSE RAINFOREST VARIETY FORESTED OPEN HABITATS SWAMPS WOODED LIVE IN SOLITARY PREDATOR TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN APEX PREDATOR KEYSTONE SPECIES PLAYING ROLE ECOSYSTEM POPULATIONS THE ANIMALS POWERFUL THE OTHER THE SHELLS ARMORED REPTILES KILLING METHOD IT BITES THE SKULL EARS BITE NEAR THREATENED SPECIES NUMBERS THREATS LOSS FRAGMENTATION OF HABITAT INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN PARTS PARTICULARLY RANCHERS FARMERS REMAINS HISTORICAL MYTHOLOGY INDIGENOUS AMERICAN CULTURES MAYA AZTEC THE WORD JAGUAR COMES ENGLISH FROM ONE LANGUAGES AMAZONIAN TRADE LANGUAGE PORTUGUESE TUPIAN BEAST SOMETIMES TRANSLATED WORD THE SUFFIX MEANING REAL TRUE COMPONENT TAXONOMIC LATIN THE GREEK LEOPARD TYPE SPECIES SAID TO DERIVE THE ALL FOLK ETYMOLOGY SANSKRIT TIGER MEXICAN SPANISH NICKNAME EL TIGRE SPANIARDS LANGUAGE SMALLER THAN LION EVER CREATURE WHOSE ROMAN POPULAR LITERATURE ONCA CEDILLA OUNCE THE SNOW LEOPARD PANTHERA UNCIA LYNX THE LETTER CONFUSED DEFINITE ARTICLE OLD FRENCH NEW WORLD MEMBER DNA EVIDENCE SHOWS SNOW LEOPARD CLOUDED LEOPARD SHARE COMMON GROUP TEN MILLION THE FOSSIL RECORD POINTS EMERGENCE MILLION YEARS AGO PHYLOGENETIC GENERALLY BASAL THE POSITION SPECIES EFFECTIVELY BRITISH ZOOLOGIST REGINALD POCOCK RELATED EXTINCT THE EUROPEAN THE AMERICAN SHOW ANALYSIS MITOCHONDRIAL DNA LINEAGE YEARS AGO FOSSIL OLD WORLD SCIENTISTS SPOTTED LEOPARD ANCESTOR PLEISTOCENE THE FORERUNNERS MODERN CROSSED BERINGIA THE LAND BRIDGE ONCE BERING STRAIT CONNECTED ASIA NORTH ANCESTORS CENTRAL SOUTH AMERICA FEEDING THE DEER GRAZING ANIMALS LANDSCAPE HUGE THE LAST SUBSPECIES PERFORMED GEOGRAPHIC ORIGINS SKULL MORPHOLOGY EIGHT ACCESS SUFFICIENT EVALUATE DOUBT STATUS CONSIDERATION WORK SHOULD RECENT FAILED FIND EVIDENCE LONGER LARSON VARIATION CLINAL VARIATION DIFFERENTIATION THUS WARRANT GENETIC STUDY CONFIRMED THE ABSENCE CLEAR GEOGRAPHICAL MAJOR THE AMAZON RIVER LIMITED THE EXCHANGE GENES STUDY PREDICTED STRUCTURE COLOMBIA DIVISIONS GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS SEYMOUR PANTHERA ONCA VENEZUELA THE AMAZON PERUVIAN JAGUAR COASTAL PERU WESTERN MEXICO CENTRAL AMERICAN JAGUAR EL SALVADOR SOUTHERN ARIZONA SONORA PANTHERA ONCA VERAECRUCIS CENTRAL TEXAS SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO PENINSULA BELIZE GUATEMALA PANTANAL JAGUAR WEIGHING PANTANAL REGIONS MATO GROSSO MATO GROSSO DO SUL PARAGUAY RIVER NORTHEASTERN MAMMAL SPECIES OF THE WORLD RECOGNIZE NINE THE EIGHT ABOVE AUGUSTA LIVED COMPACT THE NEW WORLD MAMMAL SIZE WEIGHTS NORMALLY THE RANGE MALES WEIGH MATCHING TIGRESS LIONESS NOTE ANIMAL FULL FEMALES PERCENT THE NOSE THE BASE THE CATS TAILS LEGS SHORTER SIMILAR TALL COLORED VARIATIONS INCREASE THE NORTH BIOSPHERE RESERVE THE MEXICAN PACIFIC RANGES ABOUT ABOUT FEMALE COUGAR BRAZIL AVERAGE ABOUT TO THE BRAZILIAN HIGHEST EMPTY STOMACH FOREST DARKER AREAS WETLAND SMALLER HERBIVOROUS SHORT LIMB ADEPT THE HEAD JAW THE THIRD FORCE CANINE TEETH CARNASSIAL STRENGTH ADAPTATION TURTLE SHELLS COMPARATIVE BODY SIZE RANKED REPORTED DRAG BULL JAWS BONES HUNTS WILD UP TO COAT TAWNY VENTRAL CAMOUFLAGE LIGHT SPOTS SHAPES NECK MERGE DISTINGUISHED FEWER LINES THE MIDDLE HEADS COLOR MORPHISM MELANISM APPEAR VISIBLE CLOSE THE BLACK MORPH LESS ORDERS MAGNITUDE THE MUTATION RATE SELECTION ALLELE EXAMPLE HETEROZYGOTE ADVANTAGE CAPTIVITY BLACK PANTHER POLYMORPHISM DO NOT RARE ALBINO WHITE PANTHER AS USUAL ALBINOS IN THE WILD KEEPS THE FREQUENCY REACH SEXUAL MATURITY THREE OR FOUR BELIEVED MATE THE YEAR BIRTHS RESEARCH CAPTIVE MALE MATING SEASONAL VARIATION SEMEN TRAITS QUALITY REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS ESTRUS DAYS FULL CYCLE ADVERTISE FERTILITY SCENT MARKS SEXES PAIRS GESTATION PERIOD LASTS GIVE BIRTH THE MOTHER TOLERATE PRESENCE RISK INFANTICIDE BEHAVIOR YOUNG BORN BLIND GAINING SIGHT CUBS WEANED MONTHS LEAVING MOTHER CONTINUE MOTHERS COMPANY TERRITORY THEMSELVES OLDER COUNTERPARTS LIVES CATS OUTSIDE ADULTS MEET COURT SOCIALIZATION CARVE TERRITORIES COVER TWICE AS MUCH AVAILABILITY GAME THE TERRITORY USES FECES MARK ROARING TERRITORIAL COMPETITORS AWAY INTENSIVE INDIVIDUALS ROAR MEWS FIGHTS AGGRESSION AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR CONFLICT ADULT NOCTURNAL CREPUSCULAR ACTIVITY DAWN TRAVEL HUNT THE DAY IF GAME AVAILABLE ENERGETIC SPENDING ITS TIME ELUSIVE NATURE MAKE IT ALONE OBLIGATE CARNIVORE OPPORTUNISTIC HUNTER DIET VIRTUALLY RIPARIAN VERTEBRATE PREFERENCE DIETARY GENERALIST COUSINS TROPICS HIGH DIVERSITY UNGULATE CAIMAN DEER CAPYBARA TAPIR PECCARIES ZORRO ANACONDA FROG MICE BIRD CRACIDS FISH SLOTH MONKEY TURTLE CONDUCTED COCKSCOMB BASIN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY REVEALED DIETS ARMADILLO PACA DOMESTIC THE ROOTS BANISTERIOPSIS CAAPI THE DEEP SUFFOCATION TECHNIQUE UNIQUE TEMPORAL BONE PIERCING CRACKING LATE PLEISTOCENE TURTLES EMPLOYED MAMMALS PARTICULAR THE CAIMAN LEAP