105-486: Former range The jaguar ( Panthera onca ) is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus Panthera that is native to the Americas . With a body length of up to 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) and a weight of up to 158 kg (348 lb), it is the biggest cat species in the Americas and the third largest in the world. Its distinctively marked coat features pale yellow to tan colored fur covered by spots that transition to rosettes on
210-440: A proper noun such as the name of a person or place. Similarly, both parts are italicized in normal text (or underlined in handwriting). Thus the binomial name of the annual phlox (named after botanist Thomas Drummond ) is now written as Phlox drummondii . Often, after a species name is introduced in a text, the generic name is abbreviated to the first letter in subsequent mentions (e.g., P. drummondii ). In scientific works,
315-479: A considerable variation in morphometry . The Panthera lineage is estimated to have genetically diverged from the common ancestor of the Felidae around 9.32 to 4.47 million years ago to 11.75 to 0.97 million years ago . Some genetic analyzes place the jaguar as a sister species to the lion with which it diverged 3.46 to 1.22 million years ago , but other studies place
420-417: A cylindric spike and a terete scape "), which we know today as Plantago media . Such "polynomial names" may sometimes look like binomials, but are significantly different. For example, Gerard's herbal (as amended by Johnson) describes various kinds of spiderwort: "The first is called Phalangium ramosum , Branched Spiderwort; the second, Phalangium non ramosum , Unbranched Spiderwort. The other ...
525-502: A half of the body length, although with some exceptions, like the Lynx species and margay ( Leopardus wiedii ). Cat species vary greatly in body and skull sizes, and weights: Most cat species have a haploid number of 18 or 19. Central and South American cats have a haploid number of 18, possibly due to the combination of two smaller chromosomes into a larger one. Felidae have type IIx muscle fibers three times more powerful than
630-401: A nomenclature code, it is possible for homonyms (two or more species sharing the same genus name) to happen, and even the same binomial if they occur in different kingdoms. At least 1,258 instances of genus name duplication occur (mainly between zoology and botany). Nomenclature (including binomial nomenclature) is not the same as classification, although the two are related. Classification is
735-481: A number of sources, of which Latin is only one. These include: The first part of the name, which identifies the genus, must be a word that can be treated as a Latin singular noun in the nominative case . It must be unique within the purview of each nomenclatural code , but can be repeated between them. Thus Huia recurvata is an extinct species of plant, found as fossils in Yunnan , China, whereas Huia masonii
840-423: A paper describing the phylogeny of small benthic freshwater fish called darters, five undescribed putative species (Ozark, Sheltowee, Wildcat, Ihiyo, and Mamequit darters), notable for brightly colored nuptial males with distinctive color patterns, were referred to as " Etheostoma cf. spectabile " because they had been viewed as related to, but distinct from, Etheostoma spectabile (orangethroat darter). This view
945-410: A personal name is to be converted to a specific epithet. In particular, names ending in a consonant (but not "er") are treated as first being converted into Latin by adding "-ius" (for a man) or "-ia" (for a woman), and then being made genitive (i.e. meaning "of that person or persons"). This produces specific epithets like lecardii for Lecard (male), wilsoniae for Wilson (female), and brauniarum for
1050-607: A powerful bite. They are all obligate carnivores , and most are solitary predators ambushing or stalking their prey. Wild cats occur in Africa , Europe , Asia and the Americas . Some wild cat species are adapted to forest and savanna habitats , some to arid environments, and a few also to wetlands and mountainous terrain. Their activity patterns range from nocturnal and crepuscular to diurnal , depending on their preferred prey species. Reginald Innes Pocock divided
1155-418: A product of its role as an apex predator in several different environments. The ambush may include leaping into water after prey, as a jaguar is quite capable of carrying a large kill while swimming; its strength is such that carcasses as large as a heifer can be hauled up a tree to avoid flood levels. After killing prey, the jaguar will drag the carcass to a thicket or other secluded spot. It begins eating at
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#17327650097731260-551: A single genus. The full binomial name must be unique within each code. From the early 19th century onwards it became ever more apparent that a body of rules was necessary to govern scientific names. In the course of time these became nomenclature codes . The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN ) governs the naming of animals, the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants ( ICNafp ) that of plants (including cyanobacteria ), and
1365-593: A species retains its binomial name if it is moved from one family to another or from one order to another, unless it better fits a different genus in the same or different family, or it is split from its old genus and placed in a newly created genus. The independence is only partial since the names of families and other higher taxa are usually based on genera. Taxonomy includes both nomenclature and classification. Its first stages (sometimes called " alpha taxonomy ") are concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. Binomial nomenclature
1470-403: Is Anthus hodgsoni berezowskii . Informally, in some circumstances, a form may be appended. For example Harmonia axyridis f. spectabilis is the harlequin ladybird in its black or melanic forms having four large orange or red spots. In botany, there are many ranks below species and although the name itself is written in three parts, a "connecting term" (not part of the name) is needed to show
1575-450: Is sexually dimorphic , with females typically being 10–20% smaller than males. The length from the nose to the base of the tail varies from 1.12 to 1.85 m (3 ft 8 in to 6 ft 1 in). The tail is 45 to 75 cm (18 to 30 in) long and the shortest of any big cat . Its muscular legs are shorter than the legs of other Panthera species with similar body weight. Size tends to increase from north to south. Jaguars in
1680-620: Is a compact and muscular animal. It is the largest cat native to the Americas and the third largest in the world, exceeded in size only by the tiger and the lion. It stands 57 to 81 cm (22.4 to 31.9 in) tall at the shoulders. Its size and weight vary considerably depending on sex and region: weights in most regions are normally in the range of 56–96 kg (123–212 lb). Exceptionally big males have been recorded to weigh as much as 158 kg (348 lb). The smallest females from Middle America weigh about 36 kg (79 lb). It
1785-409: Is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms , although they can be based on words from other languages. Such a name is called a binomial name (which may be shortened to just "binomial"), a binomen , binominal name , or a scientific name ; more informally it is also historically called a Latin name . In
1890-518: Is a species of frog found in Java , Indonesia. The second part of the name, which identifies the species within the genus, is also treated grammatically as a Latin word. It can have one of a number of forms: Whereas the first part of a binomial name must be unique within the purview of each nomenclatural code, the second part is quite commonly used in two or more genera (as is shown by examples of hodgsonii above), but cannot be used more than once within
1995-537: Is adept at swimming and is largely a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush apex predator . As a keystone species , it plays an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and in regulating prey populations. The jaguar is threatened by habitat loss , habitat fragmentation , poaching for trade with its body parts and killings in human–wildlife conflict situations, particularly with ranchers in Central and South America . It has been listed as Near Threatened on
2100-399: Is an apex predator , meaning it is at the top of the food chain and is not preyed upon in the wild. The jaguar has also been termed a keystone species , as it is assumed that it controls the population levels of prey such as herbivorous and seed-eating mammals and thus maintains the structural integrity of forest systems. However, field work has shown this may be natural variability, and
2205-466: Is aptly termed Phalangium Ephemerum Virginianum , Soon-Fading Spiderwort of Virginia". The Latin phrases are short descriptions, rather than identifying labels. The Bauhins , in particular Caspar Bauhin (1560–1624), took some important steps towards the binomial system by pruning the Latin descriptions, in many cases to two words. The adoption by biologists of a system of strictly binomial nomenclature
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#17327650097732310-857: Is considered to be locally extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay . Jaguars have been occasionally sighted in Arizona , New Mexico and Texas , with 62 accounts reported in the 20th century. Between 2012 and 2015, a male vagrant jaguar was recorded in 23 locations in the Santa Rita Mountains . Eight jaguars were photographed in the southwestern US between 1996 and 2024. The jaguar prefers dense forest and typically inhabits dry deciduous forests , tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , rainforests and cloud forests in Central and South America; open, seasonally flooded wetlands , dry grassland and historically also oak forests in
2415-461: Is due to Swedish botanist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778). It was in Linnaeus's 1753 Species Plantarum that he began consistently using a one-word trivial name ( nomen triviale ) after a generic name (genus name) in a system of binomial nomenclature. Trivial names had already appeared in his Critica Botanica (1737) and Philosophia Botanica (1751). This trivial name is what
2520-614: Is not in sight. (There is also a published code for a different system of biotic nomenclature, which does not use ranks above species, but instead names clades . This is called PhyloCode .) As noted above, there are some differences between the codes in how binomials can be formed; for example the ICZN allows both parts to be the same, while the ICNafp does not. Another difference is in how personal names are used in forming specific names or epithets. The ICNafp sets out precise rules by which
2625-433: Is now known as a specific epithet ( ICNafp ) or specific name ( ICZN ). The Bauhins' genus names were retained in many of these, but the descriptive part was reduced to a single word. Linnaeus's trivial names introduced the important new idea that the function of a name could simply be to give a species a unique label, meaning that the name no longer needed to be descriptive. Both parts could, for example, be derived from
2730-418: Is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats . A member of this family is also called a felid ( / ˈ f iː l ɪ d / ). The 41 extant Felidae species exhibit the greatest diversity in fur patterns of all terrestrial carnivores. Cats have retractile claws , slender muscular bodies and strong flexible forelimbs. Their teeth and facial muscles allow for
2835-785: Is the oldest known cat that occurred after the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event about 33.9 million years ago ; fossil remains were excavated in France and Mongolia's Hsanda Gol Formation . Fossil occurrences indicate that the Felidae arrived in North America around 18.5 million years ago . This is about 20 million years later than the Ursidae and the Nimravidae , and about 10 million years later than
2940-609: Is the oldest known pantherine cat dated to the late Messinian to early Zanclean ages about 5.95 to 4.1 million years ago . A fossil skull was excavated in 2010 in Zanda County on the Tibetan Plateau . Panthera palaeosinensis from North China probably dates to the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene . The skull of the holotype is similar to that of a lion or leopard. Panthera zdanskyi dates to
3045-426: Is thus an important part of taxonomy as it is the system by which species are named. Taxonomists are also concerned with classification, including its principles, procedures and rules. A complete binomial name is always treated grammatically as if it were a phrase in the Latin language (hence the common use of the term "Latin name" for a binomial name). However, the two parts of a binomial name can each be derived from
3150-436: Is usually followed by the "authority" – a way of designating the scientist(s) who first published the name. The authority is written in slightly different ways in zoology and botany. For names governed by the ICZN the surname is usually written in full together with the date (normally only the year) of publication. One example of author citation of scientific name is: " Amabela Möschler, 1880 ." The ICZN recommends that
3255-481: Is when several species from the same genus are being listed or discussed in the same paper or report, or the same species is mentioned repeatedly; in which case the genus is written in full when it is first used, but may then be abbreviated to an initial (and a period/full stop). For example, a list of members of the genus Canis might be written as " Canis lupus , C. aureus , C. simensis ". In rare cases, this abbreviated form has spread to more general use; for example,
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3360-427: The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants ( ICNafp or ICN ). Although the general principles underlying binomial nomenclature are common to these two codes, there are some differences in the terminology they use and their particular rules. In modern usage, the first letter of the generic name is always capitalized in writing, while that of the specific epithet is not, even when derived from
3465-487: The International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria ( ICNB ) that of bacteria (including Archaea ). Virus names are governed by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses ( ICTV ), a taxonomic code, which determines taxa as well as names. These codes differ in certain ways, e.g.: Unifying the different codes into a single code, the " BioCode ", has been suggested , although implementation
3570-644: The Canidae . In the Early Miocene about 20 to 16.6 million years ago , Pseudaelurus lived in Africa. Its fossil jaws were also excavated in geological formations of Europe's Vallesian , Asia's Middle Miocene and North America's late Hemingfordian to late Barstovian epochs. In the Early or Middle Miocene, the saber-toothed Machairodontinae evolved in Africa and migrated northwards in
3675-655: The Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve on the Pacific coast of central Mexico weighed around 50 kg (110 lb). Jaguars in Venezuela and Brazil are much larger, with average weights of about 95 kg (209 lb) in males and of about 56–78 kg (123–172 lb) in females. The jaguar's coat ranges from pale yellow to tan or reddish-yellow, with a whitish underside and covered in black spots. The spots and their shapes vary: on
3780-706: The Early Pleistocene via the land bridge that once spanned the Bering Strait . Today, the jaguar's range extends from the Southwestern United States across Mexico and much of Central America , the Amazon rainforest and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina . It inhabits a variety of forested and open terrains, but its preferred habitat is tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest , wetlands and wooded regions. It
3885-761: The Feliformia . All members of the cat family have the following characteristics in common: The colour, length and density of their fur are very diverse. Fur colour covers the gamut from white to black, and fur patterns from distinctive small spots, and stripes to small blotches and rosettes . Most cat species are born with spotted fur, except the jaguarundi ( Herpailurus yagouaroundi ), Asian golden cat ( Catopuma temminckii ) and caracal ( Caracal caracal ). The spotted fur of lion ( Panthera leo ), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and cougar ( Puma concolor ) cubs change to uniform fur during their ontogeny . Those living in cold environments have thick fur with long hair, like
3990-583: The Gelasian about 2.55 to 2.16 million years ago . Several fossil skulls and jawbones were excavated in northwestern China. Panthera gombaszoegensis is the earliest known pantherine cat that lived in Europe about 1.95 to 1.77 million years ago . Living felids fall into eight evolutionary lineages or species clades . Genotyping of the nuclear DNA of all 41 felid species revealed that hybridization between species occurred in
4095-464: The ICZN is more protective of the form used by the original author. By tradition, the binomial names of species are usually typeset in italics; for example, Homo sapiens . Generally, the binomial should be printed in a font style different from that used in the normal text; for example, " Several more Homo sapiens fossils were discovered ." When handwritten, a binomial name should be underlined; for example, Homo sapiens . The first part of
4200-477: The IUCN Red List since 2002. The wild population is thought to have declined since the late 1990s. Priority areas for jaguar conservation comprise 51 Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs), defined as large areas inhabited by at least 50 breeding jaguars. The JCUs are located in 36 geographic regions ranging from Mexico to Argentina. The jaguar has featured prominently in the mythology of indigenous peoples of
4305-488: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), the system is also called binominal nomenclature , with an "n" before the "al" in "binominal", which is not a typographic error, meaning "two-name naming system". The first part of the name – the generic name – identifies the genus to which the species belongs, whereas the second part – the specific name or specific epithet – distinguishes
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4410-772: The Late Miocene . With their large upper canines , they were adapted to prey on large-bodied megaherbivores . Miomachairodus is the oldest known member of this subfamily. Metailurus lived in Africa and Eurasia about 8 to 6 million years ago . Several Paramachaerodus skeletons were found in Spain. Homotherium appeared in Africa, Eurasia and North America around 3.5 million years ago , and Megantereon about 3 million years ago . Smilodon lived in North and South America from about 2.5 million years ago . This subfamily became extinct in
4515-551: The Late Pleistocene . Results of mitochondrial analysis indicate that the living Felidae species descended from a common ancestor , which originated in Asia in the Late Miocene epoch. They migrated to Africa, Europe and the Americas in the course of at least 10 migration waves during the past ~11 million years. Low sea levels and interglacial and glacial periods facilitated these migrations. Panthera blytheae
4620-562: The Pantanal are largely active by day, whereas jaguars in the Atlantic Forest are primarily active by night. The activity pattern of the jaguar coincides with the activity of its main prey species. Jaguars are good swimmers and play and hunt in the water, possibly more than tigers. They have been recorded moving between islands and the shore. Jaguars are also good at climbing trees but do so less often than cougars. The adult jaguar
4725-752: The Pantanal to 53.6 km (20.7 sq mi) in the Amazon to 233.5 km (90.2 sq mi) in the Atlantic Forest . Male jaguar home ranges vary from 25 km (9.7 sq mi) in the Pantanal to 180.3 km (69.6 sq mi) in the Amazon to 591.4 km (228.3 sq mi) in the Atlantic Forest and 807.4 km (311.7 sq mi) in the Cerrado . Studies employing GPS telemetry in 2003 and 2004 found densities of only six to seven jaguars per 100 km (62 mi) in
4830-432: The authority for a binomial name is usually given, at least when it is first mentioned, and the year of publication may be specified. The word binomial is composed of two elements: bi- ( Latin prefix meaning 'two') and nomial (the adjective form of nomen , Latin for 'name'). In Medieval Latin, the related word binomium was used to signify one term in a binomial expression in mathematics. In fact,
4935-456: The canine tip of 887.0 Newton and a bite force quotient at the canine tip of 118.6. A 100 kg (220 lb) jaguar can bite with a force of 4.939 kN (1,110 lbf) with the canine teeth and 6.922 kN (1,556 lbf) at the carnassial notch. Melanistic jaguars are also known as black panthers . The black morph is less common than the spotted one. Black jaguars have been documented in Central and South America. Melanism in
5040-531: The gene flow between jaguar populations in Colombia was high in the past. Since 2017, the jaguar is considered to be a monotypic taxon , though the modern Panthera onca onca is still distinguished from two fossil subspecies, Panthera onca augusta and Panthera onca mesembrina . However, the 2024 study suggested that the validity of subspecific assignments on both P. o. augusta and P. o. mesembrina remains unresolved, since both fossil and living jaguars show
5145-458: The snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ) and the Pallas's cat ( Otocolobus manul ). Those living in tropical and hot climate zones have short fur. Several species exhibit melanism with all-black individuals, cougars are notable for lacking melanism but leucism and albinism are present in cougars along with many other felids. In the great majority of cat species, the tail is between a third and
5250-499: The yellow-footed tortoise . It employs an unusual killing method: it bites mammalian prey directly through the skull between the ears to deliver a fatal bite to the brain. It kills capybara by piercing its canine teeth through the temporal bones of its skull, breaking its zygomatic arch and mandible and penetrating its brain, often through the ears. It has been hypothesized to be an adaptation to cracking open turtle shells; armored reptiles may have formed an abundant prey base for
5355-465: The "cf." qualifier vary. In paleontology, it is typically used when the identification is not confirmed. For example, " Corvus cf. nasicus " was used to indicate "a fossil bird similar to the Cuban crow but not certainly identified as this species". In molecular systematics papers, "cf." may be used to indicate one or more undescribed species assumed to be related to a described species. For example, in
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#17327650097735460-404: The "original author and date of a name should be cited at least once in each work dealing with the taxon denoted by that name." For names governed by the ICNafp the name is generally reduced to a standard abbreviation and the date omitted. The International Plant Names Index maintains an approved list of botanical author abbreviations. Historically, abbreviations were used in zoology too. When
5565-530: The 19th and 20th centuries, several jaguar type specimens formed the basis for descriptions of subspecies . In 1939, Reginald Innes Pocock recognized eight subspecies based on the geographic origins and skull morphology of these specimens. Pocock did not have access to sufficient zoological specimens to critically evaluate their subspecific status but expressed doubt about the status of several. Later consideration of his work suggested only three subspecies should be recognized. The description of P. o. palustris
5670-727: The Americas , including those of the Aztec and Maya civilizations . The word "jaguar" is possibly derived from the Tupi-Guarani word yaguara meaning 'wild beast that overcomes its prey at a bound'. In North America, the word is pronounced disyllabic / ˈ dʒ æ ɡ w ɑːr / , while in British English, it is pronounced with three syllables / ˈ dʒ æ ɡ juː ər / . Because that word also applies to other animals, indigenous peoples in Guyana call it jaguareté , with
5775-491: The Braun sisters. By contrast, the ICZN does not require the intermediate creation of a Latin form of a personal name, allowing the genitive ending to be added directly to the personal name. This explains the difference between the names of the plant Magnolia hodgsonii and the bird Anthus hodgsoni . Furthermore, the ICNafp requires names not published in the form required by the code to be corrected to conform to it, whereas
5880-484: The Brazilian Pantanal is recorded to primarily feed on aquatic reptiles and fish. The jaguar also preys on livestock in cattle ranching areas where wild prey is scarce. The daily food requirement of a captive jaguar weighing 34 kg (75 lb) was estimated at 1.4 kg (3.1 lb) of meat. The jaguar's bite force allows it to pierce the carapaces of the yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle and
5985-486: The Latin word binomium may validly refer to either of the epithets in the binomial name, which can equally be referred to as a binomen (pl. binomina ). Prior to the adoption of the modern binomial system of naming species, a scientific name consisted of a generic name combined with a specific name that was from one to several words long. Together they formed a system of polynomial nomenclature. These names had two separate functions. First, to designate or label
6090-620: The Pantanal region, compared with 10 to 11 using traditional methods; this suggests the widely used sampling methods may inflate the actual numbers of individuals in a sampling area. Fights between males occur but are rare, and avoidance behavior has been observed in the wild. In one wetland population with degraded territorial boundaries and more social proximity, adults of the same sex are more tolerant of each other and engage in more friendly and co-operative interactions. The jaguar roars /grunts for long-distance communication; intensive bouts of counter-calling between individuals have been observed in
6195-600: The Pantherinae and Felinae, with the Acinonychinae subsumed into the latter. Pantherinae includes five Panthera and two Neofelis species , while Felinae includes the other 34 species in 12 genera . The first cats emerged during the Oligocene about 25 million years ago , with the appearance of Proailurus and Pseudaelurus . The latter species complex was ancestral to two main lines of felids:
6300-784: The United States was in the Tehachapi Mountains of California prior to 1860. The jaguar persisted in California until about 1860. The last confirmed jaguar in Texas was shot in 1948, 4.8 km (3 miles) southeast of Kingsville, Texas . In Arizona, a female was shot in the White Mountains in 1963. By the late 1960s, the jaguar was thought to have been extirpated in the United States. Arizona outlawed jaguar hunting in 1969, but by then no females remained, and over
6405-512: The United States. It has been recorded at elevations up to 3,800 m (12,500 ft) but avoids montane forests . It favors riverine habitat and swamps with dense vegetation cover. In the Mayan forests of Mexico and Guatemala, 11 GPS-collared jaguars preferred undisturbed dense habitat away from roads; females avoided even areas with low levels of human activity, whereas males appeared less disturbed by human population density. A young male jaguar
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#17327650097736510-478: The added sufix eté , meaning "true beast". "Onca" is derived from the Portuguese name onça for a spotted cat that is larger than a lynx ; cf. ounce . The word "panther" is derived from classical Latin panthēra , itself from the ancient Greek πάνθηρ ( pánthēr ). In 1758, Carl Linnaeus described the jaguar in his work Systema Naturae and gave it the scientific name Felis onca . In
6615-423: The age of about 2.5 years. Estrus lasts 7–15 days with an estrus cycle of 41.8 to 52.6 days. During estrus, she exhibits increased restlessness with rolling and prolonged vocalizations. She is an induced ovulator but can also ovulate spontaneously. Gestation lasts 91 to 111 days. The male is sexually mature at the age of three to four years. His mean ejaculate volume is 8.6±1.3 ml. Generation length of
6720-547: The bacterium Escherichia coli is often referred to as just E. coli , and Tyrannosaurus rex is perhaps even better known simply as T. rex , these two both often appearing in this form in popular writing even where the full genus name has not already been given. The abbreviation "sp." is used when the actual specific name cannot or need not be specified. The abbreviation "spp." (plural) indicates "several species". These abbreviations are not italicised (or underlined). For example: " Canis sp." means "an unspecified species of
6825-414: The binomial, the genus name, is always written with an initial capital letter. Older sources, particularly botanical works published before the 1950s, used a different convention: if the second part of the name was derived from a proper noun, e.g., the name of a person or place, a capital letter was used. Thus, the modern form Berberis darwinii was written as Berberis Darwinii . A capital was also used when
6930-543: The cats in the extant subfamilies and a group of extinct "saber-tooth" felids of the subfamily Machairodontinae , which range from the type genus Machairodus of the late Miocene to Smilodon of the Pleistocene. The "false saber-toothed cats", the Barbourofelidae and Nimravidae , are not true cats but are closely related. Together with the Felidae, Viverridae , hyenas and mongooses , they constitute
7035-458: The close relationship between P. gombaszoegensis (which is primarily known from Europe) and the modern jaguar. The oldest fossils of modern jaguars ( P. onca ) have been found in North America dating between 850,000-820,000 years ago. Results of mitochondrial DNA analysis of 37 jaguars indicate that current populations evolved between 510,000 and 280,000 years ago in northern South America and subsequently recolonized North and Central America after
7140-546: The course of evolution within the majority of the eight lineages. Modelling of felid coat pattern transformations revealed that nearly all patterns evolved from small spots. Traditionally, five subfamilies had been distinguished within the Felidae based on phenotypical features: the Pantherinae , the Felinae , the Acinonychinae, and the extinct Machairodontinae and Proailurinae . Acinonychinae used to only contain
7245-407: The endings used differ between zoology and botany. Ranks below species receive three-part names, conventionally written in italics like the names of species. There are significant differences between the ICZN and the ICNafp . In zoology, the only formal rank below species is subspecies and the name is written simply as three parts (a trinomen). Thus, one of the subspecies of the olive-backed pipit
7350-421: The extant Felidae into three subfamilies: the Pantherinae , the Felinae and the Acinonychinae, differing from each other by the ossification of the hyoid apparatus and by the cutaneous sheaths which protect their claws. This concept has been revised following developments in molecular biology and techniques for the analysis of morphological data. Today, the living Felidae are divided into two subfamilies:
7455-737: The extinction of jaguars there during the Late Pleistocene . Two extinct subspecies of jaguar are recognized in the fossil record: the North American P. o. augusta and South American P. o. mesembrina . Felinae [REDACTED] Lion ( P. leo ) [REDACTED] Jaguar [REDACTED] Leopard ( P. pardus ) [REDACTED] Tiger ( P. tigris ) [REDACTED] Snow leopard ( P. uncia ) [REDACTED] Neofelis [REDACTED] Felinae [REDACTED] Lion [REDACTED] Leopard [REDACTED] Snow leopard [REDACTED] Jaguar [REDACTED] Tiger [REDACTED] Neofelis [REDACTED] The jaguar
7560-453: The first part of the name of the species is a genus name. In a classification system based on ranks, there are also ways of naming ranks above the level of genus and below the level of species. Ranks above genus (e.g., family, order, class) receive one-part names, which are conventionally not written in italics. Thus, the house sparrow, Passer domesticus , belongs to the family Passeridae . Family names are normally based on genus names, although
7665-482: The following cladogram: Sunda clouded leopard (N. diardi) Clouded leopard ( N. nebulosa ) Tiger (P. tigris) Snow leopard (P. uncia) Jaguar (P. onca) Lion ( P. leo ) Leopard ( P. pardus ) Serval (L. serval) African golden cat ( C. aurata ) Caracal ( C. caracal ) Andean mountain cat ( L. jacobita ) Scientific name In taxonomy , binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature ,
7770-513: The genus Canis ", while " Canis spp." means "two or more species of the genus Canis ". (These abbreviations should not be confused with the abbreviations "ssp." (zoology) or "subsp." (botany), plurals "sspp." or "subspp.", referring to one or more subspecies . See trinomen (zoology) and infraspecific name .) The abbreviation " cf. " (i.e., confer in Latin) is used to compare individuals/taxa with known/described species. Conventions for use of
7875-866: The genus Acinonyx but this genus is now within the Felinae subfamily. The following cladogram based on Piras et al. (2013) depicts the phylogeny of basal living and extinct groups. † Proailurus bourbonnensis † Proailurus lemanensis † Proailurus major † Pseudaelurus quadridentatus † Pseudaelurus cuspidatus † Pseudaelurus guangheesis † Machairodontinae [REDACTED] † Hyperailurictis intrepidus † Hyperailurictis marshi † Hyperailurictis stouti † Hyperailurictis validus † Hyperailurictis skinneri † Sivaelurus chinjiensis † Styriofelis turnauensis † Styriofelis romieviensis Felinae [REDACTED] † Miopanthera lorteti † Miopanthera pamiri Pantherinae [REDACTED] The phylogenetic relationships of living felids are shown in
7980-465: The jaguar following the late Pleistocene extinctions . However, this is disputed, as even in areas where jaguars prey on reptiles, they are still taken relatively infrequently compared to mammals in spite of their greater abundance. Between October 2001 and April 2004, 10 jaguars were monitored in the southern Pantanal. In the dry season from April to September, they killed prey at intervals ranging from one to seven days; and ranging from one to 16 days in
8085-720: The jaguar in human-altered landscapes. The jaguar is an obligate carnivore and depends solely on flesh for its nutrient requirements. An analysis of 53 studies documenting the diet of the jaguar revealed that its prey ranges in weight from 1 to 130 kg (2.2 to 286.6 lb); it prefers prey weighing 45–85 kg (99–187 lb), with the capybara and the giant anteater being the most selected. When available, it also preys on marsh deer , southern tamandua , collared peccary and black agouti . In floodplains, jaguars opportunistically take reptiles such as turtles and caimans . Consumption of reptiles appears to be more frequent in jaguars than in other big cats. One remote population in
8190-552: The jaguar is 9.8 years. In the Pantanal, breeding pairs were observed to stay together for up to five days. Females had one to two cubs. The young are born with closed eyes but open them after two weeks. Cubs are weaned at the age of three months but remain in the birth den for six months before leaving to accompany their mother on hunts. Jaguars remain with their mothers for up to two years. They appear to rarely live beyond 11 years, but captive individuals may live 22 years. Felidae Felidae ( / ˈ f ɛ l ɪ d iː / )
8295-743: The jaguar is caused by deletions in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene and inherited through a dominant allele . Black jaguars occur at higher densities in tropical rainforest and are more active during the daytime. This suggests that melanism provides camouflage in dense vegetation with high illumination. In 2004, a camera trap in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains photographed the first documented black jaguar in Northern Mexico. Black jaguars were also photographed in Costa Rica's Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve , in
8400-524: The lion closer to the leopard. The lineage of the jaguar appears to have originated in Africa and spread to Eurasia 1.95–1.77 mya. The living jaguar species is often suggested to have descended from the Eurasian Panthera gombaszoegensis . The ancestor of the jaguar entered the American continent via Beringia , the land bridge that once spanned the Bering Strait , Some authors have disputed
8505-610: The mountains of the Cordillera de Talamanca , in Barbilla National Park and in eastern Panama . In 1999, the jaguar's historic range at the turn of the 20th century was estimated at 19,000,000 km (7,300,000 sq mi), stretching from the southern United States through Central America to southern Argentina. By the turn of the 21st century, its global range had decreased to about 8,750,000 km (3,380,000 sq mi), with most declines occurring in
8610-486: The muscle fibers of human athletes. The family Felidae is part of the Feliformia , a suborder that diverged probably about 50.6 to 35 million years ago into several families. The Felidae and the Asiatic linsangs are considered a sister group , which split about 35.2 to 31.9 million years ago . The earliest cats probably appeared about 35 to 28.5 million years ago . Proailurus
8715-451: The name is formed by two nouns in apposition, e.g., Panthera Leo or Centaurea Cyanus . In current usage, the second part is never written with an initial capital. When used with a common name, the scientific name often follows in parentheses, although this varies with publication. For example, "The house sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) is decreasing in Europe." The binomial name should generally be written in full. The exception to this
8820-552: The names of people. Thus Gerard's Phalangium ephemerum virginianum became Tradescantia virginiana , where the genus name honoured John Tradescant the Younger , an English botanist and gardener. A bird in the parrot family was named Psittacus alexandri , meaning "Alexander's parrot", after Alexander the Great , whose armies introduced eastern parakeets to Greece. Linnaeus's trivial names were much easier to remember and use than
8925-490: The neck and chest. The heart and lungs are consumed, followed by the shoulders. The jaguar is generally solitary except for females with cubs. In 1977, groups consisting of a male, female and cubs, and two females with two males were sighted several times in a study area in the Paraguay River valley. In some areas, males may form paired coalitions which together mark, defend and invade territories, find and mate with
9030-558: The next 25 years only two males were sighted and killed in the state. In 1996, a rancher and hunting guide from Douglas, Arizona came across a jaguar in the Peloncillo Mountains and became a researcher on jaguars, placing trail cameras, which recorded four more jaguars. The jaguar is mostly active at night and during twilight . However, jaguars living in densely forested regions of the Amazon Rainforest and
9135-495: The ordering of items into groups based on similarities or differences; in biological classification , species are one of the kinds of item to be classified. In principle, the names given to species could be completely independent of their classification. This is not the case for binomial names, since the first part of a binomial is the name of the genus into which the species is placed. Above the rank of genus, binomial nomenclature and classification are partly independent; for example,
9240-422: The original name is changed, e.g., the species is moved to a different genus, both codes use parentheses around the original authority; the ICNafp also requires the person who made the change to be given. In the ICNafp , the original name is then called the basionym . Some examples: Binomial nomenclature, as described here, is a system for naming species. Implicitly, it includes a system for naming genera, since
9345-470: The parallel polynomial names, and eventually replaced them. The value of the binomial nomenclature system derives primarily from its economy, its widespread use, and the uniqueness and stability of names that the Codes of Zoological and Botanical , Bacterial and Viral Nomenclature provide: Binomial nomenclature for species has the effect that when a species is moved from one genus to another, sometimes
9450-504: The population increases may not be sustained. Thus, the keystone predator hypothesis is not accepted by all scientists. The jaguar is sympatric with the cougar . In central Mexico, both prey on white-tailed deer , which makes up 54% and 66% of jaguar and cougar's prey, respectively. In northern Mexico, the jaguar and the cougar share the same habitat, and their diet overlaps dependent on prey availability. Jaguars seemed to prefer deer and calves. In Mexico and Central America, neither of
9555-505: The same females and search for and share prey. A radio-collared female moved in a home range of 25–38 km (9.7–14.7 sq mi), which partly overlapped with another female. The home range of the male in this study area overlapped with several females. The jaguar uses scrape marks, urine, and feces to mark its territory . The size of home ranges depends on the level of deforestation and human population density. The home ranges of females vary from 15.3 km (5.9 sq mi) in
9660-405: The sides, although a melanistic black coat appears in some individuals. The jaguar's powerful bite allows it to pierce the carapaces of turtles and tortoises , and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of mammalian prey between the ears to deliver a fatal blow to the brain. The modern jaguar's ancestors probably entered the Americas from Eurasia during
9765-542: The sides, they become rosettes which may include one or several dots. The spots on the head and neck are generally solid, as are those on the tail where they may merge to form bands near the end and create a black tip. They are elongated on the middle of the back, often connecting to create a median stripe, and blotchy on the belly. These patterns serve as camouflage in areas with dense vegetation and patchy shadows. Jaguars living in forests are often darker and considerably smaller than those living in open areas, possibly due to
9870-437: The smaller numbers of large, herbivorous prey in forest areas. The jaguar closely resembles the leopard but is generally more robust, with stockier limbs and a more square head. The rosettes on a jaguar's coat are larger, darker, fewer in number and have thicker lines, with a small spot in the middle. It has powerful jaws with the third-highest bite force of all felids, after the tiger and the lion. It has an average bite force at
9975-479: The southern United States, northern Mexico, northern Brazil, and southern Argentina. Its present range extends from Mexico through Central America to South America comprising Belize , Guatemala , Honduras , Nicaragua , Costa Rica , particularly on the Osa Peninsula , Panama , Colombia , Venezuela , Guyana , Suriname , French Guiana , Ecuador , Peru , Bolivia , Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina . It
10080-589: The species within the genus. For example, modern humans belong to the genus Homo and within this genus to the species Homo sapiens . Tyrannosaurus rex is likely the most widely known binomial. The formal introduction of this system of naming species is credited to Carl Linnaeus , effectively beginning with his work Species Plantarum in 1753. But as early as 1622, Gaspard Bauhin introduced in his book Pinax theatri botanici (English, Illustrated exposition of plants ) containing many names of genera that were later adopted by Linnaeus. Binomial nomenclature
10185-491: The species, and second, to be a diagnosis or description; however, these two goals were eventually found to be incompatible. In a simple genus, containing only two species, it was easy to tell them apart with a one-word genus and a one-word specific name; but as more species were discovered, the names necessarily became longer and unwieldy, for instance, Plantago foliis ovato-lanceolatus pubescentibus, spica cylindrica, scapo tereti ("plantain with pubescent ovate-lanceolate leaves,
10290-483: The specific name or epithet must be changed as well. This may happen because the specific name is already used in the new genus, or to agree in gender with the new genus if the specific epithet is an adjective modifying the genus name. Some biologists have argued for the combination of the genus name and specific epithet into a single unambiguous name, or for the use of uninomials (as used in nomenclature of ranks above species). Because genus names are unique only within
10395-462: The two cats are considered to be the dominant predator. In South America, the jaguar is larger than the cougar and tends to take larger prey, usually over 22 kg (49 lb). The cougar's prey usually weighs between 2 and 22 kg (4 and 49 lb), which is thought to be the reason for its smaller size. This situation may be advantageous to the cougar. Its broader prey niche, including its ability to take smaller prey, may give it an advantage over
10500-468: The wet season from October to March. The jaguar uses a stalk-and-ambush strategy when hunting rather than chasing prey. The cat will slowly walk down forest paths, listening for and stalking prey before rushing or ambushing. The jaguar attacks from cover and usually from a target's blind spot with a quick pounce; the species' ambushing abilities are considered nearly peerless in the animal kingdom by both indigenous people and field researchers and are probably
10605-430: The wild. This vocalization is described as "hoarse" with five or six guttural notes. Chuffing is produced by individuals when greeting, during courting , or by a mother comforting her cubs. This sound is described as low intensity snorts, possibly intended to signal tranquility and passivity. Cubs have been recorded bleating, gurgling and mewing. In captivity, the female jaguar is recorded to reach sexual maturity at
10710-601: Was also recorded in the semi-arid Sierra de San Carlos at a waterhole. In the 19th century, the jaguar was still sighted at the North Platte River 48–80 km (30–50 miles) north of Longs Peak in Colorado , in coastal Louisiana , northern Arizona and New Mexico. Multiple verified zoological reports of the jaguar are known in California, two as far north as Monterey in 1814 and 1826. The only record of an active jaguar den with breeding adults and kittens in
10815-560: Was based on a fossil skull. By 2005, nine subspecies were considered to be valid taxa: Reginald Innes Pocock placed the jaguar in the genus Panthera and observed that it shares several morphological features with the leopard ( P. pardus ). He, therefore, concluded that they are most closely related to each other. Results of morphological and genetic research indicate a clinal north–south variation between populations, but no evidence for subspecific differentiation. DNA analysis of 84 jaguar samples from South America revealed that
10920-428: Was introduced in order to provide succinct, relatively stable and verifiable names that could be used and understood internationally, unlike common names which are usually different in every language. The application of binomial nomenclature is now governed by various internationally agreed codes of rules, of which the two most important are the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN ) for animals and
11025-410: Was supported to varying degrees by DNA analysis. The somewhat informal use of taxa names with qualifying abbreviations is referred to as open nomenclature and it is not subject to strict usage codes. In some contexts, the dagger symbol ("†") may be used before or after the binomial name to indicate that the species is extinct. In scholarly texts, at least the first or main use of the binomial name
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