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66-426: The Sumidouro State Park is in the municipalities of Lagoa Santa (56%) and Pedro Leopoldo (44%) to the north of the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte , Minas Gerais. It is 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Belo Horizonte. The park is in the federal Carste de Lagoa Santa Environmental Protection Area . It has an area of 2,004 hectares (4,950 acres). The unit was named after its lagoon, Sumidouro ("sink"). The lagoon

132-630: A bandeirante who spent several years in the region with his followers in search of gold and precious stones. The house contains an annex where administrative staff work. The Gruta da Lapinha is a cave within a limestone massif formed around 600 million years ago in the bed of the sea that once covered the whole region. The great hall created where the limestone has dissolved is 511 metres (1,677 ft) long and 40 metres (130 ft) deep. It contains beautiful speleothems, which are illuminated by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to avoid generating too much heat. The trails can only be visited on weekends. During

198-485: 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

264-563: A guide. There are rock faces from 550 to 750 metres (1,800 to 2,460 ft) height near the Peter Lund Museum that may be scaled by experienced climbers who bring their own equipment. The Peter Lund Museum was inaugurated on 21 September 2012. It has an exhibition area with 80 fossils from the Natural History Museum of Denmark . There is an area with exhibits that explain the historical and cultural importance of

330-418: 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

396-694: A variety of forested and open terrains, but its preferred habitat is tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest , wetlands and wooded regions. It 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

462-452: 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

528-519: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Jaguar   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

594-571: 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

660-406: Is a fully protected conservation unit with the objectives of promoting preservation of the environment and cultural heritage, while supporting research, conservation, environmental education and tourism. A study published in 2013 indicated that the local people were dissatisfied with the way the park was being managed. Residents said they had not been consulted in the park creation process, did not see

726-402: 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

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792-862: 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

858-478: Is drained by a network of galleries through which the water penetrates underground into the limestone basin. The Danish naturalist Peter Wilhelm Lund conducted research in the area now covered by the park in the first half of the 19th century. He found remains of Lagoa Santa Man, the first inhabitants of Brazil, along with extinct megafauna. This coexistence of man with extinct species was quoted by Charles Darwin in On

924-597: Is in the transition zone from cerrado to Atlantic Forest, and also has dry forest. Trees with heights of 5 to 8 metres (16 to 26 ft) predominate in the cerrado, in the northeast and east regions of the Sumidouro lagoon. These include pequi , pau-terra , cagaita , tingui and sucupira . Deciduous trees predominate in limestone areas, reaching about 20 metres (66 ft) in height. These include aroeira , gameleira , angico , cedro , catiguá , embiruçu , paineira and maria-pobre . There are also species typical of

990-553: Is involved. Along the trail there are panoramic views of the region and points of interest such as the Cruzeiro Histórico, the Vinhático, the Sumidouro lookout point and the Sumidouro cave with its rock paintings. The trail is medium difficult and must be scheduled in advance. Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais Lagoa Santa ( Holy Lagoon ) is a Brazilian municipality and region in the state of Minas Gerais . It

1056-412: Is located 37 km north-northeast from Belo Horizonte and belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Belo Horizonte. In 2020 the estimated population was 65,657. The Danish palaeontologist Peter Wilhelm Lund , known as the father of Brazilian paleontology, discovered a cave filled with human bones (15 skeletons) and megafauna (very large mammals) dating to

1122-598: Is where Peter Lund found human bones mingled with bones of extinct megafauna, and removed about 30 skulls of "Lagoa Santa Man". The trail returns to the Casa Fernão Dias along the edge of the Sumidouro lake. The trail is medium difficult and must be scheduled in advance. The 3 hours and 30 minutes Travessia trail starts from the Gruta da Lapinha and crosses the park to the Sumidouro lake. Some stretches are through forest and others across open meadows, and some climbing

1188-657: 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

1254-477: 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

1320-565: 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

1386-759: 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

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1452-544: The Pleistocene era. Eugen Warming assisted Lund 1863–1866, and described the flora of the area and the adaptations of the plants to the hazards of cerrado – drought and fire – in a work that still stands as a paradigm of ecological study ( 'Lagoa Santa' ). The tomb of illustrator Peter Andreas Brandt , also an assistant of Lund, is located in the town. The municipality contains 56% of the 2,004 hectares (4,950 acres) Sumidouro State Park , created in 1980, which protects

1518-434: The caatinga such as cactos mandacaru and figo-da-barbária , and shrubs such as pimentinha-do-mato . Around the Gruta da Lapinha the predominant trees are semi-deciduous, losing about half their leaves in the dry season, and growing to 15 to 20 metres (49 to 66 ft). These include angico-vermelho , angico-branco , jequitibá-branco and paineira . The original forest has been damaged by man, causing impoverishment of

1584-459: 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

1650-533: 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

1716-430: 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 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

1782-503: 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

1848-532: 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

1914-731: 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

1980-488: 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

2046-583: The Lagoa Santa karst . There is also a multi-purpose room and two rooms with exhibits on the park and the speleological management plans. The Casa Fernão Dias is outside the park proper, in the Quinta do Sumidouro district of Pedro Leopoldo. It is listed by the State Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IEPHA) as a cultural heritage monument. The exhibits tell the history of Fernão Dias ,

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2112-463: The Origin of Species . The skeleton of " Luzia " found in Lagoa Santa in the 1970s was dated to 11,500 years ago, changing views of when the continent had been occupied. There are traces of stone age people who lived outside the caves in what may be the oldest open-air site of paleoindians. The Sumidouro State Park was created by state governor Francelino Pereira by decree 20.375 of 3 January 1980. It

2178-625: 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

2244-545: The Peter Lund Museum and the Gruta de Lapinha, and the other with the Casa Fernão Dias. There is accommodation for researchers and a research center. There are entrance fees for the museum, trails and the cave, which can only be visited when accompanied by a registered guide. The park is busiest in July and August. The visitor center has restrooms, a snack bar and a small souvenir shop. Lagoa Santa also has eating places, shops and hotels. All visits must be scheduled and accompanied by

2310-787: 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

2376-514: 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

2442-482: 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

2508-429: 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

2574-511: The cave where Lund made his discovery of the "Lagoa Santa Man". A century later, in the 1970s, French archeologist Annette Laming-Emperaire carried out excavations in the area and discovered the oldest human fossil in Brazil, over 11 thousand years old, given the nickname Luzia . 19°37′37″S 43°53′24″W  /  19.62694°S 43.89000°W  / -19.62694; -43.89000 This geographical article relating to Minas Gerais

2640-523: 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

2706-680: The ears to deliver a fatal blow to the brain. The modern jaguar's ancestors probably entered the Americas from Eurasia during 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

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2772-805: 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

2838-467: 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

2904-723: 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

2970-746: 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

3036-581: 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

3102-616: 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

3168-492: 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

3234-633: The need for so many rules, and if they had more information could help maintain the natural heritage while enjoying it as in the past. The park is in an area of carbonate rock formations, with springs, sink holes and caves rich in speleothems . The climate is tropical humid, with rainy summers when there are periods of flooding and dry winters. The flora includes species from the cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes. Vegetation includes gallery forest, cerrado and rocky meadows. Flora include ipê-amarelo , ipê-roxo , moreira , aroeirinha , jatobá-do-campo , gabiroba , manjoba , mutamba and faveiro . The park

3300-562: 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

3366-467: The park and checking their documentation so that compensation for expropriation could be calculated. The consultative council held its first meeting in October 2007 after an inauguration ceremony in the Gruta da Lapinha attended by councilors and representatives of the local community. Decree 44.935 of 3 November 2008 expanded the area of the park. Law 19.998 of 29 December 2011 defined the boundaries. It

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3432-506: 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

3498-551: The rainy season in November and December the trails may be closed depending on weather conditions. The Lapinha circuit is a 40–60 minute interpretive trail that begins at the entrance of the Gruta da Lapinha and leads along the side of the limestone massif. The trail lets visitors see features of the karst relief and typical cerrado flora. It passes through the Macumba cave, which shows aspects of geological and climatic changes in

3564-461: The region. The trail is easy to medium difficulty, with some stairs and slight inclines. It must be scheduled in advance. The 90-minute Sumidouro trail starts at the Casa Fernão Dias and passes through the historical landmark "Cruz do Pai Mané". It leads to the Sumidouro lagoon gazebo, which gives a view of the surrounding region, and then to the Gruta do Sumidouro (Sumidouro Cave), which has cave paintings thousands of years old. The Gruta do Sumidouro

3630-511: 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

3696-544: 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

3762-440: 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

3828-1426: The soil and invasion of cerrado species. The park's management plan includes restoration of some of the areas. There 13 species of mammals including marsupials and rodents and 13 species of bats. There is a large bat population due to the many caves in the park area. Fauna include jaguar ( Panthera onca ), cougar ( Puma concolor ), gray brocket ( Mazama gouazoubira ), tayra ( Eira barbara ), coatis , crab-eating fox ( Cerdocyon thous ), black-tufted marmoset ( Callithrix penicillata ), gray four-eyed opossum ( Philander opossum ), opossums , Brazilian squirrel ( Sciurus aestuans ), South American water rat ( Nectomys squamipes ), capybara ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ) pacas , common agoutis , Brazilian guinea pig ( Cavia aperea ) and tapeti ( Sylvilagus brasiliensis ). Amphibians include pererequinha-de-banheiro , rãzinha , rã-cachorro , rã-manteiga , rã-assobiadeira , sapo-cururu , sapo-cururuzinho and sapo-bororó . 132 species of birds have been recorded. These include pied-billed grebe ( Podilymbus podiceps ), Neotropic cormorant ( Phalacrocorax brasilianus ), snowy egret ( Egretta thula ), black-bellied whistling duck ( Dendrocygna autumnalis ), southern lapwing ( Vanellus chilensis ), whistling heron (Syrigma sibilatrix), black-necked stilt ( Himantopus mexicanus ) and osprey ( Pandion haliaetus ). The park has two visitor bases, one with

3894-480: 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

3960-464: 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

4026-469: 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

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4092-435: 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

4158-603: 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

4224-565: 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

4290-420: Was in the final stages of implementation, and since August 2007 had a temporary headquarters at the Casa Fernão Dias. The State Forest Institute (IEF) was to acquire 350 hectares (860 acres) by the end of the year and start construction of a visitor center, house for the manager and administrative structure, and the goal was to complete implementation by the end of 2008. The IEF was also registering owners living in

4356-749: Was originally called the Ecological Park of the Sumidouro Valley ( Portuguese : Parque Ecológico do Vale do Sumidouro ). Little was done to implement the park until 2006, when environmental compensation funding became available from the green line between Belo Horizonte and the Tancredo Neves International Airport in Confins . In October 2007 it was reported that the Sumidouro State Park

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