1. The Endangered Jaguar

3. Table of Contents Habitat Appearance Diet Raising Young Why is the Jaguar Endangered? Interesting Facts

4. The Jaguar’s Habitat (Where They Live) They live in North and South America, and also in the rain forests in Central and South America, and Peru. The most Jaguars in the world live in the Amazon rain forests. Jaguars also like to live near grasslands, rivers and lakes, in small caves, marshes and under rock ledges; they live in shrubby areas as well.

5. Appearance To some, jaguars look very much like leopards but they are heavier and larger. Jaguars vary from 1.62 to 1.83 m in length, including a 0.76 m tail. They stand around 67 to 76 cm (tall at the shoulder and weigh between 56 and 96 kg Females are typically smaller than males and Jaguars in southern Peru, Mexico and Central America are typically smaller. The jaguar is the third largest feline in the world, after tigers and lions, and the largest feline in the Americas.

7. Some Photos of the Jaguar

8. Diet (What They Eat) Jaguars will go after almost any prey,with its favorite being the wild pig and the capybara (the worlds largest rodent). Other food items are caiman, tapirs, and fish. Jaguars are also more energetic than their larger cousins, and are active for more than half of the day.

9. Raising Young

10. Jaguars seem to mate in any season. Male and female jaguars live together only during the mating and pregnancy season. 110 days after mating, the female gives birth to one to four young cubs; they usually have 2 cubs. New born jaguars weigh between.7 and.9 kilograms.

11. Why is the Jaguar Endangered? Humans are the main threat to the jaguar. Humans hunt the jaguar for sport, and for its spotted hide. During the sixties and seventies, around 18,000 jaguars were killed every year for their beautiful coat. The number of jaguars has declined over the last 100 years mainly because humans have cut down many of their rainforests in Central and South America. The forests and grasslands are being cleared. The destruction of the jaguar's habitat (rainforest) is causing decrease in the Jaguar population.

13. How Can I Help?