Jaguars The jaguar is the largest cat in the Western Hemisphere. It’s the third largest cat in the world after the tiger and lion.

Habitat Southern US to Argentina Lives in forested areas, open terrains and dense rainforest Hunted to extinction in most of the US except a small population in Tucson, Arizona Like the tiger, loves water. Loves to swim.

Appearance Up to 6ft tall Size depends on habitat Short stocky limbs Can hunt very large animals Covered in rossettes (spots)for camoflauge

Behavior Top of the food chain Posses the most powerful jaws of all the big cats. Jaguars prefer to kill prey with a single bite to the skull Decrease in numbers due to loss of habitat and hunting. Usually solitary animals

Jaguars… Like leopards, some jaguars also have all black fur (melanistic) they are commonly called panthers but are the same species. Cubs are born blind 1-4 born

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary Located in south-central Belize, was established to protect the forests, fauna and watershed. Declared a Jaguar Preserve in 1986 150 square miles of tropical forest on the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains

Mayan Jaguar Mythology The Mayan people have lived in Belize’s tropical forest along with Jaguars for centuries. Before European conquest the Mayan religion included jaguar gods, in addition to jaguar demi-gods, and ancestral protectors. The Jaguar is a symbol of power. Many ancient Mayan buildings are decorated with the jaguars.

Jaguar Temple in the Lamanai ruins in Belize All major Mesoamerican cultures believed in jaguar gods. Decorated temples and art depicted images of jaguars.

Underworld Gods To the Maya daytime and night represented two different worlds. The living and the earth were associated with the day. The spirit world and the ancestors were associated with the night. The jaguar was believed to have the ability to cross between both worlds. Also, because jaguars are very active at night the jaguar was believed to belong to the underworld.

Cited http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/parkcockscomb.html http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jaguar/ http://biological-diversity.info/Black_Jaguar.htm http://www.panthera.org/species/jaguar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguars_in_Mesoamerican_cultures http://www.belizezoo.org/mammals/jaguar.html