Bella Ramirez - Jaguar (Panthera Onca)

Jaguar

(Panthera Onca)

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Description and Ecology of Organism

The Jaguar (Pantera Onca) is the largest cat in the Americas, and it is the only living Panthera to represent the genus. On average, Jaguars are 25-30 inches tall and 43-75 inches long, although females are generally smaller than males. They weigh anywhere from 79-211 pounds, but some of the larger males have reached weights up to 350 pounds. They usually live for about 12 years, but have been recorded to reach nearly twice that age. Recently, a 13 year old female was found with a cub. The large cats are known for their big heads, yellowish coat, and black ring-like markings. The markings usually contain a yellow center and a couple black dots.

Individuals do not typically go to elevations above 8,500 feet due to a dependence on water. They prefer a tropical climate that is warm and provide plenty of water such as rainforests. Species density varies, but there can be anywhere from 1.7-11.7 adults per 100 kilometers depending on the country and data collection type.

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Geographic and Population Changes

Jaguars currently occupy 46% of their original historic range, and have been extirpated from El Salvador and Uruguay, 2 of it's original 21 inhabited countries. 5 individuals have been located in the United States. As of now, 95% of the Jaguar's suitable habitat can be found in Mexico. 6 critical habitat units have been established in the U.S. across Arizona and New Mexico in order to protect the living space of the mammals.

The population trend is in decline, but luckily, the population is not suffering from severe fragmentation. A hopeful 70% of the Jaguar's range has a high probability of success, whereas only 18% has a medium probability; the remaining 12% of the range is likely to have low success rates, and is in dire need of our attention and concern for conservation.

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Listing Date and Type of Listing 

The species status of the panthera onca can change based on the wildlife preservation organization. It is usually contested on whether they are "endangered" or "near threatened." According the US Fish and Wildlife Services they are "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act, but according the ICUN they are "near threatened." Jaguars were first listed as endangered March 28, 1972, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. The draft conservation plan for them was released on December 20, 2016.

Cause of Listing and Main Threats to Its Continued Existence 

Jaguars are being hit hardest by habitat destruction and fragmentation, mainly deforestation. Human practices drove them out into the open, which resulted in them being hunted by humans for a multitude of reasons. In certain regions, Jaguars and Humans are competing for the same prey, which causes most interactions to result in the death of a Jaguar, even with current protective legislation. Angry ranchers also shoot and kill Jaguars when they come onto property looking for food. Lastly, Jaguars are poached for their fur, paws, and teeth.

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Description of Recovery Plan 

The Jaguar Draft Recovery Plan, created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services breaks down the recovery plan into eight parts:

1. Ascertain the status and conservation needs of the Jaguar.
2. Assess and maintain or improve genetic fitness, demographic conditions and the health condition of the Jaguar.
3. Assess and maintain or improve the status of native prey populations.
4. Assess, protect and restore quantity, quality, and connectivity of habitat to support viable populations of Jaguars.
5. Assess, minimize, and mitigate the effects of expanding human development on Jaguar survival and mortality where possible.
6. Minimize direct human-caused mortality of Jaguars.
7. Ensure long term-Jaguar conservation through adequate funding, public education and outreach, and partnerships.
8. Practice adaptive management in which recovery is monitored and recovery tasks are revised by the USFWS in coordination with the JTR as new information becomes available.

To summarize, there will be a major focus on assessing the status of the Jaguar species as a whole. Because of how spread out they are, different population are doing better than others, so there will be a focus on determining who needs help where, and what can be done to help them. Secondly, there will be a focus on regulating human-Jaguar interactions. Seeing as how human interactions through hunting or poaching is one of the leading causes of Jaguar population declines, this particular section of the plan will be critical. Finally, human organizations will need to research and communicate with one another in order to understand the best possible way to help these animals. 

What can YOU do?

Deforestation is one of the leading causes for declines in Jaguar populations. You can help by making small changes in your life that ultimately help combat deforestations. There is a large range of ways to choose from; from larger commitments, like reducing paper and wood usage, to simply making sure the products you are using, like various lotions, are rainforest friendly products, you can make a contribution. These may seem like small actions, but they will go a long way in the end.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also has a program where you can symbolically “adopt” a Jaguar. A person can purchase an array of Jaguar memorabilia and in return, the proceeds will all go to the WWF.  In turn, they will use that money to research Jaguar conservation to find the most effective way to help their species.

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Other Resources

Be sure to check out other websites such as the World Wildlife Foundation, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and even the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ECOS for more information.

Bibliography 

Armstrong, Jeffery. “Jaguars.” Defenders of Wildlife. N/A. http://www.defenders.org/jaguar/threats. Accessed November 2017.

N/A. “What can I do?” Adventure Life. N/A. https://www.adventure-life.com/amazon/articles/what-can-i-do. Accessed November 2017.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service. “Jaguars.” United States Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. N/A. https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?sId=3944. Accessed November 2017.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2016. Jaguar Draft Recovery Plan (Panthera onca). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico.