Report about the jaguar in South America. Far Eastern leopard or Amur leopard. Red Book: Amur leopard

Jaguar- a beautiful and graceful animal, a representative of the cat family. It is considered the largest predator of the inhabitants of the American continent, ranking third worldwide.

The length of his body is often more than one and a half meters. And especially large males reach a weight of up to 158 kg. Females are much smaller, and the average weight of individuals ranges from 70 to 110 kg.

The jaguar has a long tail: from half a meter or more. The height of the animal at the withers reaches 80 cm. The animal belongs to the genus. As seen on animal photo, jaguar outwardly looks like, but much larger.

And the color is also similar to its predatory relative, but resembles the structure of the skull. It has thick and short fur and rounded ears. The color is varied: from bright red tones to sandy, the underparts and soles are white, and dark spots are scattered throughout the body.

Found in nature and black jaguar – animal, which is not considered a representative of a separate species, but is the result of a manifestation of melanism.

The jaguar is a bright representative of the fauna of the New World and lives in Central and South America. Due to fierce hunting, the animals were almost completely destroyed in Uruguay and El Salvador.

In the southern United States, its habitat has decreased by a third for the same reason. The jaguar is a resident of the humid tropical jungle, can live in swampy areas and in areas overgrown with xerophytic shrubs.

It is also found in wooded mountainous areas, but at an altitude of no more than two kilometers, as well as on the coast of the ocean. Scientists have counted up to nine different jaguar species. Animal needs protection and it is believed that one of its subspecies was completely exterminated.

Pictured are black and spotted jaguars

The nature and lifestyle of the jaguar

This wild, graceful animal lives in places where pristine nature reigns and there is a variety of animal world. Jaguar prefers a solitary lifestyle.

Like all predators, it protects its territory from encroachment, which is quite extensive and can occupy from several tens to one hundred square kilometers. The size of personal plots depends on the type of landscape, conditions, the abundance of food that can be obtained from it, and also on the sex of the animal.

Protecting its possessions, the jaguar behaves intolerantly and shows extreme aggressiveness towards cougars - their relatives and representatives of the cat family.

But he is quite patient with individuals of his own species, even showing friendliness when confronted in hunting areas. Getting food, jaguars often move from place to place, and after a few days they return back in order to again guard their prey in their former territory.

On the animal hunting jaguar begins with the onset of twilight, being especially active immediately after sunset and in the predawn hours. This beast cannot run for long, but few can match it for short distances. Animal jaguar speed is about 90 km/h.

When pursuing its prey, it makes guttural jerky sounds resembling grunts. And in the night you can often hear its deafening, soul-chilling roar. The Indians of South America seriously believe that the jaguar has special abilities: it has the ability to hypnotize victims, it can imitate the voices of animals and birds, luring and deceiving its prey.

Of course, these are only legends, but the spotted color of the animal allows it to merge with the surrounding landscapes and, remaining unnoticed, lure its victims into a trap. Often he lies in wait for his prey in dense tall grass. Or hiding on the banks of water bodies, waiting for the animals themselves to come to the watering place.

Attacking, this deadly huge cat rushes from the side or from the back, knocking down its prey with the force of its swift body. Such a blow is either fatal or causes serious injury. And even large and strong animals, such as, after a jaguar jump, die on the spot from a fracture of the spine.

Its jaws are so powerful, and its teeth are so sharp that it often bites through the skull of prey. Interestingly, the jaguar never pursues its victims if they detected the danger in time and rushed away to flee.

Also, the animal rarely attacks people, especially if it is not provoked. And recorded cases of cannibalism are usually associated with self-defense. There are also examples when a jaguar chased a person solely out of curiosity. Despite the extreme danger of the animal, many have a desire to keep jaguars in large private houses and on personal plots.

Any animal, and even a predator, is interesting for its habits, character and demeanor. But you can keep a jaguar only under the condition of strict observance of the conditions of keeping and feeding.

And it should be in a well-equipped enclosure with an iron door that opens with cables to secure animal. Buy a jaguar can be in nurseries, zoos and private individuals.

However, the matter is complicated by the fact that this species is listed in the Red Book and is considered rare. animals. Jaguar price can reach several tens of thousands.

Nutrition

animal jaguar as its victims, it can choose ungulate representatives of the fauna: and bakers, it can also attack caimans. Its food may be foxes and monkeys, as well as smaller animals: rodents, snakes and birds.

The predator begins its supper from the head of the killed victim, gradually reaching the back. When the size of the prey is too large, having satiated, the beast leaves its occupation, sometimes returning to finish the leftovers, but not always, almost never eating carrion.

If the animal settles on the territory of the ocean coast, then turtle meat can become its favorite delicacy and special delicacy, the shell of which the predator can easily bite through. The jaguar may attack livestock.

Unlike its relatives, representatives of the cat family, the jaguar is an excellent swimmer, often chasing its victims in the water. He is an excellent fish catcher, and does this in rivers and streams. And settling on the ocean coast, he searches for and digs out turtle eggs from the sand.

Reproduction and lifespan

Jaguars do not have a specific period for mating games. Seeking the location of females, animals sometimes gather in small groups, which is unnatural for jaguars, who prefer loneliness under normal conditions.

Pictured is a baby jaguar

At the time of choosing a partner, the ability to have offspring in which comes in the third year of life, males roar deafeningly and passionately. Despite the aggressiveness of this species, fights between rivals in the fight for the female usually do not happen. And after mating, the partners leave each other forever.

And after about a hundred days, in her lair, the mother gives life to several cubs. Their color is darker than that of their parents, and the spots on the skin are almost continuous.

Children spend about six months with their mother until they learn to hunt on their own. And having learned everything, they leave it forever. In captivity, the jaguar lives up to 25 years, but in freedom, animals die much earlier.

Jaguars- lat. Panthera onca, belong to the subfamily large kosh, are representatives of the class of mammals. The jaguar is an interesting member of the cat family. This is the largest predator of all cats.

Structure

Its characteristic distinguishing features are a muscular powerful body with short legs, a large head, a not very long tail (45-75 cm), short thick hair and, of course, a specific color - from sandy to bright red. The black spots on the skin of the jaguar have a variety of shapes - both solid, and rings, and rosettes, the belly and throat are white, like the inside of the paws. The jaguar is similar in color to a leopard, but in itself it is larger (body length is from 120 to 185 cm excluding the tail), the head is larger, the tail is shorter. Female jaguars are slightly smaller than males.

habitation

The habitat of jaguars is now significantly reduced. If earlier they could be found in Central and South America, now we are talking about South America, southern Mexico, Brazil, Argentina. They were practically exterminated in El Salvador and Uruguay. Unfortunately, it was because of their beautiful skin and skills as a good hunter that the population greatly decreased. Somewhere they were shot for the sake of another fur coat, and somewhere livestock were saved from them. Jaguars prefer to live in tropical rainforests, but they can sometimes be found in the mountains and on the coast, where they like to dig up turtle eggs.

The nature, lifestyle and nutrition of jaguars

The jaguar is a solitary predator by nature. You can only meet a pair of these animals during the mating period. The hunting grounds of these cats extend from 25 to 100 km, depending on the amount of game that lives. Jaguars are quite friendly to their relatives, so hunting zones may overlap somewhere. At the same time, jaguars do not like other representatives of the cat family. This predator prefers to hunt either before sunrise or after sunset. In the daytime, jaguars rest in some cool cave. The main technique in hunting is an ambush near the drinking trails of animals. They often set up an ambush in the trees, from where with one powerful jump they knock their victim down and cling to her neck. No wonder the name "jaguar" means a beast that kills with one jump. It is this fatal jump for the victim that is enough to fracture the cervical vertebrae. In hunting, the jaguar is helped by its short paws, thanks to which it climbs trees well, as well as the ability to swim, which leaves the victim no chance of salvation even in the water. The jaguar cannot boast of high speed, and therefore usually does not try to catch up with the runaway animal. This predator hunts ungulates such as deer mazam, loves tapirs and capybaras, but will not refuse monkeys, foxes, birds, and even (despite their strong shell). Sometimes jaguars are not averse to hunting livestock. The animal eats the caught prey in one or two approaches, it does not return to it anymore, since jaguars do not like to eat carrion.

reproduction

As such, the mating season in jaguars is not distinguished, it can be at any time. After mating, after about 100 days, the female brings 1-4 kittens weighing an average of 800 g. Small jaguars are under the protection of the female until the age of two, after which they gradually find their hunting territory and begin an independent life. These beautiful predators live on average for about twenty years. Despite the fact that jaguars breed well in captivity, their population today is very small and requires careful handling.

Class - mammals (mammalia)

Detachment - predatory (carnivora)

Family - cats (felidae)

Subfamily - big cats (pantherinae)

Genus - panthers (panthera)

View - jaguar (panthera onca)

The Far Eastern leopard is considered the rarest species of big cats in the world. It is listed in the Red Book. To date, there are about 50 individuals. The Amur leopard lives in Russia and China.

On the territory of Russia, in the Primorsky Territory, approximately 30 Amur leopards live. The rest, a smaller part of the endangered species is in China. In Russia, this species of big cats is listed in the I category of the Red Book.

Far Eastern leopard photo, how much is left, where they live, the red book: the reasons for the decline in the population

There are many reasons for the decline in the Amur leopard population. One of them is the destruction by timber industry organizations of the natural habitat of these animals. When there was very little territory left for Amur leopards to live, they began to live near the roadways and often became victims of road accidents.

Poaching is another reason why the Amur leopard is listed in the Red Book. The valuable and beautiful fur of this animal was the reason for the cruel extermination for many years. To date, hunting for these animals is prohibited and punishable by criminal liability. The Russian authorities took Amur leopards under protection in order to save them from complete extinction.

Far Eastern leopard photo, how much is left, where they live, the red book: interesting facts

An interesting fact is that the color of each of the Amur leopards is unique. It is thanks to this feature that specialists can distinguish each individual. These big cats have a beautiful physique, strong legs, a rounded head and a long tail. They usually hunt small prey. The diet of Amur leopards includes wild boar cubs, birds, hares and insects.

The claws of these animals are brown in color, and they are white at the tips. In order for sharp claws not to become dull while walking, these cats have a special “sheath” where the claws are retracted. The Amur leopard is predominantly nocturnal. Hunts, as a rule, in the first half of the night. These big cats mature by the age of 3 and at this age they can acquire offspring.

Although a rare subspecies of leopards can be found in the Far East of our country, as well as in northern China. This subspecies is called the Far Eastern Amur leopard. It is also known as the Amur leopard.

This predator was listed in the Red Book. It belongs to a subspecies that is on the verge of extinction. The Far Eastern leopard population is in critical condition today.

At the same time, the fact that the Amur tiger - its famous "cousin" - has increased its population, gives hope for the preservation of this subspecies. There is an opinion that the Amur leopard, the photo of which is presented in this article, can be saved through the implementation of various environmental projects.

Description of the breed

This leopard has many distinctive features from other felines. In summer, the wool reaches 2.5 centimeters in length, and in winter it is replaced by 7 centimeters. In frosts, the Amur leopard has a light coat color with a reddish-yellow tint, while in summer more saturated and bright colors predominate.

The Far Eastern Amur leopard (the photo of the animal is presented in this article) has long legs, allowing it to walk freely in the snow. At the same time, the weight of males reaches 48 kg, although there are also larger representatives of the breed - 60 kg. Females weigh up to 43 kg.

habitation

At the beginning of the 20th century, the leopard was encountered in the south of Sikhote-Alin, as well as in the southwestern part, although in recent years it has not been reliably recorded there. At present, the Amur leopard lives in the mountain forest regions of the southwestern part of Primorsky Krai, where it clearly prefers cedar-black-fir-broad-leaved forests. It is less willing to populate especially pyrogenic oak forests, the areas of which are increasing due to annual fires.

This representative of the Cat family chooses territories with steep slopes of hills, rugged terrain, watersheds and rocky outcrops. Its range has now been reduced to a critical size and covers only a mountain forest limited area of ​​​​15 thousand km² (in Primorye, from to the Razdolnaya River, as well as on the border with the DPRK and the PRC).

Historical distribution

Today, the distribution of the subspecies has shrunk to a small fraction of its historical original range. Initially, the Far Eastern leopard lived throughout the northeastern part of Manchuria, in the provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin, including, in addition, on the Korean Peninsula.

and reproduction

In the Amur leopard, puberty occurs at the age of 3 years. In the wild, life expectancy is about 15 years, while in captivity it is 20 years. The Amur leopard has a mating season in the spring. Litter includes 1-4 cubs. At the age of three months, they are weaned, while the cubs gain independence at 1.5 years, leaving their mother in order to then lead a solitary life.

social structure

The Amur leopard (pictures with its image are presented in this article) prefers a solitary nocturnal lifestyle. But some males after mating can stay with their females, and also help in raising the cubs. It often happens that several males simultaneously pursue one female, and also fight for the opportunity to mate with her.

Nutrition

The basis of its diet is roe deer, raccoon dogs, hares, small boars, badgers, spotted deer.

Main Threats

The Far Eastern Amur leopard in the period from 1970 to 1983 lost more than 80% of its habitat. The main reasons turned out to be: fires, the timber industry, as well as the transformation of land for agriculture. But not all is lost. At the present moment, there are forests suitable for animals. It is possible to protect territories from the harmful influence of man, in addition, to increase the population.

Lack of loot

It should be noted that in China there are vast areas that are suitable habitat, while the level of food supply here is insufficient to maintain the population at the desired level. The volume of production may increase due to the regulation of the use of forests by the population, as well as the adoption of measures to protect ungulates. The Far Eastern leopard needs to repopulate its original habitat in order to survive.

Illegal trade and poaching

The Amur leopard is constantly hunted illegally because of its spotted and beautiful fur. In 1999, the investigation team conducted an experiment undercover: they were able to recreate the skin of a male and female Amur leopard, after which they sold it for $500 and $1,000.

This experiment demonstrates that there are illegal markets for such products and they are located near animal habitats. Villages and agriculture surround the forests where these animals live. This creates access to forests, and poaching is a more serious problem here than in regions remote from people. This circumstance applies to both leopards and other animals that are exterminated for the sake of money and food.

Conflict with a person

It should be noted that the Amur leopard (the photo of the animal is admired for its beauty) is especially vulnerable, since deer make up part of its diet. Man's contribution to the general decrease in the number of deer, associated with the value of his antlers, prevents the leopard from getting enough food.

Due to the decline in the deer population, leopards often enter reindeer farms in search of food. The owners of these lands often kill animals to protect their investments.

Inbreeding

The Amur leopard is also under the threat of extinction due to its small population, which makes it vulnerable to a variety of disasters, including disease, forest fires, changes in death and birth rates, sex ratios, inbreeding depression. It should be noted that family ties were also observed in nature, which means that this can lead to various genetic problems, including a decrease in the birth rate.

Similar matings are found in certain populations of large cats, although in small populations they do not allow outbreeding. Studies have shown that in an adult female, the average number of cubs has significantly decreased.

Unfortunately, at the present moment, the situation with the Amur leopard can be considered truly catastrophic - for example, over the past twenty years, its habitat area in our country has almost halved, while the number has decreased several dozen times. Due to this, the Amur leopard is protected today.

She attributed the animal to the first category as the rarest, which is on the verge of extinction, with a very limited range, whose main population is within our country. At the same time, the leopard was included in the Appendix of the First CITES Convention and in the Red Book of the Union for Conservation of Nature.

Scientists managed to find out how many Far Eastern leopards are left in the world. Most of these beautiful Red Book cats live in Russia. 80 leopards is not enough, but Russian conservationists are doing everything to save the population, the press service of the Land of the Leopard National Park reports.

Scientists from the Land of the Leopard National Park and Beijing Normal University jointly analyzed the photomonitoring data of the Far Eastern leopard in Russia and China and found out that there are at least 80 Far Eastern leopards in the wild.

Previously, the Russian side had information about the life of these cats only in the country (about 70 leopards), but not in China. It was difficult to understand how many rare cats migrated from one country to another, and this made the work difficult. Together with Chinese scientists who had their own archive of information from three years of observations, Russian environmentalists found that many cats did move across the border in both directions.

Recently, in the office of the Land of the Leopard National Park in Vladivostok, scientists exchanged part of the materials obtained during the monitoring. Comparison of images of leopards revealed a lot of coincidence of individuals, which indicates the active movement of predators across the border. A count of unique animals showed that the global population of the Far Eastern leopard, according to data for 2014, is at least 80 individuals.

Photo: press service of the National Park "Land of the Leopard"

Employees of Russian environmental organizations have long assumed that the number of the Far Eastern leopard may be higher due to the Chinese part of the population. However, the border area of ​​the PRC has long remained a "blank spot" for scientists. Now everything will change for the better, as the leadership of the Land of the Leopard National Park and Beijing Normal University signed a long-term cooperation agreement. First of all, the agreement between the two organizations involves the subsequent exchange of data on the number of rare cats near the border of the two countries, the press service reports. National Park "Land of the Leopard" .

This agreement is a long-awaited event for us in the relations between the two countries, - says Tatiana Baranovskaya, Director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Land of the Leopard". “We are confident that it will provide an opportunity to achieve great results both in the study and conservation of the Amur leopard population.”

Of course, the fact that the global number of the Far Eastern leopard turned out to be higher is great news, says Sergey Donskoy, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation. “The appearance of the leopard in China is the result of many years of work by Russian specialists, now we hope that our Chinese colleagues will support our initiative, and with the help of two states we will be able to bring the population of the Far Eastern leopard in the wild to a stable level, protecting it from the threat of extinction.”

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