jaguars - physical characteristics
The jaguar is a compact and well-muscled animal. There are significant variations in size: weights are normally in the range of 56-96 kilograms
(124-211 lb). Larger males have been recorded at 159 kilograms (350 lb) (roughly matching a tigress or lioness), and smaller ones have extremely
low weights of 36 kilograms (80 lb). Females are typically 10-20% smaller than males. The length of the cat varies from 1.62-1.83 meters (5.3-6 ft),
and its tail may add a further 75 centimeters (30 in). It stands about 67-76 centimeters (27-30 in) tall at the shoulders.
Further variations in size have been observed across regions and habitats, with size tending to increase from the north to south. A study of the
jaguar in the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve on the Mexican Pacific coast, showed ranges of just 30-50 kilograms (66-110 lb), about the size
of the cougar. By contrast, a study of the Jaguar in the Brazilian Pantanal region found average weights of 100 kilograms (220 lb). Forest jaguars
are frequently darker and considerably smaller than those found in open areas (the Pantanal is an open wetland basin), possibly due to the fewer
large herbivorous prey in forest areas.
A short and stocky limb structure makes the jaguar adept at climbing, crawling and swimming. The head is robust and the jaw extremely powerful.
It has been suggested that the jaguar has the strongest bite of all felids, and the second strongest of all mammals; this strength is an adaptation
that allows the jaguar to pierce turtle shells. A comparative study of bite force adjusted for body size ranked it as the top felid, alongside the
clouded leopard and ahead of the lion and tiger. It has been reported that "an individual jaguar can drag a 360 kg (800 lb) bull 8 m (25 ft) in
its jaws and pulverize the heaviest bones". The jaguar hunts wild animals weighing up to 300 kilograms (660 lb) in dense jungle, and its short and
sturdy physique is thus an adaptation to its prey and environment.
The base coat of the jaguar is generally a tawny yellow, but can range to reddish-brown and black. The cat is covered in rosettes for camouflage
in its jungle habitat. The spots vary over individual coats and between individual Jaguars: rosettes may include one or several dots, and the shape
of the dots varies. The spots on the head and neck are generally solid, as are those on the tail, where they may merge to form a band. The underbelly,
throat and outer surface of the legs and lower flanks are white.
A condition known as melanism occurs in the species. The melanistic form is less common than the spotted form (it occurs at about six percent of
the population) of jaguars in their South American range have been reported to possess it - and is the result of a dominant allele. Jaguars with
melanism appear entirely black, although their spots are still visible on close examination. Melanistic Jaguars are informally known as black panthers,
but do not form a separate species. Rare albino individuals, sometimes called white panthers, occur among jaguars, as with the other big cats.
The jaguar closely resembles the leopard, but is sturdier and heavier, and the two animals can be distinguished by their rosettes: the rosettes
on a jaguar's coat are larger, fewer in number, usually darker, and have thicker lines and small spots in the middle that the leopard lacks. Jaguars
also have rounder heads and shorter, stockier limbs compared to leopards.
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