As an intern for S.P.E.C.I.E.S. I managed their social media presence and blog posts leading up to World Jaguar Day on April 10, 2020. I created all blog posts on their website from March 24, 2020 to April 10, 2020. There was a different post each day about jaguars, the challenges they face, facts, status and the S.P.E.C.I.E.S. Chaco Jaguar Conservation Project. I also shared these posts on the organizations Facebook and Twitter platforms. All posts were shared with a picture,. The pictures are not posted here to conserve space.
This was created for my Internship with S.P.E.C.I.E.S during Spring 2020.
March 24, 2020
Western's Largest- Did You Know?
Many know that they jaguar is the third largest cat in the world, after the tiger and lion. But, did you know that the jaguar is the largest cat in the Western Hemisphere, which makes up North, Central and South America? They are mostly found within the Amazon Basin. The only other large cat that roams these areas is the puma. Although these cats are found in the same area they tend to leave each other alone. The jaguar is stronger and larger than the puma, which is all the puma needs to know to stay away. As one of the top carnivore apex predators the jaguar helps maintain biodiversity and assist in regulating prey population numbers. These cats can weigh between 100 to 250 pounds. They can reach lengths from 4 to 6 feet, not including their tail which can add an additional 2 feet.
March 25, 2020
Jaguar Eyesight- Did You Know?
Did you know that jaguar cubs are born blind and open their eyes after about two weeks? Like most cats jaguars have eyes that have adapted for night hunting. Their eyeshine is caused by a mirror-like structure in their eye called the tapetum lucidum and this gives off that glow. It reflects the light into the retinas which doubles the jaguar's ability to see. They also have more rods (the light sensors of the eye) than cones (the color sensors of the eye) compared to us humans. They can also see six times better than humans can at night. Jaguars see less detail and color in the daylight but they have sharp vision at night.
March 26, 2020
Jaguar Hearing- Did You Know?
Did you know that jaguars, like all cats, have 36 muscles controlling the ear which allows them to rotate their ears 180 degrees? Humans only have three muscles in the ear. Jaguars have a keen sense of hearing that helps them hunt prey. They can detect a wide range of frequencies, including higher-pitched sounds that humans and dogs can't even hear. Did you know jaguars cannot purr? Instead they can roar. They are also the only feline in North, Central and South America that can roar. The jaguar, lion, tiger, and leopard can all roar because the epihyal bone in the voice box is replaced by a ligament. The ligament can be stretched creating a larger sound coming from the voice box and a wider range of pitch. Male roars tend to sound more like a bark followed by a growl, while a female roar sounds more like a coughing roar.
March 27, 2020
Smelling Senses- Did You Know?
Did you know it is believed that jaguars have a more acute sense of smell than the other American cats? Humans have about 5 million olfactory receptors, which are microscopic proteins that allow odors to be detected. Jaguars, like all cats, have between 45 million and 80 million olfactory receptors, giving them a much better sense of smell than humans. Dogs have between 149 million and 400 million olfactory receptors, which makes it no surprise that dogs are used to help search for jaguars and other cats for research in the wild. Jaguars use their strong sense of smell, eyesight and sense of hearing to help them search for prey, know when other jaguars are around in the area, and to patrol and protect their territory.
March 28, 2020
Jaguar's Coat- Did You Know?
Did you know their is such a thing as an albino jaguar? Jaguars normally have a yellow to orange coat with dark circular markings called rosettes. Some rosettes have a spot in the middle, which is one helpful way to tell jaguars apart from leopards since leopards do not have the spots in the middle of their rosettes. About 6% of jaguars can be melanistic which means they have all black fur, but you can still see their rosettes when the light hits their fur just right. Sometimes they are called black panthers but they are still jaguars just with a genetic color mutation. Albino, or all white, jaguars also exist but they are much more rare and less common than black jaguars. Their yellow to orange coat helps them blend into their environment, to help them hide and hunt.
March 29, 2020
Jaguars Taste- Did You Know?
Did you know that jaguars have a weak sense of taste with around 473 taste buds? Humans have 9,000 taste buds. Jaguars have 32 teeth. They have the most powerful bite out of all the big cats. Unlike other big cats that bite the throat and suffocate their prey, jaguars bite through the skull piercing the brain or biting the back of the neck and breaking the spinal column. Jaguars are opportunistic hunters. They eat up to 87 different species including fish, turtles, caimans, armadillos, monkeys, deer, snakes peccaries, capybaras, tapirs, and a number of other land animals. They hunt both in the day and at night and can travel over six miles when hunting for food.
March 30, 2020
Amazon Rainforest- Did You Know?
Did you know the Amazon Rainforest is home to one in ten species on Earth, including the jaguar? These forests are important to biodiversity and key jaguar habitats which is why the fires of 2019 were so hard to witness. The Brazilian Pantanal is a critical wild cat habitat and has the world's largest density of jaguars. Unfortunately this one area alone lost at least 39,000 hectares to the fires. Over 769,000 hectares burned down causing at least 500 adult jaguars to be homeless or dead. Fires destroy critical habitats, and fragment forests reducing connectivity between habitats where animals need to live in order to thrive. The fires in the Amazon not only displaced jaguars but they also made it harder for them to find prey and cause an increase in conflict with other jaguars. These fires were caused by humans, meaning humans also have the power to stop it from happening. We have the ability to ensure the jaguar continues to have a place on this planet.
March 31, 2020
Tricky Spots- Did You Know?
Did you know leopards and jaguars get confused? Jaguars and leopards look very similar to each other and sometimes get mixed up. Even though the jaguar is found mainly in Central and South America, while the leopard is found in Africa and Asia. They both have rosettes on their coat, however, jaguars have spots inside their rosettes. They can also both have melanistic fur, or black fur. Jaguars are more stockier and muscular and can weigh between 100 to 250 pounds, while the more slender and longer leopards weigh between 66 to 176 pounds. This size difference helps explains why the jaguar is more likely to defend their food, while a leopard is more willing to run away. The jaguar is the apex predator in their range, that may run into a puma where on average the jaguar is bigger. Pumas weigh between 65 and 150 pounds. In Africa the leopard competes with lions, who weigh between 265 and 420 pounds. While in Asia the leopard competes with the tiger, who weighs between 140 and 700 pounds. Jaguars have a more round face and head, while leopards have a small angular head. Jaguars have shorter tails than leopards. Leopards can run faster than jaguars, but jaguars are stronger. Lastly both of these cats are endangered.
April 1, 2020
April Fools- Did You Know?
Did you know: That jaguars can hold their breath underwear for 1 hour? April Fools! It is unknown how long jaguars can hold their breath underwear for but it is a decent amount of time. They can also eat while being submerged underwater. Male jaguars are the ones that are pregnant and care for the cubs? April Fools! Female jaguars will have a gestation period of 14 weeks and will give birth to a litter of one to four cubs. The cubs will stay with their mom for around 2 years. That jaguars go fishing? This one is actually true! Jaguars will either place the tip of the tail in the water and move it around or wave their tail over the water to trick fish into thinking their tail is food. That jaguars see in 2-D? April Fools! Jaguars, like all big cats, see in 3-D which helps them gauge distances when jumping. Jaguars can jump around 19 feet. In some religions and cultures the jaguar is a God? April Fools! Jaguars were worshiped as Gods, but they were not a God. Many South American cultures believed these cats were the ruler of the Underworld. They saw the jaguar as a representation of power, ferocity, and valor.
April 2, 2020
Red List- Did You Know?
Did you know the IUCN Red List has listed jaguars as near threatened with a decreasing population? The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species was founded in 1964 to give a comprehensive global conservation status of biological species. The list goes from best to worse so to speak. The scale is: 'not evaluated' (NE), 'data deficient' (DD), 'least concern' (LC), 'near threatened' (NT), 'vulnerable' (VU), 'endangered' (EN), 'critically endangered' (CR), 'extinct in the wild' (EW), and 'extinct' (EX). They determined in August 2016 that the jaguar is near threatened. They also claimed that the jaguar population is decreasing. Although these facts are a couple years old, it takes a few years to gather this data. With that being said, this statistic was taken prior to the Amazon Fires of 2019, so their population could be even worse then this status. It is believed that there are around 15,000 jaguars left in the world, including both the wild and in managed care.
April 3, 2020
Environment Helper- Did You Know?
Did you know the jaguar plays a very important role in the environment? Jaguars are considered to be an apex predator, which means they have an important role in the ecosystem to regulate the population of their prey, and in turn their prey's prey. They help with population control by hunting their prey, which in turn helps prevent over grazing of the land. This also helps keep a balance in the food chain which helps ensure that the environment remains healthy. Without the jaguar in the environment the herbivores they eat would have too many in their population and they would consume too many plants which would reduce the plant biodiversity and upset the balance of the ecosystem.
April 4, 2020
Livestock Conflicts- Did You Know?
Did you know one major threat facing jaguars are livestock conflicts? As the jaguar habitat shrinks they lose their prey and are forced to be closer to humans, and their animals. While hunting their prey they may stumble upon livestock which they will hunt instead. Livestock is the livelihood of most landowners and farmers so depredation is not tolerated and jaguars become hunted or poisoned by humans in retaliation of losing their livestock. In some cases a jaguar will be hunted before a livestock kill in fear of them killing the livestock. In these cases sometimes the jaguar becomes injured, instead of killed, resulting in them being unable to hunt. Since they can not hunt they go for easy prey, meaning more livestock is hunted because that is all they can hunt being injured. There are deterrents that can be put in place to protect livestock. Ranchers can build predator-proof enclosures for their livestock. People can also reduce or stop hunting jaguar prey species, so the jaguars can eat their prey rather than livestock.
April 5, 2020
Poaching Conflicts- Did You Know?
Did you know poaching and illegal trafficking is another major reason for the decreasing jaguar population? Jaguars are killed for their furs and body parts. Their coats are used for rugs and clothing, while their body parts are believed to cure certain ailments. There are laws and regulations to protect jaguars and try and end the trafficking of their parts. Jaguars are illegally trafficked because some people believe they will make good pets. Jaguars are wild animals and are not trainable or can be tamed like a dog. Their reaction to certain events are unknown and it could to a dangerous situation. They also eat more than some people realize or can afford. Jaguars need around 20 to 30 square miles of habitat, not the size of a house. Jaguars also need enrichment items that their natural habitat offers. For example, they need water to swim in and trees to climb and scratch. It is best to have jaguars in the wild and visit them on trips or at accredited zoos and sanctuaries.
April 6, 2020
Habitat Conflicts- Did You Know?
Did you know jaguar habitat has shrunk by 40%? They require between 20 and 30 square miles of habitat. Jaguars prefer wet lowland habitats, swampy savannas, tropical rain forests, subtropical forests, forests, and grasslands. Today they mainly roam in the Amazon basin. Their habitat is being fragmented by deforestation for agriculture, grazing land, palm oil and other uses. These broken up pieces of forests can lead to a lack of travel for the jaguars so they cannot find new mates which increases the chance of inbreeding and local extinctions. Palm oil is found in several products and you can help jaguars and other animals by checking to see if you are using sustainable palm oil. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) can give you more information about sustainable palm oil. You can also make sure you use sustainable wood by buying wood that has the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label.
April 7, 2020
Jaguar Name- Did You Know?
Did you know the jaguar was named after the South American native word 'yaguara'? Yaguara, or 'yaguar', means "animal that kills in a single bound". Some believe the word comes from the South American Tupi and Guarani languages from the word 'yaguarete', meaning "true, fierce beast". In some Maya traditions, like the Lencas, they made the word jaguar a royal title that they bestowed upon a royal prince, princess, or ruling monarch. The Mayans thought highly of the jaguar and even made them a God, a God of the Underworld. The jaguar was the most feared and respected beast in the Mesoamerican world. The names all sound similar and all come from South America. They also are all describing the jaguar, how it can kill in one leap, that they are fierce, powerful, royal and a God.
April 8, 2020
Jaguar Laws- Did You Know?
Did you know that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) has listed jaguars under Appendix I. Appendix I focuses on species that are threatened with extinction. International trade involving the jaguar or its parts can only occur in exceptional circumstances and permits and certificates must be obtained. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has classified jaguars as endangered on their Endangered Species Act. This act is relevant only in the Unites States. The United States-Mexican border wall is and will impact the jaguar population, as well as other species, immensely. The wall, like all borders and boundaries, will block animal migration between their viable habitat. There is a project focusing on protecting jaguars across their entire range by creating corridors to keep them safe.
April 9, 2020
Jaguar Project- Did You Know?
Did you know here at S.P.E.C.I.E.S. we have a Chaco Jaguar Conservation Project? This project was created in 2008 and is the first and only program committed to the long-term conservation of jaguars across the Gran Chaco, in South America. The Gran Chaco has some of the highest levels of medium-large terrestrial mammals and diversity in the western hemisphere. The project focuses on human-jaguar conflict, as this is the greatest threat to jaguars across the region. Deforestation is accelerating and exacerbating the loss of jaguars. Development, new roads, and illegal hunting of prey are also hurting the jaguar population. The project also focuses on jaguar monitoring and the distribution and status of jaguars. We also want to engage the general public on jaguar conservation issues and promote public education about jaguar conservation. Visit our website to learn more about the Chaco Jaguar Conservation Project and learn how you can get involved: https://carnivores.org/what-we-do/chaco-jaguar-conservation/
April 10, 2020
Celebrate Jaguars- Did You Know?
Did you know April 10th is World Jaguar Day? The jaguar got its name from the South American native word 'yaguara'. Jaguars are the largest cat in the western hemisphere. The IUCN Red List have listed jaguars as near threatened with a decreasing population. They play a very important role in the environment by regulating prey populations which helps prevent overgrowth of plants, and a balance in the food chain and biodiversity. The jaguar has three main threats. These threats include livestock conflicts, poaching and illegal trafficking conflicts, and habitat conflicts. CITES has listed jaguars under Appendix I, in hopes of protecting these cats. Jaguars are born blind and open their eyes after two weeks. Their eyesight allows them to see six times better than humans can. They can rotate their ears 180 degrees. They cannot purr, but they can roar. They have an incredible sense of smell including between 45 million and 80 million olfactory receptors. Jaguars look similar to leopards, only jaguars have spots in the middle of their rosettes. Jaguars can be albino or melanistic. Jaguars have around 473 taste buds and 32 teeth, and 87 different prey species. The Amazon Rainforest fire burned over 769,000 hectares, killing or injuring 500 adult jaguars. This area is home to one in ten species on Earth. We have been working on the Chaco Jaguar Conservation Project since 2008. Recently they put up camera traps and came across a beautiful jaguar walking right in front of their camera! Celebrate this beautiful species and learn what you can do to help protect them!
You can visit their blog here: https://www.worldjaguarday.org/blog
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