Hobbies And Interests
Habitat
The jaguar's range covers South and Central America, including the southern-most part of the United States in the past. Black jaguars, however, have only been documented in South America. Because their dark coloration gives them an advantage in dim light, black jaguars are more likely to be found in the thickest, densest forest. Jaguars are good swimmers and often found near water. They are also agile climbers.
Diet
All cats of all sizes are obligate carnivores; they only eat other animals, and jaguars are no exception. Jaguars appear to prefer larger herbivores such as deer and tapirs, but eat a wide range of food, including turtles, fish, caymans, small rodents and monkeys. In fact, jaguars will eat just about any animal they can catch. Jaguar cubs learn the hunting skills they need from their mothers, whom they stay with for up to two years.
Genetics
Black jaguars are not a genetically distinct subspecies; they are a different form of spotted jaguar. The melanistic allele can be compared to those that produce blond hair or brown eyes in people. Unlike melanistic leopards, the allele that produces a black jaguar is dominant. This means that two spotted jaguars will produce only spotted cubs. One black jaguar and a spotted jaguar or two black jaguars will produce mostly black cubs.
Behavior
Jaguars are solitary animals and live alone in large territories that may cover 50 square miles of forest or more. The males have larger territories than the females. A male jaguar's territory may overlap with those of several females, although the animals don't form social groups in the manner of lions. Adult jaguars have no natural predators but they are under threat from humans. People hunt jaguars either for their fur or because of a perceived threat to livestock. Habitat destruction is another major problem.