The Jaguar Big Cat

For many years I have been a researcher in human health, nutrition, well-being and the use of products that don't cause harm to people or the environment.

From the research many ethical and natural products have been offered for sale via a small family business.

Recently it was decided to help raise awareness more on the plight of animals in the natural world. When investigating it became pretty obvious there are some magnificent creatures that are more in danger than I previously thought.

So the plight of big cats, mainly Jaguars has become a starting point of our new project, for the time being here is some brief content, and links to 3^rd party wildlife websites with full information. All content owners rights are acknowledged and presented under fair use policy for educational purposes.

Panthera onca (Jaguar) is the only existing member of the genus Panthera which is native to the Americas.

The range of the Jaguar an area from the South-west of the United States and Mexico in North America,
to much of Central America, and the south to Paraguay and North Argentina in South America.

Some individual cats do still live in the Western United States. However the species has mainly been
extirpated from the United States since early in the 20th century.

It's numbers are declining due mainly to loss and fragmentation of habitat. They are listed as Near
Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Jaguars are arguably the biggest native cat species in the "New World" and the third largest on Earth.

They do resemble the leopard, but usually are larger and sturdier in thier build. They travel around
and across both forested and open regions, but thier preferred habitat consists of tropical/subtropical
broadleaf forest plus swamps and wooded regions.

The Jaguar is a good swimmer and seems to enjoy time in the water it is also a solitary, opportunistic,
stalking predator and at the head of the food chain. This species does full an important role in stabilising
eco-systems and regulates populations of other prey.

Although internationally, trade in these big cats or their body parts is prohibited, they are frequently killed, sometimes due to conflicts with ranchers and farmers in South America. Historically, the jaguar does feature prominently in the mythology of several indigenous American cultures, and interestingly those of the Maya and Aztec.