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Jaguar versus leopard

A South American jaguar (Panthera onca) near Rio Negro
An Asiatic leopard (Panthera pardus (ssp. fusca)) in Satpura National Park, India

The jaguar (Panthera onca) and leopard (Panthera pardus) are two physically similar big cats of the genus Panthera,[1][2] between which comparisons have been made.[3][4][5][6]

Physical comparison edit

Coat edit

 
Captive male Persian leopard with an atypical coat pattern at Wilhelma, Germany. Note that the large rosettes with spots inside are similar to those of a jaguar.

The jaguar coat[7] is different from that of leopard,[4][8] with large and dark rosettes, and the leopard with the smaller and more frequent rosettes.[9][10][4]

The rosettes on a jaguar's coat are larger,[5] fewer in number,[8] usually darker, and have thicker lines and small spots in the middle that the leopard lacks.[4][11]

The leopard's skin colour varies by climate and habitat from pale yellow to yellowish brown or golden. Leopards living in forests are darker than those in arid habitats.[4][9] Spots fade toward the white underbelly and the insides and lower parts of the legs. Rosettes are most prominent on the back, flanks and hindquarters.[10] The pattern of the rosettes is unique in each individual.[9][8] Rosettes are circular in East African leopard populations, and tend to be squarish in Southern African and larger in Asian leopard populations.[12]

Size edit

Jaguars are generally bigger in size compare to leopards,[4] with males, weighing more than 96 kilograms (212 lb),[3][7] and larger males in South America have been recorded to weigh as much as 158 kilograms (348 lb). The smallest South American females weigh about 36 kilograms (79 lb).[4][7][8] North American jaguars are rather small, with those in the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve on the Mexican Pacific coast weighing just about 50 kilograms (110 lb).[13] The leopard's weight average is between 82 to 198 pounds (37 to 90 kg), with large males weighing up to at least 96 kg (212 lb).[14][3]

Jaguars Leopards
Weight avarage 56–96 kilograms (123–212 lb)[15][7][8] up to 150 kilograms (330 lb)[3][4][7][8] 33–90 kilograms (73–198 lb)[3][14] with a maximum weight of 98 kilograms (216 lb).[8]
Height at shoulder 64–76 centimetres (25–30 in)[15][7][8] Avarage for males is 61–71 centimetres (24–28 in), while females are 56–64 centimetres (22–25 in).
Head to tail length 110 to 190 centimetres (3.6 to 6.2 ft).[4][7][8] 89 to 191 centimetres (2.92 to 6.27 ft).[4][5][9]
Tail Jaguar has the shortest tail of any big cat, at 45 to 75 centimetres (18 to 30 in) length.[7][8] Tail is 60–110 centimetres (24–43 in) long.[4][5][3]

Bite force edit

 
The jaguar has an exceptionally powerful bite[16] that allows it to pierce the shells of armored prey.[4][15]

The jaguar is known for its bite strength,[16][5] while the leopard has a smaller skull than jaguar,[a] its bite strength is 'not compared' to that of the jaguar.[4][15] A jaguar bite can break the turtle's shell with a bite, it has the biggest bite strength among the big cats and it compares with the tiger as the cats with the srongest bite force.[16] The leopard bite strength can be deadly for the animals he hunts, but not as big as the jaguar.[8] Also, when the jaguar fought with the leopard,[3][5] he broke the leopard forhead skull with his bite.[4][17][16]

Genetics edit

 
Two cladograms proposed for Panthera. The cladogram showing the jaguar to be more closely related to the lion is based on studies done in 2006[18] and 2009,[19] while the one showing the leopard to be closer to the lion is based on studies done in 2010[20] and 2011.[21]

Together, the jaguar and leopard appear to be the closest living relatives of the lion (Panthera leo). Though the leopard is sympatric with the lion, in both Africa and Asia, it is not clear whether this[20][21] or the jaguar[18][19] is closer to the lion, with different analyses giving different results. In addition, as of 2017, whereas the jaguar is regarded as a monotypic species, the leopard is recognised as being divided into different subspecies.[1]

Distribution edit

The leopard inhabits European Russia,[22] Asia and Africa.[23] The jaguar inhabits North and South America.[24]

At present, the jaguar's range extends from southwestern United States and Mexico through Central America to South America, including much of Amazonian Brazil.[4][24] The countries included in this range are Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica (particularly on the Osa Peninsula), Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It is now locally extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay.[24]

The leopard has the largest distribution of all wild cats, occurring widely in Africa as well as eastern and southern Asia, although populations have shown a declining trend, and are fragmented outside of sub-Saharan Africa.[25] Within sub-Saharan Africa, the species is still numerous and even thriving in marginal habitats where other large cats have disappeared, although there is considerable potential for human-leopard conflict due to leopards preying on livestock.[3] Populations in North Africa may be extinct.[4][5] Data on their distribution in Asia are not consistent.[15]

Temperament edit

Both cats have fearsome reputations in their areas.[5] Leopard has more predators compare to jaguar,[9] and this might be one reason why leopard is small.[5][4][3]

  • Like many cats, jaguars and leopards are solitary.[4] Both can create coalitions or pairs during mating seasons.[15][10]
  • As smaller, it is agreed that the leopard is faster than the jaguar.[5][8]
  • Both jaguar and leopard tend to prey on humans.[26][27]

Man-eating edit

 
The Panar Leopard, shot by Jim Corbett in 1910 after allegedly killing 400 people[27]

Jaguar and leopards might prey on humans[15] espacially when their prey is rare or their are old.[8] Jaguars rarely[5] or do not prey on humans.[28][29] Leopards however attack humans[27] especially in the India subcontinent and Africa where their favorite prey is selected by predators like tigers and lions.[30] The leopard may be much smaller for humans, but much more dangerous compared to other big cats and it can be compared to the tiger with a high tendency to prey on humans.[4][10]

Unlike leopards, jaguars very rarely attack humans.[8] However, jaguar attacks appear to be on the rise with increased human encroachment on their habitat and a decrease in prey populations.[29][31] Sometimes jaguars in captivity attack zookeepers.[28] In addition, it appears that attacks on humans had been more common in the past, at least after conquistadors arrived in the Americas, to the extent that the jaguar had a fearsome reputation in the Americas, like that of the tigers and lion in the Old World.[4][15] Nevertheless, even in those times, the jaguar's chief prey was the capybara, not humans, and Charles Darwin reported a saying of Native Americans that people would not have to fear the jaguar much, as long as capybaras were abundant.[6]

Fights edit

As they occurs in different continents, jaguar and leopard never met or fight together in wilderness.[4] The only fight between them was made in 20 century (1922) in captivity where the jaguar broke the forhead skull of leopard. 10 minutes later, the leopard died.[17] Though in the captivity fights are filmed, there is not enough evidence to see which of them could have won over the other.[5]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ For more details, see Jaguar and leopard skull

References edit

  1. ^ a b Kitchener, A. C.; Breitenmoser-Würsten, C.; Eizirik, E.; Gentry, A.; Werdelin, L.; Wilting, A.; Yamaguchi, N.; Abramov, A. V.; Christiansen, P.; Driscoll, C.; Duckworth, J. W.; Johnson, W.; Luo, S.-J.; Meijaard, E.; O’Donoghue, P.; Sanderson, J.; Seymour, K.; Bruford, M.; Groves, C.; Hoffmann, M.; Nowell, K.; Timmons, Z.; Tobe, S. (2017). "A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 11). ISSN 1027-2992.
  2. ^ Nowell, Kristin; Jackson, Peter (1996). Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan (PDF). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. pp. 17–149. ISBN 2-8317-0045-0.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Burnie, D.; Wilson, D. E., eds. (2001). Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife. DK Adult, Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-0-7894-7764-4.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u D. Robert; A. Nicole. "Difference between jaguars and leopards". The Wildcat Sanctuary.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l S. Smith; A. Smith; C. P. Anglee. "Can you spot the "difference" between them?". National Geographic.
  6. ^ a b John Hampden Porter (1894). Wild beasts; a study of the characters and habits of the elephant, lion, leopard, panther, jaguar, tiger, puma, wolf, and grizzly bear. pp. 76–256. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Boitani, Luigi (1984). Simon and Schuster's Guide to Mammals. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-43727-5.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Nowak, R. M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World (6th ed.). Baltimore, USA: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 828–831. ISBN 978-0-8018-5789-8.
  9. ^ a b c d e Schütze, H. (2002). Field Guide to the Mammals of the Kruger National Park. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik Publishers. pp. 92–3. ISBN 978-1-86872-594-6.
  10. ^ a b c d Menon, V. (2014). Indian Mammals: A Field Guide. Gurgaon, India: Hachette India. ISBN 978-93-5009-761-8.
  11. ^ "Jaguar (Panthera onca)". Our animals. Akron Zoo. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2006-08-11.
  12. ^ Satunin, K. A. (1914), "Leopardus pardus ciscaucasicus", Conspectus Mammalium Imperii Rossici I. Tiflis, pp. 159–160
  13. ^ Nuanaez, R.; Miller, B.; Lindzey, F. (2000). "Food habits of jaguars and pumas in Jalisco, Mexico". Journal of Zoology. 252 (3): 373–379. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb00632.x. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  14. ^ a b Brain, C.K. (1983). The Hunter or the Hunted: An Introduction to African Cave Taphonomy. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-07090-2.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h "All about Jaguars: Ecology". Wildlife Conservation Society. Archived from the original on 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2006-08-11.
  16. ^ a b c d S. Smith; Jaguar's 'bite force'. 2018-08-29
  17. ^ a b S. Smith. A fight (1922) between jaguar and leopard. Leopard dies after the match. 2018-08-29
  18. ^ a b Johnson, W. E.; Eizirik, E.; Pecon-Slattery, J.; Murphy, W. J.; Antunes, A.; Teeling, E. C.; O'Brien, S. J. (2006). "The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment". Science. 311 (5757): 73–77. Bibcode:2006Sci...311...73J. doi:10.1126/science.1122277. PMID 16400146. S2CID 41672825.
  19. ^ a b Werdelin, L.; Yamaguchi, N.; Johnson, W. E.; O'Brien, S. J. (2010). "Phylogeny and evolution of cats (Felidae)". Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids: 59–82.
  20. ^ a b Davis, B. W.; Li, G.; Murphy, W. J. (2010). "Supermatrix and species tree methods resolve phylogenetic relationships within the big cats, Panthera (Carnivora: Felidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 56 (1): 64–76. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.036. PMID 20138224. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016.
  21. ^ a b Mazák, J. H.; Christiansen, P.; Kitchener, A. C.; Goswami, A. (2011). "Oldest known pantherine skull and evolution of the tiger". PLOS ONE. 6 (10): e25483. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...625483M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025483. PMC 3189913. PMID 22016768.
  22. ^ Lukarevsky, V.; Akkiev, M.; Askerov, E.; Agili, A.; Can, E.; Gurielidze, Z.; Kudaktin, A.; Malkhasyan, A.; Yarovenko, Y. (2007). "Status of the Leopard in the Caucasus" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 2): 15–21.
  23. ^ Pirie, Tara J.; Thomas, Rebecca L.; Fellowes, Mark D.E. (2017-05-30). "Increasing game prices may alter farmers' behaviours towards leopards (Panthera pardus) and other carnivores in South Africa". PeerJ. 5: e3369. doi:10.7717/peerj.3369. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 5452990. PMID 28584709.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  24. ^ a b c Quigley, H.; Foster, R.; Petracca, L.; Payan, E.; Salom, R.; Harmsen, B. (2017). "Panthera onca". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017. The IUCN: e.T15953A50658693. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T15953A50658693.en. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  25. ^ Pirie, Tara J.; Thomas, Rebecca L.; Fellowes, Mark D.E. (2017-05-30). "Increasing game prices may alter farmers' behaviours towards leopards (Panthera pardus) and other carnivores in South Africa". PeerJ. 5: e3369. doi:10.7717/peerj.3369. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 5452990. PMID 28584709.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  26. ^ Th. Roseevelt. "Jaguar hunt by Th. Roseevelt". Bartleby.
  27. ^ a b c J. Corbett. "Man-eater of Panar". DinoAnimals.
  28. ^ a b "Jaguar: The Western Hemisphere's Top Cat". Planeta. February 2008. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  29. ^ a b V. Iserson, K.; Francis, Adama M. (2015). "Jaguar Attack on a Child: Case Report and Literature Review". Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 16 (2): 303–309. doi:10.5811/westjem.2015.1.24043. PMC 4380383. PMID 25834674.
  30. ^ Skinner, J. D.; Chimimba, C. T. (2005). The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 397–401. ISBN 978-0-521-84418-5.
  31. ^ Dickerson, M. C. (1915). The American Museum Journal. p. 46.

External links edit