The national animal of Brazil is the jaguar. The scientific name for jaguar Panthera onca. The jaguars are the third largest feline cat following tigers and lions. Jaguars are the biggest cat in America.
Basic Facts about Jaguars (panthera onca):
- Male jaguars are marginally bigger than the females. The average adult male jaguar weighs around 80 KG while female is some where around 60 KG.
The head to tail tip length of a jaguar is around 240 cm.
- Jaguars prey on deer, peccary, crocodiles, snakes, monkeys, deer, sloths, tapirs, turtles, eggs, frogs, fish and any animal which is eatable.
- Jaguars unlike other big cats eat their hunted prey on a tree. They can climb a tree easily while holding an animal of almost similar to their body mass.
- Cubs stay with their mother for like 18 months, after which they are being seprated.
- Native name of jaguar is ” Yajuar”.
- Unlike other big cats jaguars do like to swim.
- An estimate says that their are only 15,000 jaguars left in the wild.
- The average lifespan for a jaguar under its natural habitat is around 12 years. While a bit more than that under captive conditions.
Why is Jaguar the national animal of Brazil ?
The jaguar is undoubtedly an essential factor for the wild habitats in Brazil. If the jaguar were extinct there could be big alterations to the ecosystems which can lead to numerous problems.