Jaguar population

Jaguar Population Dynamics

The jaguar is a big cat in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. While dense rainforest is its preferred habitat, the jaguar will range across a variety of forested and open terrain. The jaguar is mostly a solitary animal, and a predator at the top of the food chain. This species plays an important role in stabilizingecosystems and regulating the populations of animals it hunts. The jaguar is a near threatened species and its numbers are declining. Threats to this species include mostly habitat loss and fragmentation. Although international trade in jaguars is prohibited, it is still killed by humans. It’s almost certain that the jaguar’s populations have diminished by 85%. In a study on population density in 2 of3 sites surveyed there was a recorded presence of jaguars. The records were limited to tracks on trails, corresponding to one individual at each site.

The jaguars have already lost two thirds of their habitat in Mexico and Central America. As its rainforest dwindles and threats like man- made habitat loss and fragmentation, agriculture, urbanization and illegal hunting increase, thejaguars numbers are going down. As of today only an estimated 15, 000 jaguars remain in the wild. When human influences weren’t extremely close to threatening this specie the numbers for it were many times what it is found to be now.

If the jaguar’s habitats continue to deteriorate at the rate that they are doing so, in 5 years there will be little to none of the specie left in wildenvironments. If certain ones have the chance to survive there habitat range will be very small, because of man made structures and agriculture. The toxins used and pollution created will also make what the Jaguar’s live of off toxic, and un healthy for the animal.

In the nature limiting factors for the jaguar could be the availability of food, water, shelter, and space. Another limiting factorwould be the competition for resources, predation and disease. Once a limiting factor changes the animals population would change too. Humans impact animal and plant population a lot in this environment. When developing the result is cutting down trees and change in animal and plant habitats. Certain animals such as the Jaguar cannot adapt easily to these changes and their population is affected as aresult. The limiting factor that has the most affected populations of Jaguars through the years is availability of habitat, and human impacts. These factors have all acted as a negative selective pressure towards the jaguars causing their numbers to go down at an alarming rate.

Terrestrial and aquatic animals including 80 different kinds of prey are sources of energy for the cats.Jaguars prey on sheep, rodents, peccaries, deer, birds, fish, armadillos, turtles, and crocodiles. In high grass areas they stalk or ambush their prey. In the forests, they hide in the trees to spring on animals on land or in the riverbank. Since they have such a variety of prey they have many opportunities to find sources of energy, thanks to this when there land is changed they have opportunities tofind food elsewhere. One of these types of prey being cattle, so if a jaguar attacks one a farmer will shoot it on the stop making it become the predator. Jaguars interact a lot with the species below it in the food chain. However if a population below it changes it will severely affect the populations at the top being the jaguar.

One of the biggest influences from humans on this animalwould be deforestation. The deforestation will lead to reduction of habitat and fragmentation. From the loss of habitat the land may not have what the jaguar needs to be able to survive. Fragmentation may lead to inbreeding between Jaguars resulting into death. Poaching and killing of jaguars is also a major issue at the rate they are being killed they do not have the chance to reproduce to make...