Jaguar Facts (Panthera onca)

Jaguar Facts (Panthera onca) The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest big cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world, after the lion and tiger. spost Fast Facts: Jaguar Scientific Name: Panthera oncaCommon Names: JaguarBasic Animal Group: Mammal Size: 5-6 feet plus 27-36 inch tailWeight: 100-250 poundsLifespan: 12-15 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Central and South AmericaPopulation: 64,000Conservation Status: Near Threatened Description Both jaguars and leopards have spotted coats, but the jaguar has fewer and larger rosettes (spots), often containing small dots. Jaguars are shorter and stockier than leopards. Most jaguars have golden to reddish-brown spotted coats with white bellies. However, melanistic jaguars or black panthers occur about 6% of the time in South American cats. Albino jaguars or white panthers also occur, but they are rare. Black jaguars occur naturally in wild populations. Alicia Barbas Garcia / EyeEm / Getty Images Male and female jaguars have a similar appearance, but females tend to be 10-20 percent smaller than males. Otherwise, the size of the cats varies greatly, ranging from 3.7-6.1 feet from the nose to the base of the tail. The cats tail is the shortest of the big cats, ranging from 18-36 inches in length. Mature adults may weigh anywhere from 79-348 pounds. Jaguars in the southern end of their range are larger than those found further north. Habitat and Distribution The jaguars range once ran from the Grand Canyon or possibly Colorado in the United States down through Argentina. However, the cat was heavily hunted for its beautiful fur. While its possible a few of the cats remain in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, sizable populations only exist from Mexico through Central America and into South America. The cat is protected and believed to have a high chance of survival in the Kaan Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize, the Manu National Park in Peru, and the Xingu National Park in Brazil. Jaguars are disappearing from most of the remainder of their range. While jaguars prefer forested areas near water, they also live in shrubland, wetlands, grasslands, and savanna biomes. Diet and Behavior While jaguars resemble leopards, their ecological niche is most similar to that of the tiger. Jaguars stalk and ambush prey, often falling upon the target from a tree. They are strong swimmers and readily pursue prey in water. Jaguars are crepuscular, usually hunting before dawn and after dusk. Prey includes capybara, deer, pigs, frogs, fish, and snakes, including anacondas. The cats jaws have a powerful bite force that enables them to crack open turtle shells and defeat all but the largest caimans. After making a kill, a jaguar will haul its dinner up a tree to eat. Although they are obligate carnivores, jaguars have been observed eating Banisteriopsis caapi  (ayahuasca), a plant containing the psychelic compound N,N-Dimethyltryptamine  (DMT). Reproduction and Offspring Jaguars are solitary cats except for mating. They mate throughout the year, usually whenever food is abundant. Pairs separate immediately after mating. Gestation lasts 93-105 days, resulting in up to four, but usually two, spotted cubs. Only the mother cares for the cubs. Cubs open their eyes at two weeks and are weaned by three months of age. They stay with their mother for a year or two before leaving to find their own territory. Males typically have larger territories than females. Male territories do not overlap. Multiple females may occupy a territory, but the cats tend to avoid each other. Females reach sexual maturity around two years of age, while males mature later at age three or four. Wild jaguars live 12-15 years, but captive cats may live 23 years. Jaguar cubs are spotted. Picture by Tambako the Jaguar / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies the jaguars conservation status as near threatened. As of 2017, the total cat population was estimated to be around 64,000 individuals and was decreasing rapidly. Jaguars, especially males, range across vast territories, so the animals are heavily influenced by habitat loss and fragmentation from development, transportation, agriculture, pollution, and logging. As apex predators, they are at risk from diminishing availability of natural prey. Jaguars are not protected across much of their range, particularly in countries where they threaten livestock. They may be hunted as pests, as trophies, or for their fur. While the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of 1973 greatly reduced pelt trade, illegal trade remains a problem. Jaguars and Humans Unlike leopards, lions, and tigers, jaguars rarely attack humans. However, the combination of human encroachment and decreased prey has led to increasing conflict. While the risk of an attack is real, jaguars and pumas (Puma concolor) are much less likely to attack people than other big cats. Perhaps a handful of human attacks by jaguars have been documented in recent history. In contrast, over a thousand people have been attacked by lions in the past 20 years. While the direct risk to humans is small, jaguars readily target pets and livestock. Sources Dinets, V. and P. J. Polechla. First documentation of melanism in the jaguar (Panthera onca) from northern Mexico. Cat News. 42: 18, 2005.Mccain, Emil B.; Childs, Jack L. Evidence of resident Jaguars (Panthera onca) in the Southwestern United States and the Implications for Conservation. Journal of Mammalogy. 89 (1): 1–10, 2008. doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-F-268.1  Mossaz, A.; Buckley, R.C.; Castley. Ecotourism Contributions to Conservation of African Big Cats. Journal for Nature Conservation. 28: 112–118, 2015. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2015.09.009Quigley, H.; Foster, R.; Petracca, L.; Payan, E.; Salom, R.; Harmsen, B. Panthera onca. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T15953A123791436, 2017. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T15953A50658693.enWozencraft, W.C. Order Carnivora. In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 546–547, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.

The war in syria and its consequences on lebanon Research Paper

The war in syria and its consequences on lebanon - Research Paper Example lion attacks during the war hence making it further impossible for the people in Syria to access basic amenities like school and hospitals (White, 15). At the same time, the warring parties assaulted civilians by using mass weapons for destruction like chemical guess. Following that, there have been a great number of Syrians moving out of the country to Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon. Lebanon became home to a large number of refugees from Syria owing to the fact that it has the longest border with Syria. Following that, Lebanon has been an integral player as a consequence of the dynamics of the war in Syria (Barnes-Dacey, 15). This paper will tackle the issues that have arisen following the upsurge of refugees in the Lebanon borders and Lebanon as a country. At the same time, the paper will tackle various aspects in relation to the effect of the Syria’s civil war on Lebanon. Government instability following divided support of the war in Syria, which has been instigated by the fact that in the top leadership of the Lebanon, both pro - al Assad and pro - rebel groups do exist. The part will involve a brief information on the war in Syria siting its effects and causes. At the same time, the section will shade light on the role of Lebanon in the war, bringing out the reason as to why it plays an integral role in the Syrian war. In addition, the section will seek to understand the relationship that has been in place between Syria and Lebanon over a couple of years. This is important in determining the dynamics of the relationship of the two countries from pre-war and during the warring time. This paper will establish the importance the information obtained from the study on the international point of view about the war. At the same time the paper will highlight the importance of the information on both the Syrian and Lebanon authorities. Perhaps this will make them make better decisions that might help in mitigating the effects of the war. Lastly, it

Easyjet Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Easyjet - Assignment Example Here, the application of innovation to Easy-Jet is analyzed in the following sections of this report. The logo of turning Europe orange is much more than a logo for Easy-Jet; it is the vision to which the airlines moves by means of its various lines of businesses – airlines being the case under consideration in this report. Easy-Jet is all about innovation and creativity; in a business where services are rather homogenous in nature, the cost advantage mainly belongs to the old names of the industry since they break-even at a much earlier time, causing issues to the new entrants. Otherwise, the competition remains cut-throat because the technology in the airlines industry is fairly replicable, and does not stay as a competitive advantage for a longer period of time. Subsequently, the importance of innovation and creativity rises as a major source of gaining the competitive advantage in the arena. There is substantial evidence in the research to reveal the fact that the strategy planned by the firm is well defined, and has goals and strategies defined in a manageable mode. The preliminary action is to define the target market which is technically the leisure seeking travelers – as described by the corporate management of the business. Gradually, the firm is also targeting the business travelers, but the major source of revenue or the larger chunk are the leisure travelers. Alongside establishing precise target market, it is also critical to attain the network of key airports that are the major requirements for catering to the leisure class travelers since this category prefers airlines that picks them from their home town and drops them to their destiny. Along the similar lines, Easy-Jet has linked and formed networks across the key airports in Europe and the major population in the same region. Extending the same towards the frequency of flights develops