Picture Source: http://gallerycar.info/baby-jaguar-cubs/
past to present
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Jaguars are listed as “Near Threatened” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Although they still exist in countries such as Arizona and Mexico, the species only inhabits 40% of their original, historical range (Panthera Inc, 2014). In the mid 1800s the jaguar population extended from Southern Brazil north to Central America, and along west coasts of Mexico. Jaguars could be found in the southwestern United States, and as far north as the Grand Canyon in Arizona (Tony Davis, 2013). There was an estimated 400, 000 jaguars roaming in the wild. In the 1960s and 1970s, approximately 18, 000 jaguars were killed each year (Panthera Inc, 2014). By 1996, the jaguar population was almost completely eliminated from the United States. Only four jaguars sighted in New Mexico and Arizona established that the population still inhabited the U.S, and the jaguar is now listed as an endangered species in these areas by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Today it is estimated that only 15, 000 jaguars remain in the wild, and have been protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1973 (Tony Davis, 2013).
As number of jaguars has drastically declined in the past 150 years, the pattern of growth exhibited by the species is exponential decay. The birth rates of the jaguars are declining as their death rates are increasing, and this is causing their numbers to steadily decline. |
limiting factors of population
There are a variety of factors that have caused jaguars to become endangered, such as habitat restrictions and human interaction with the species (Panthera Inc, 2014). The habitat of the jaguar is commonly rain forests, swamps, or floodplains, and deforestation is resulting in a loss of habitat for the jaguars. The jaguar’s loss of habitat is also a result of human development on these areas, or them being used for agricultural purposes. Habitat loss means that the jaguars must migrate to other habitats, leaving them vulnerable to be hunted by humans as they migrate, and vulnerable to starvation if they can no longer find enough prey to sustain their population.
*Another major limiting factor of the jaguar population is human influence, which is presented on the next page titled "Interactions: Humans and Other Species"*
*Another major limiting factor of the jaguar population is human influence, which is presented on the next page titled "Interactions: Humans and Other Species"*
population trends
future population
If the trend shown on this graph continues, the population of jaguars will be around 12, 000 in five years. This number takes into account the Conservation efforts to save the jaguar population that are currently in effect. These efforts are talked about on the final page titled "Conservation Status."