Species are threatened by many factors that can be remembered by this acronym: HIPPCO. In this order species are first threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation, invasive species, (human) population growth, pollution, climate change, and over hunting. Jaguars are affected by all of these either directly or indirectly like most large mammals are.
On the Edge of No Return
HUMANS are the Cause of the Jaguars Desperate Struggle.
jaguars are hunted for sport, killed just for their pelts, teeth, and claws, or slaughtered by ranchers to protect livestock. Urban expansion and development has also had an enormous negative impact on jaguars. Poaching jaguars for specific products (mostly their beautiful speckled coats) is also a major threat to the species (Miller et. al, 2015). Do you have any clothes or products that are made from or harm jaguars? Learn how to identify safe and conscious products now (LINK)!
Courtesy of Wix Images
Courtesy of Wix Images
Courtesy of Wix Images
Created by Moncrief and Larsen, SEA-DISC Sir Francis Drake High School, 2017
Desert landscape, (Moncrief, 2017)
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states that “Loss of habitat, direct killing of jaguars, and depletion of prey are the primary factors contributing to its current status” (Jaguar, Panthera Onca). These three things are all occurring at the same time and at very high rates. In addition, jaguars have fairly long gestation periods (around 95-110 days), and small broods (the average being 2 cubs) (Nogueira, J., 2009). This makes it even more difficult for jaguars to recover from a low population and maintain healthy population sizes, since they are slow at reproducing so parents can't easily have enough cubs to replace themselves in population size. And fringe populations (like jaguars in the U.S.) are susceptible to succumbing to changes such as global warming. That is why conservation efforts for these populations in the U.S. must be prioritized (Eisenberg, 2014).