Archive for the ‘Nature’ Category
The Jaguar and Why He is the Keystone Cop of the Rainforest
Jack Deal asked:
The jaguar or panthera onca has to be one of the most magnificent animals on Earth. Maybe the most magnificent. Only the tiger and lion are larger cats. Our Maya friend Aniceto says we have a jaguar den on our ranch; probably some shallow limestone cave covered by dense growth. Part of our ranch is virgin rainforest.
We’ve never seen our jaguar but he has. One evening coming back from his “milpa” he saw it in the middle of the road. Usually they don’t come out at all when it is light, but this one did. The jaguar or “el tigre” as he is called by the Maya, probably was hungry and looking for a tepe, tejon or javalina. Humans eat the same food, though we barbecue tepe and the jaguar chomps it down raw.
The jaguar kills its prey by biting the neck and skull of its victim. As the keystone predator in the jungle, the jaguar serves a great function by eating the predators that kill smaller prey. Except for man, the jaguar has no enemies. Not many friends either, but that comes with being at the top of the food chain and having a very nasty bite.
My Mayan friends say they can never remember an incident where a jaguar attacked a human. That certainly doesn’t mean a jaguar wouldn’t attack a human; but in the wild they really don’t. Even so, when most Maya go deep into the jungle, they carry a shotgun.
Clearly man is more afraid of the jaguar than the jaguar of man. Maya men tell of times when they would be startled to look to the side of the path and find a jaguar sleeping peacefully; in the deep jungle “el tigre” takes his siesta wherever he pleases.
The jaguar cannot be domesticated and has little fear of man. It is also considered to have the most unpredictable behavior of any animal in captivity. Jaguars aren’t meant to be in captivity. It’s not what they do. Jaguars are wired for one thing and it has nothing to do with cages.
A Maya familiar with the jungle can spot jaguar tracks, dung and the plant life the jaguar disturbs while traveling through the jungle. To an untrained eye such signs go unnoticed. Rule number one is when in the deep jungle take a jungle man along as a guide.
Unfortunately the jaguar can climb trees and have been seen jumping from tree to tree. Hence the tree house I plan to build on my ranch will provide no protection from the jaguar…ha. I can imagine sleeping one night and waking up to a pair of large eyes staring me in the face; maybe a giant boa or maybe a jaguar.
My one concern is one day we will be out walking around on the ranch and come across the den with little jaguars in it…oh, boy. Well, no one said the jungle was without some risk. The jaguars, however, readily eat cattle, sheep, turkeys and dogs.
Several weeks back, Aniceto took me back into the jungle and we saw dog hairs in jaguar dung. Aniceto said that his friend had two dogs eaten by the jaguar one night…and his friend could hear his dogs yelping as the jaguar dragged them off into the jungle. Since dog is man’s best friend, that sound had to be unnerving.
Several months before, his friend’s cousin shot a jaguar trying to make off with a sheep. It took four men to carry the jaguar out of the jungle. Jaguars can grow up to 200 pounds and eight feet long including the tail. That makes them king and keystone of the jungle ecosystem.
The Maya see them as predators and not endangered. One’s perceptions change if one has little children playing around the jungle palapa; “el tigre” certainly might be considered much more of a predatory threat. But fortunately one does not hear of jaguars foraging for small humans outside villages way back in the jungle. The jaguar is smart enough to leave children alone…common jaguar sense probably passed down from generation to generation.
The jaguar is a representative of the truly wild and that which cannot be tamed. For most of us, the jaguar is a symbol of the magnificence of the wild and what nature has created over the eons including a very nasty bite.
Let’s hope we both keep our respect and distance and don’t find ourselves peering at each other in the pitch black jungle night. And that’s very okay by us because in the deep jungle it’s always big advantage jaguar…
The jaguar or panthera onca has to be one of the most magnificent animals on Earth. Maybe the most magnificent. Only the tiger and lion are larger cats. Our Maya friend Aniceto says we have a jaguar den on our ranch; probably some shallow limestone cave covered by dense growth. Part of our ranch is virgin rainforest.
We’ve never seen our jaguar but he has. One evening coming back from his “milpa” he saw it in the middle of the road. Usually they don’t come out at all when it is light, but this one did. The jaguar or “el tigre” as he is called by the Maya, probably was hungry and looking for a tepe, tejon or javalina. Humans eat the same food, though we barbecue tepe and the jaguar chomps it down raw.
The jaguar kills its prey by biting the neck and skull of its victim. As the keystone predator in the jungle, the jaguar serves a great function by eating the predators that kill smaller prey. Except for man, the jaguar has no enemies. Not many friends either, but that comes with being at the top of the food chain and having a very nasty bite.
My Mayan friends say they can never remember an incident where a jaguar attacked a human. That certainly doesn’t mean a jaguar wouldn’t attack a human; but in the wild they really don’t. Even so, when most Maya go deep into the jungle, they carry a shotgun.
Clearly man is more afraid of the jaguar than the jaguar of man. Maya men tell of times when they would be startled to look to the side of the path and find a jaguar sleeping peacefully; in the deep jungle “el tigre” takes his siesta wherever he pleases.
The jaguar cannot be domesticated and has little fear of man. It is also considered to have the most unpredictable behavior of any animal in captivity. Jaguars aren’t meant to be in captivity. It’s not what they do. Jaguars are wired for one thing and it has nothing to do with cages.
A Maya familiar with the jungle can spot jaguar tracks, dung and the plant life the jaguar disturbs while traveling through the jungle. To an untrained eye such signs go unnoticed. Rule number one is when in the deep jungle take a jungle man along as a guide.
Unfortunately the jaguar can climb trees and have been seen jumping from tree to tree. Hence the tree house I plan to build on my ranch will provide no protection from the jaguar…ha. I can imagine sleeping one night and waking up to a pair of large eyes staring me in the face; maybe a giant boa or maybe a jaguar.
My one concern is one day we will be out walking around on the ranch and come across the den with little jaguars in it…oh, boy. Well, no one said the jungle was without some risk. The jaguars, however, readily eat cattle, sheep, turkeys and dogs.
Several weeks back, Aniceto took me back into the jungle and we saw dog hairs in jaguar dung. Aniceto said that his friend had two dogs eaten by the jaguar one night…and his friend could hear his dogs yelping as the jaguar dragged them off into the jungle. Since dog is man’s best friend, that sound had to be unnerving.
Several months before, his friend’s cousin shot a jaguar trying to make off with a sheep. It took four men to carry the jaguar out of the jungle. Jaguars can grow up to 200 pounds and eight feet long including the tail. That makes them king and keystone of the jungle ecosystem.
The Maya see them as predators and not endangered. One’s perceptions change if one has little children playing around the jungle palapa; “el tigre” certainly might be considered much more of a predatory threat. But fortunately one does not hear of jaguars foraging for small humans outside villages way back in the jungle. The jaguar is smart enough to leave children alone…common jaguar sense probably passed down from generation to generation.
The jaguar is a representative of the truly wild and that which cannot be tamed. For most of us, the jaguar is a symbol of the magnificence of the wild and what nature has created over the eons including a very nasty bite.
Let’s hope we both keep our respect and distance and don’t find ourselves peering at each other in the pitch black jungle night. And that’s very okay by us because in the deep jungle it’s always big advantage jaguar…
Cincinnati Auto Insurance: Definitely the Right Track
San Diego Auto Insurance asked:
Insuring the car in a Cincinnati Auto Insurance has always been a big deal for every resident of Cincinnati. Looking for the most excellent pact on auto insurance can seem to be like an overwhelming task. With a lot of information presented on the various Auto Insurance Company, policy buyers are puzzled to take the helm.
Although discovering the most excellent Auto Insurance Company is some kind of a task that is difficult to do, there are ways that will guide you in the right track. Cincinnati Auto Insurance Company discerns how harsh it is to be drawn in an accident that is why they offer the policy that could help the burden of the residents of Cincinnati.
The major intentions of Cincinnati Auto Insurance or any auto insurance is to safeguard us in case of unavoidable circumstances. For this reason, if you want to have a helping hand, it is necessary for you to purchase an auto insurance that will protect your property when something happens unexpectedly.
Shopping for the auto insurance will take a lot of time and effort. However, if you have your internet connection at home, shopping the best Cincinnati Auto Insurance will be easy as what you have ever wanted. The internet is loaded with auto an insurance web site that presents quotes from poles apart insurance companies. Thus, policy seekers will have a great chance to explore the service offered by the various auto Insurance Companies.
When you look through the internet, you will also be able to gaze for the cheapest auto insurance by simply following the steps and clicking the button. You will certainly do well on your line of attack to discover the least expensive auto insurance company. There are so many discounts being offered by Cincinnati Auto Insurance for policy buyers. Thus, purchasing this auto insurance will fit in your financial plan or budget.
Inquiring all important matters or detail by detail informations will certainly help you out once you bump into an accident. For unforeseen circumstances, like when you stumble upon a vehicular accident, how can you be very certain that the policy or the coverage that you have paid for your auto insurance is just enough to cover the expenses? You will surely be in trouble later on when you do not have any idea about the terms and conditions once you got involved in accidents. Therefore, make it to the point that before coming up into a decision make sure that you fully understand everything that pertains to your auto insurance.
The search in finding the best Cincinnati Auto Insurance will be difficult if you do not have any way to make the task simple and trouble free. Keep in mind that shopping the best auto insurance in Cincinnati is not an unpleasant task to be made; to a certain extent it is an opportunity to set aside quite a lot of your money on your auto insurance. Finally, be certain that you insured your vehicle in Cincinnati Auto Insurance for the reason that you are in no doubts that you are in the right track.
Insuring the car in a Cincinnati Auto Insurance has always been a big deal for every resident of Cincinnati. Looking for the most excellent pact on auto insurance can seem to be like an overwhelming task. With a lot of information presented on the various Auto Insurance Company, policy buyers are puzzled to take the helm.
Although discovering the most excellent Auto Insurance Company is some kind of a task that is difficult to do, there are ways that will guide you in the right track. Cincinnati Auto Insurance Company discerns how harsh it is to be drawn in an accident that is why they offer the policy that could help the burden of the residents of Cincinnati.
The major intentions of Cincinnati Auto Insurance or any auto insurance is to safeguard us in case of unavoidable circumstances. For this reason, if you want to have a helping hand, it is necessary for you to purchase an auto insurance that will protect your property when something happens unexpectedly.
Shopping for the auto insurance will take a lot of time and effort. However, if you have your internet connection at home, shopping the best Cincinnati Auto Insurance will be easy as what you have ever wanted. The internet is loaded with auto an insurance web site that presents quotes from poles apart insurance companies. Thus, policy seekers will have a great chance to explore the service offered by the various auto Insurance Companies.
When you look through the internet, you will also be able to gaze for the cheapest auto insurance by simply following the steps and clicking the button. You will certainly do well on your line of attack to discover the least expensive auto insurance company. There are so many discounts being offered by Cincinnati Auto Insurance for policy buyers. Thus, purchasing this auto insurance will fit in your financial plan or budget.
Inquiring all important matters or detail by detail informations will certainly help you out once you bump into an accident. For unforeseen circumstances, like when you stumble upon a vehicular accident, how can you be very certain that the policy or the coverage that you have paid for your auto insurance is just enough to cover the expenses? You will surely be in trouble later on when you do not have any idea about the terms and conditions once you got involved in accidents. Therefore, make it to the point that before coming up into a decision make sure that you fully understand everything that pertains to your auto insurance.
The search in finding the best Cincinnati Auto Insurance will be difficult if you do not have any way to make the task simple and trouble free. Keep in mind that shopping the best auto insurance in Cincinnati is not an unpleasant task to be made; to a certain extent it is an opportunity to set aside quite a lot of your money on your auto insurance. Finally, be certain that you insured your vehicle in Cincinnati Auto Insurance for the reason that you are in no doubts that you are in the right track.