THE JAGUAR
Destruction of its habitat : the great threat
Third largest big cat in the world after the tiger and the lion, with a massive head more square than the leopard, jaguars live on the American continent.
Located in tropical forest of Central America and South America, it lives near rivers and swampps, it is an excellent swimmer.
It is also an excellent climber to take a nap or simply to look out for prey.
Its diet consists of mammals, birds, fish and small alligators.
Its life expectancy in the wild is 11 years whereas it can reach 22 years in captivity.
In Maya iconography, the Jaguar is well known in its role of predator associated with any kind of violence as war, sacrifice, torture or self-sacrifice.
The big cat also appears, although more discreetly, in exactly the reverse role of victim, whether a killing on the altar or torture on the scaffold.
Identified as the warrior whose destiny is to conquer and be conquered, the jaguar is both sacrificer and sacrificed.
Sources : "Les Félins" de François de la Grange, Edition Nathan