Posted by Hollie in Animal Info
We saved the hardest part for the end so first, a little review:
1. Cheetah spots are solid black
2. Leopard spots are actually rosettes
And now the tricky part – jaguar spots are also rosettes, but with one subtle difference.
Jaguar rosettes have black spots inside them. The tricky part is that some leopard rosettes have spots and some jaguar rosettes don’t, so how else can you tell?
First, check your map – if you’re in Africa or Asia, its a leopard. If you’re in Central or South America, its a jaguar. When compared side by side, jaguars also tend to have a stockier build, and anyone that as worked with them in a zoo will tell you their temperaments are quite different as well.
Posted by Hollie in Animal Info
Leopards are quite a bit different than cheetahs, their markings are not really spots but rosettes – notice how they are more like rings than the cheetah spots.
Interesting cat facts of the day: Leopards have the largest distribution of any cat species. They range throughout Africa and Asia and are highly adaptable (quite the opposite of the specialist cheetah), living in different types of habitats like grasslands and forests from the equator to the mountains. However the the Amur leopard is one of the most endangered cats in world.
Posted by Hollie in Animal Info
Three species of large cats have spots and to the casual observer, they may all look the same. But if you look a bit closer you’ll see they are actually quite distinct.
Let’s start with the easiest – the cheetah. Cheetah spots are fairly round and solid black.
Posted by Hollie in Off Topic
Things are just crazy busy in Carnivores these days, so much so that I barely have time to blog, which is a shame because blogging is a lot of fun. As a curator, I have many other responsibilities besides cheetahs and this month we have some exciting stuff going on with another spotted cat here at the zoo, the jaguar.
The jaguar exhibit was last renovated in 1982 and until about 4 years ago it housed snow leopards. Snow leopards are great cats but as their name suggests, the are not partcularly well adapted to Houston’s climate. Our last snow leopard is now enjoying the lovely weather at the Toronto Zoo, which I’m sure is much more to her liking.
The jaguar exhibit is closed about 8 weeks for a major rehab – the first task was to get rid of the old:
what a mess!
How do tell a jaguar from a cheetah? What about a leopard? Answers to all of your spotted cat questions are coming soon.
Posted by Hollie in Cheetah Ambassador Program, Featured, adaptations
We get this question a lot when we are out working with the cheetahs. Maybe you’ve wondered it yourself when you’ve seen the cheetahs out for a walk or the keepers in their yard doing a training session. So, are they tame?
No, they’re not. The cheetahs are trained to be very well-behaved in very specific circumstances. This training started when they were just a few days old and has continued every day since. A small number of the zoo’s staff works closely with them and we have desensitized them to all sorts of distractions and there are many procedures in place to make sure both our guests and animals are always safe.
If strange people were to come into the exhibit or try to pet them, they would likely act like most wild cats and make a quick exit or even try to bite. Even our staff has to watch them closely and does not play with them like you would a dog or cat at home. If you let them run around your house, your furniture would be shredded (and they have no idea what a litter box is for).
If we are doing our jobs right we make it look easy, but don’t be fooled, these are not domestic cats. Check out the Houston Zoo’s web page for more details on why wild animals don’t make good pets and if you are looking for a new best friend, try the HSPCA where there are lots of great animals looking for homes.