Alan Verrier, age 12, of Coventry, R.I., for his question:
Why are Jaguars spotted?
Suppose you had to catch a snack from a flying trapeze, scoop up a live, toothy submarine for dinner or chase the world's biggest bunny. These are a few of the jaguar's everyday problems. As a rule, he can out run, out swim and out smart his frisky groceries. But he must get close enough to try. Being a cat, he is a genius at silent stealth. His spotted coat is especially designed to conceal him at least until he gets close enough to pounce.
The handsome jaguar is at home in the tropical jungles of South America, never far from a lazy stream. The scenery around him is spotted and speckled. The forest floor is littered with light and dark brown leaves, the boughs above are mottled with golden sunbeams and leafy shadows. Even the lazy stream reflects these patchy patterns. A spotted jaguar looks very conspicuous in a zoo. But at home, his coat blends right in with the scenery.
Most animals wear protective coloring to conceal them from their enemies. But the jaguar is the biggest cat and most powerful of the Americas. He has no natural enemies in the wild. But the 300 pound animal must hunt to fill his hungry tummy ¬and almost every creature in the jungle knows he is out to get them. In the trees, the clever capucin monkeys scheme to outsmart him, the agile spider monkeys swing out of harm's way like trapeze acrobats. The lazy sloths hang from high boughs, where twigs are too fragile to support the weight of the mighty hunter.
On the ground, the bulky tapirs sniff the air for his scent and scoot off into the dense underbrush. The capybara, largest of the world's rodents, makes a dash for the stream and swims out of sight under water. Sometimes the jaguar's spotted coat helps him to creep close enough before he is noticed. Then he makes his catch and enjoys one of these wily escape artists for dinner.
However, the jaguar is a cat and cats prefer to enjoy long hours of leisure. As a rule, he takes his ease comfortably sprawled on a sturdy bough, overhanging his favorite stream. In the water, his spotted reflection merges with the speckled scenery above. Down there, the turtles and alligators do not notice him • and the fishes do not study the scenery above the water.
But the sharp eyed jaguar notices every motion, even when cat napping. Now and then he spots a large fish. In a flash, he dips down a spotted paw and scoops up a tasty snack. Often he catches a slow poke turtle, a toothy alligator or a caiman dozing in the sun.
Ecologists report that jaguars are becoming scarce and may soon be extinct. They are hunted by sportsmen and by ranchers who suspect them of raiding their herds. But the larger numbers have been slaughtered because the handsome coats that enable them to hunt also make handsome fur coats for human beings. The jaguar's only enemy is man and this may mean the end of him.