The jaguar ( or ; ''Panthera onca'') is a big cat, a feline in the ''Panthera'' genus, and is the only ''Panthera'' species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Apart from a known and possibly breeding population in Arizona (southeast of Tucson), the cat has largely been extirpated from the United States since the early 20th century.

This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, although it is usually larger and of sturdier build and its behavioral and habitat characteristics are closer to those of the tiger. While dense rainforest is its preferred habitat, the jaguar will range across a variety of forested and open terrain. It is strongly associated with the presence of water and is notable, along with the tiger, as a feline that enjoys swimming. The jaguar is largely a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush predator at the top of the food chain (an apex predator). It is a keystone species, playing an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and regulating the populations of the animals it hunts. The jaguar has an exceptionally powerful bite, even relative to the other big cats. This allows it to pierce the shells of armoured reptiles and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of prey between the ears to deliver a fatal bite to the brain.

The jaguar is a near threatened species and its numbers are declining. Threats include habitat loss and fragmentation. While international trade in jaguars or their parts is prohibited, the cat is still frequently killed by humans, particularly in conflicts with ranchers and farmers in South America. Although reduced, its range remains large; given its historical distribution, the jaguar has featured prominently in the mythology of numerous indigenous American cultures, including that of the Maya and Aztec.

Etymology

It comes to English from one of the Tupi–Guarani languages, presumably the Amazonian trade language Tupinambá, via Portuguese ''jaguar''. The Tupian word, ''yaguara'' "beast", sometimes translated as "dog", is used for any carnivorous mammal. The specific word for jaguar is ''yaguareté'', with the suffix -''eté'' meaning "real" or "true".

The first component of its taxonomic designation, ''Panthera'', is Latin, from the Greek word for leopard, ''πάνθηρ'', the type species for the genus. This has been said to derive from the ''παν-'' "all" and ''θήρ'' from ''θηρευτής'' "predator", meaning "predator of all" (animals), though this may be a folk etymology—it may instead be ultimately of Sanskrit origin, from ''pundarikam'', the Sanskrit word for "tiger".

''Onca'' is the Portuguese ''onça'', with the cedilla dropped for typographical reasons, found in English as ''ounce'' for the Snow Leopard, ''Uncia uncia''. It derives from the Latin ''lyncea'' lynx, with the letter L confused with the definite article (Italian ''lonza'', Old French ''l'once)''.

In many Central and South American countries, the cat is referred to as ''el tigre'' ("the tiger").

Taxonomy

The jaguar, ''Panthera onca'', is the only existent New World member of the ''Panthera'' genus. DNA evidence shows that the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, and clouded leopard share a common ancestor and that this group is between six and ten million years old; the fossil record points to the emergence of ''Panthera'' just two to 3.8 million years ago. Phylogenetic studies generally have shown that the clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa'') is basal to this group. The position of the remaining species varies between studies and is effectively unresolved.

Based on morphological evidence, British zoologist Reginald Pocock concluded that the jaguar is most closely related to the leopard. However, DNA evidence is inconclusive and the position of the jaguar relative to the other species varies between studies. Fossils of extinct ''Panthera'' species, such as the European Jaguar (''Panthera gombaszoegensis'') and the American Lion (''Panthera atrox''), show characteristics of both the lion and the jaguar. Analysis of jaguar mitochondrial DNA has dated the species lineage to between 280,000 and 510,000 years ago, later than suggested by fossil records.

Asian ancestry

While jaguars now live only in America, they are descended from Old World cats. Two million years ago, scientists believe, the jaguar and its closest relative, the similarly spotted leopard, shared a common ancestor in Asia.

In the early Pleistocene, the forerunners of modern jaguars crept across Beringia, the land bridge that once spanned the Bering Strait and connected Asia and North America. These jaguar ancestors then moved south into Central and South America, feeding on the deer and other grazing animals that once covered the landscape in huge herds.

Once in America, the jaguar adapted to changing climates and evolved particular characteristics such as losing its roar and learning to swim.

Geographical variation

The last taxonomic delineation of the jaguar subspecies was performed by Pocock in 1939. Based on geographic origins and skull morphology, he recognized eight subspecies. However, he did not have access to sufficient specimens to critically evaluate all subspecies, and he expressed doubt about the status of several. Later consideration of his work suggested only three subspecies should be recognized.

Recent studies have also failed to find evidence for well defined subspecies, and are no longer recognized. Larson (1997) studied the morphological variation in the jaguar and showed that there is clinal north–south variation, but also that the differentiation within the supposed subspecies is larger than that between them and thus does not warrant subspecies subdivision. A genetic study by Eizirik and coworkers in 2001 confirmed the absence of a clear geographical subspecies structure, although they found that major geographical barriers such as the Amazon River limited the exchange of genes between the different populations. A subsequent, more detailed, study confirmed the predicted population structure within the Colombian jaguars.

Pocock's subspecies divisions are still regularly listed in general descriptions of the cat. Seymour grouped these in three subspecies.

# ''Panthera onca onca'': Venezuela through the Amazon, including #* ''P. onca peruviana'' (Peruvian Jaguar): Coastal Peru # ''P. onca hernandesii'' (Mexican Jaguar): Western Mexico – including #* ''P. onca centralis'' (Central American Jaguar): El Salvador to Colombia #* ''P. onca arizonensis'' (Arizonan Jaguar): Southern Arizona to Sonora, Mexico #* ''P. onca veraecrucis'': Central Texas to Southeastern Mexico #* ''P. onca goldmani'' (Goldman's Jaguar): Yucatán Peninsula to Belize and Guatemala # ''P. onca palustris'' (the largest subspecies, weighing more than 135 kg or 300 lb): The Pantanal regions of Mato Grosso & Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, along the Paraguay River into Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.

The ''Mammal Species of the World'' continues to recognize nine subspecies, the eight subspecies above and additionally ''P. o. paraguensis''.

Biology and behavior

Physical characteristics

The jaguar is a compact and well-muscled animal. There are significant variations in size and weight: weights are normally in the range of 56–96 kilograms (124–211 lb). Larger males have been recorded at 160 kilograms (350 lb) (roughly matching a tigress or lioness), and smaller ones have extremely low weights of 36 kilograms (80 lb). Females are typically 10–20% smaller than males. The length of the cat varies from 1.62–1.83 metres (5.3–6 ft), and its tail may add a further 75 centimeters (30 in). It stands about 67–76 centimeters (27–30 in) tall at the shoulders.

Further variations in size have been observed across regions and habitats, with size tending to increase from the north to south. A study of the jaguar in the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve on the Mexican Pacific coast, showed ranges of just about 50 kilograms (110 lb), about the size of the cougar. By contrast, a study of the Jaguar in the Brazilian Pantanal region found average weights of 100 kilograms (220 lb) and weights of or more are not uncommon in old males. Forest jaguars are frequently darker and considerably smaller than those found in open areas (the Pantanal is an open wetland basin), possibly due to the smaller numbers of large herbivorous prey in forest areas.

A short and stocky limb structure makes the jaguar adept at climbing, crawling and swimming. The head is robust and the jaw extremely powerful. The jaguar has the strongest bite of all felids, capable of biting down with . This is twice the strength of a lion and the second strongest of all mammals after the spotted hyena; this strength is an adaptation that allows the jaguar to pierce turtle shells. A comparative study of bite force adjusted for body size ranked it as the top felid, alongside the clouded leopard and ahead of the lion and tiger. It has been reported that "an individual jaguar can drag a 360 kg (800 lb) bull 8 m (25 ft) in its jaws and pulverize the heaviest bones". The jaguar hunts wild animals weighing up to 300 kilograms (660 lb) in dense jungle, and its short and sturdy physique is thus an adaptation to its prey and environment. The base coat of the jaguar is generally a tawny yellow, but can range to reddish-brown and black. The cat is covered in rosettes for camouflage in its jungle habitat. The spots vary over individual coats and between individual Jaguars: rosettes may include one or several dots, and the shape of the dots varies. The spots on the head and neck are generally solid, as are those on the tail, where they may merge to form a band. The underbelly, throat and outer surface of the legs and lower flanks are white.

While the jaguar closely resembles the leopard, it is sturdier and heavier, and the two animals can be distinguished by their rosettes: the rosettes on a jaguar's coat are larger, fewer in number, usually darker, and have thicker lines and small spots in the middle that the leopard lacks. Jaguars also have rounder heads and shorter, stockier limbs compared to leopards.

Colour morphism

Colour morphism occurs in the species. A near-black melanistic form occurs regularly. Jaguars with melanism appear entirely black, although their spots are still visible on close examination.

The black morph is less common than the spotted form but, at about six percent of the population, it is several orders of magnitude above the rate of mutation. Hence is being supported by selection. There is some evidence that the melanism allele is dominant. The black form may be an example of heterozygote advantage; breeding in captivity is not yet conclusive on this.

Melanistic Jaguars are informally known as black panthers but, like all forms of polymorphism, do not form a separate species.

Extremely rare albino individuals, sometimes called white panthers, also occur among jaguars, as with the other big cats. As usual with albinos in the wild, selection keeps the frequency close to the rate of mutation.

Reproduction and life cycle

Jaguar females reach sexual maturity at about two years of age, and males at three or four. The cat is believed to mate throughout the year in the wild, although births may increase when prey is plentiful. Research on captive male jaguars supports the year-round mating hypothesis, with no seasonal variation in semen traits and ejaculatory quality; low reproductive success has also been observed in captivity. Female estrous is 6–17 days out of a full 37-day cycle, and females will advertise fertility with urinary scent marks and increased vocalization. Both sexes will range more widely than usual during courtship.

Mating pairs separate after the act, and females provide all parenting. The gestation period lasts 93–105 days; females give birth to up to four cubs, and most commonly to two. The mother will not tolerate the presence of males after the birth of cubs, given a risk of infanticide; this behaviour is also found in the tiger.

The young are born blind, gaining sight after two weeks. Cubs are weaned at three months but remain in the birth den for six months before leaving to accompany their mother on hunts. They will continue in their mother's company for one to two years before leaving to establish a territory for themselves. Young males are at first nomadic, jostling with their older counterparts until they succeed in claiming a territory. Typical lifespan in the wild is estimated at around 12–15 years; in captivity, the jaguar lives up to 23 years, placing it among the longest-lived cats.

Social activity

Like most cats, the jaguar is solitary outside mother-cub groups. Adults generally meet only to court and mate (though limited non-courting socialization has been observed anecdotally The jaguar uses scrape marks, urine, and feces to mark its territory.

Like the other big cats, the jaguar is capable of roaring (the male more powerfully) and does so to warn territorial and mating competitors away; intensive bouts of counter-calling between individuals have been observed in the wild. Their roar often resembles a repetitive cough, and they may also vocalize mews and grunts. Mating fights between males occur, but are rare, and aggression avoidance behaviour has been observed in the wild. When it occurs, conflict is typically over territory: a male's range may encompass that of two or three females, and he will not tolerate intrusions by other adult males. deer, capybara, tapirs, peccaries, dogs, foxes, and sometimes even anacondas. However, the cat will eat any small species that can be caught, including frogs, mice, birds, fish, sloths, monkeys, and turtles; a study conducted in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize, for example, revealed that jaguars there had a diet that consisted primarily of armadillos and pacas. Some jaguars will also take domestic livestock, including adult cattle and horses.

While the jaguar employs the deep-throat bite-and-suffocation technique typical among ''Panthera'', it prefers a killing method unique amongst cats: it pierces directly through the temporal bones of the skull between the ears of prey (especially the capybara) with its canine teeth, piercing the brain. This may be an adaptation to "cracking open" turtle shells; following the late Pleistocene extinctions, armoured reptiles such as turtles would have formed an abundant prey base for the jaguar. The skull bite is employed with mammals in particular; with reptiles such as caiman, the jaguar may leap on to the back of the prey and sever the cervical vertebrae, immobilizing the target. While capable of cracking turtle shells, the jaguar may simply reach into the shell and scoop out the flesh. For captive animals in the 50–60 kilogram range, more than 2 kilograms of meat daily is recommended. In the wild, consumption is naturally more erratic; wild cats expend considerable energy in the capture and kill of prey, and may consume up to 25 kilograms of meat at one feeding, followed by periods of famine. Unlike all other species in the ''Panthera'' genus, jaguars very rarely attack humans. Most of the scant cases where jaguars turn to taking a human show that the animal is either old with damaged teeth or is wounded. Sometimes, if scared, jaguars in captivity may lash out at zookeepers.

Ecology

Distribution and habitat

It has been an American cat since crossing the Bering Land Bridge during the Pleistocene epoch; the immediate ancestor of modern animals is ''Panthera onca augusta'', which was larger than the contemporary cat. Its present range extends from Mexico, through Central America and into South America, including much of Amazonian Brazil. The countries included in this range are Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica (particularly on the Osa Peninsula), Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, United States and Venezuela. The jaguar is now extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay. It occurs in the 400 km² Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize, the 5,300 km² Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, the approximately 15,000 km² Manú National Park in Peru, the approximately 26,000 km² Xingu National Park in Brazil, and numerous other reserves throughout its range. The inclusion of the United States in the list is based on occasional sightings in the southwest, particularly in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In the early 20th century, the jaguar's range extended as far north as the Grand Canyon, and as far west as Southern California. The jaguar is a protected species in the United States under the Endangered Species Act, which has stopped the shooting of the animal for its pelt. In 1996 and from 2004 on, wildlife officials in Arizona photographed and documented jaguars in the southern part of the state. Between 2004 and 2007 two or three jaguars have been reported by researchers around Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona. One of them was called 'Macho B' and has been previously photographed in 1996 in the area. For any permanent population in the USA to thrive, protection from killing, an adequate prey base, and connectivity with Mexican populations are essential. On 25 February 2009 a 118 lb Jaguar was caught, radio-collared and released in an area southwest of Tucson, Arizona; this is farther north than had previously been expected and represents a sign that there may be a permanent breeding population of Jaguars within southern Arizona. It was later confirmed that the animal is indeed the same male individual (known as 'Macho B') that was photographed in 2004 and is now the oldest known Jaguar in the wild (approximately 15 years old.) On Monday 2 March 2009, Macho B was recaptured and euthanized after he was found to be suffering from kidney failure.

Completion of the United States–Mexico barrier as currently proposed will reduce the viability of any population currently residing in the United States, by reducing gene flow with Mexican populations, and prevent any further northward expansion for the species.

The historic range of the species included much of the southern half of the United States, and in the south extended much farther to cover most of the South American continent. In total, its northern range has receded 1,000 kilometers southward and its southern range 2,000 km northward. Ice age fossils of the jaguar, dated between 40,000 and 11,500 years ago, have been discovered in the United States, including some at an important site as far north as Missouri. Fossil evidence shows jaguars of up to 190 kg (420 lb), much larger than the contemporary average for the animal.

The habitat of the cat includes the rain forests of South and Central America, open, seasonally flooded wetlands, and dry grassland terrain. Of these habitats, the jaguar much prefers dense forest; the cat has lost range most rapidly in regions of drier habitat, such as the Argentinian pampas, the arid grasslands of Mexico, and the southwestern United States. The cat will range across tropical, subtropical, and dry deciduous forests (including, historically, oak forests in the United States). The jaguar is strongly associated with water and it often prefers to live by rivers, swamps, and in dense rainforest with thick cover for stalking prey. Jaguars have been found at elevations as high as 3,800 m, but they typically avoid montane forest and are not found in the high plateau of central Mexico or in the Andes.

Substantial evidence exists that there is also a colony of non-native melanistic leopards or jaguars inhabiting the rainforests around Sydney, Australia. A local report compiled statements from over 450 individuals recounting their stories of sighting large black cats in the area and confidential NSW Government documents regarding the matter proved wildlife authorities were so concerned about the big cats and the danger to humans, they commissioned an expert to catch it. The three-day hunt later failed, but ecologist Johannes J. Bauer warned: "Difficult as it seems to accept, the most likely explanation is the presence of a large, feline predator. In this area, [it is] most likely a leopard, less likely a jaguar."

Ecological role

The adult jaguar is an apex predator, meaning that it exists at the top of its food chain and is not preyed on in the wild. The jaguar has also been termed a keystone species, as it is assumed, through controlling the population levels of prey such as herbivorous and granivorous mammals, apex felids maintain the structural integrity of forest systems. However, accurately determining what effect species like the jaguar have on ecosystems is difficult, because data must be compared from regions where the species is absent as well as its current habitats, while controlling for the effects of human activity. It is accepted that mid-sized prey species undergo population increases in the absence of the keystone predators and it has been hypothesized that this has cascading negative effects. However, field work has shown this may be natural variability and that the population increases may not be sustained. Thus, the keystone predator hypothesis is not favoured by all scientists.

The jaguar also has an effect on other predators. The jaguar and the cougar, the next largest feline of the Americas, are often sympatric (related species sharing overlapping territory) and have often been studied in conjunction. Where sympatric with the jaguar, the cougar is smaller than normal and is smaller than the local jaguars. The jaguar tends to take larger prey and the cougar smaller, reducing the latter's size. This situation may be advantageous to the cougar. Its broader prey niche, including its ability to take smaller prey, may give it an advantage over the jaguar in human-altered landscapes; while both are classified as near-threatened species, the cougar has a significantly larger current distribution.

Conservation status

Jaguar populations are rapidly declining. The animal is considered Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, meaning it may be threatened with extinction in the near future. The loss of parts of its range, including its virtual elimination from its historic northern areas and the increasing fragmentation of the remaining range, have contributed to this status. The 1960s saw particularly significant declines, with more than 15,000 jaguar skins brought out of the Brazilian Amazon yearly; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of 1973 brought about a sharp decline in the pelt trade. Detailed work performed under the auspices of the Wildlife Conservation Society reveal that the animal has lost 37% of its historic range, with its status unknown in an additional 18%. More encouragingly, the probability of long-term survival was considered high in 70% of its remaining range, particularly in the Amazon basin and the adjoining Gran Chaco and Pantanal.

The major risks to the jaguar include deforestation across its habitat, increasing competition for food with human beings, poaching, hurricanes in northern parts of its range, and the behaviour of ranchers who will often kill the cat where it preys on livestock. When adapted to the prey, the jaguar has been shown to take cattle as a large portion of its diet; while land clearance for grazing is a problem for the species, the jaguar population may have increased when cattle were first introduced to South America as the animals took advantage of the new prey base. This willingness to take livestock has induced ranch owners to hire full-time jaguar hunters, and the cat is often shot on sight.

The jaguar is regulated as an Appendix I species under CITES: all international trade in jaguars or their parts is prohibited. All hunting of jaguars is prohibited in Argentina, Belize, Colombia, French Guiana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, the United States (where it is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act), Uruguay and Venezuela. Hunting of jaguars is restricted to "problem animals" in Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, while trophy hunting is still permitted in Bolivia. The species has no legal protection in Ecuador or Guyana.

Current conservation efforts often focus on educating ranch owners and promoting ecotourism. The jaguar is generally defined as an umbrella species – a species whose home range and habitat requirements are sufficiently broad that, if protected, numerous other species of smaller range will also be protected. Umbrella species serve as "mobile links" at the landscape scale, in the jaguar's case through predation. Conservation organizations may thus focus on providing viable, connected habitat for the jaguar, with the knowledge that other species will also benefit.

Given the inaccessibility of much of the species' range—particularly the central Amazon—estimating jaguar numbers is difficult. Researchers typically focus on particular bioregions, and thus species-wide analysis is scant. In 1991, 600–1,000 (the highest total) were estimated to be living in Belize. A year earlier, 125–180 jaguars were estimated to be living in Mexico's 4,000 square kilometer (2400 mi²) Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, with another 350 in the state of Chiapas. The adjoining Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, with an area measuring 15,000 square kilometers (9,000 mi²), may have 465–550 animals. Work employing GPS–telemetry in 2003 and 2004 found densities of only six to seven jaguars per 100 square kilometers in the critical Pantanal region, compared with 10 to 11 using traditional methods; this suggests that widely used sampling methods may inflate the actual numbers of cats.

On 7 January 2008 United States Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall approved a decision by the George W. Bush Administration to abandon jaguar recovery as a federal goal under the Endangered Species Act. Some critics of the decision said that the jaguar is being sacrificed for the government's new border fence, which is to be built along many of the cat's typical crossings between the United States and Mexico.

In the past, conservation of jaguars sometimes occurred through the protection of jaguar "hotspots". These hotspots were described as Jaguar Conservation Units, and were large areas populated by about 50 jaguars. However, some researchers recently determined that, in order to maintain a robust sharing of the jaguar gene pool necessary for maintaining the species, it is important that the jaguars are interconnected. To facilitate this, a new project, the Paseo del Jaguar, has been established to connect several jaguar hotspots.

In mythology and culture

Pre-Columbian Americas

In pre-Columbian Central and South America, the jaguar has long been a symbol of power and strength. Among the Andean cultures, a jaguar cult disseminated by the early Chavín culture became accepted over most of what is today Peru by 900 BC. The later Moche culture of Northern Peru used the jaguar as a symbol of power in many of their ceramics.

In Mesoamerica, the Olmec—an early and influential culture of the Gulf Coast region roughly contemporaneous with the Chavín—developed a distinct "were-jaguar" motif of sculptures and figurines showing stylized jaguars or humans with jaguar characteristics. In the later Maya civilization, the jaguar was believed to facilitate communication between the living and the dead and to protect the royal household. The Maya saw these powerful felines as their companions in the spiritual world, and a number of Maya rulers bore names that incorporated the Mayan word for jaguar (''b'alam'' in many of the Mayan languages). The Aztec civilization shared this image of the jaguar as the representative of the ruler and as a warrior. The Aztecs formed an elite warrior class known as the Jaguar Knights. In Aztec mythology, the jaguar was considered to be the totem animal of the powerful deity Tezcatlipoca.

The jaguar has had importance in Brazil, where the indigenous peoples of Brazil used its fat.

Contemporary culture

The jaguar and its name is widely used as a symbol in contemporary culture. It is the national animal of Guyana, and is featured in its coat of arms. The flag of the Department of Amazonas, a Colombian department, features a black jaguar silhouette pouncing towards a hunter. The jaguar also appears in banknotes of Brazilian Real. The jaguar is also a common fixture in the mythology of many contemporary native cultures in South America, usually being portrayed as the creature which gave humans the power over fire.

Jaguar is widely used as a product name, most prominently for a luxury car brand. The name has been adopted by sports franchises, including the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and the Mexican football club Jaguares de Chiapas. Grammy winning Mexican rock band "Jaguares" were also influenced by the magnificent animal to choose their band name. The crest of Argentina's national federation in rugby union features a jaguar; however, because of a historic accident, the country's national team is nicknamed ''Los Pumas''. The country's "A" (second-level) national team in that sport now bears the Jaguars name.

A melanistic jaguar loose in a South American city is the central figure in the 1942 novel ''Black Alibi'' by Cornell Woolrich.

In the spirit of the ancient Mayan culture, the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City adopted a red jaguar as the first official Olympic mascot.

See also

List of solitary animals

References

External links

More pictures and information from Arkive

BBC videos on Jaguars

People and Jaguars a Guide for Coexistence

Category:Panthera Category:Animals described in 1758 Category:Fauna of the Southwestern United States Category:Mammals of North America Category:Mammals of South America Category:Mammals of the United States Category:Megafauna of North America Category:Megafauna of South America Category:National symbols of Guyana Category:Portuguese loanwords Category:Mammals of Costa Rica Category:Mammals of Mexico Category:Mammals of Guatemala Category:Mammals of Venezuela Category:Near threatened animals

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DJ Rolando (born Rolando Rocha)

References

External links

http://www.renegaderhythms.com/home.html?main=http://www.renegaderhythms.com/articles/ur/home.html

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=jaguar

http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature-read.aspx?id=354

DJ Rolando at Discogs.com

Category:American dance musicians Category:American electronic musicians Category:American techno musicians Category:American DJs Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Club DJs Category:Remixers

de:DJ Rolando es:DJ Rolando fr:DJ Rolando pl:DJ Rolando

name	Sébastien Léger
birth name	Sébastien Léger
background	non_performing_personnel
alias	Sébastien "Legend" Léger, Seb, Elesse, Sebago, The White Duck
born	February 03, 1979 Evry, France
genre	House, tech house, techno
occupation	DJ, Producer
years active	1999 - present
label	Mistakes Music, Rising Music, Black Jack
website	www.sebastienleger.net }}

Sébastien Léger is a French house DJ and producer. Currently ranked 138 on ''The DJ List'', his singles "Hit Girl", "Hypnotized" and "Aqualight" have become hit dance singles played in clubs across Europe.

Style and history

Frequently touring and producing with Chris Lake, his single Aqualight was a collaboration between the two. Léger has built on his skills as a trained pianist and drummer. He speaks English, Dutch and French.

He was interviewed with the Ministry of Sound representative on Ministry of Sound TV, along with Chris Lake. Léger operates a radio show, ''Sessions'', on Ministry of Sound internet radio where he plays his own remixes and hits. Famous remixes include Kylie Minogue, Justin Timberlake, Duran Duran, Groove Armada and Ali Love.

Sébastien Léger owns and manages his own record label, Mistakes Music.

On 10 May 2008, Léger made his debut on BBC Radio 1's ''Essential Mix'', providing two hours of house, techno and minimal music. He played mostly material from his own record label, although he also used the chance to showcase his own remix of "Around The World" by Daft Punk. According to Sébastien Léger's own MySpace blog, he will never release this version and intends to use it solely as a DJ tool in his sets. Also in 2008, Sébastien Léger released an updated version of the Detroit techno classic "Knights Of The Jaguar" on his label Mistakes Music. The track became an underground hit after being supported by numerous popular DJs.

Discography

Singles and albums

{| width="100%" | width="50%" valign="top" |

width="0%"	Year	Title	Label
1999	Sébastien Léger - ''There Is Life After Us EP''	Black Jack
1999	The White Duck - ''The Groove'' / ''The Million Dollar Track''
2000	Sébastien Léger - Untitled (4 Tracks)
2000	Sébastien Léger - ''Astrosyn Skunk'' / ''The Babe Coke''
2000	Sébastien Léger - ''Atomic Pop LP''
2000	Sébastien Léger - ''Hysterik Conspiration'' / ''Amnezik Impulsion''
2000	Sébastien Léger - ''Midnight In Galaxy'' / ''Diametrik Acidness''
2000	Sébastien Léger - ''Off The Wall''
2000	Sébastien Léger - ''We Are''
2000	Sébastien Léger - ''You Can Hide From Your Beat''
2001	Elesse - ''Pop Corn EP''
2001	Elesse - ''P.Y.T.''
2001	Sébastien Léger - Untitled (3 Tracks)
2001	Sébastien Léger - ''Burned Funk'' / ''Cracked Face''
2001	Sébastien Léger - ''Dazed and Confused EP''
2001	Sébastien Léger - ''Express''
2001	Sébastien Léger - ''Impossible à Cerner EP''
2001	Sébastien Léger - ''Seems So Far''
2001	Sébastien Léger - ''The Mushroom Project EP''
2001	Sébastien Léger - ''Thorny EP''
2002	Elesse - ''Liberian Track''
2002	Sébastien Léger - ''King Size LP''
2002	Sébastien Léger - ''The Mushroom Project 2 EP''
2002	Sébastien Léger - ''We Are EP''
2002	Sébastien Léger - ''Victory EP''
2002	The Last Blade - ''Requiem'' / ''Just Bask From Hell''
2003	Elesse: ''Rare & Unrelease Cutz''
2003	Sébastien Léger - ''Azidobrazil'' / ''Listen''
2003	Sébastien Léger - ''First Beats EP''
2004	Sebago - ''Hands On Me''
2004	Sébastien Léger - ''5th Birthday''
2004	Sébastien Léger - ''Grab My Hipps'' / ''My Slap''

| width="50%" valign="top" |

width="0%"	Year	Title	Label
2004	Sébastien Léger - ''LFO Swing EP''	Aroma Jackin
2005	Sébastien Léger - ''1979 EP''
2005	Sébastien Léger - ''Epoxy''
2005	Sébastien Léger - ''Lunar EP''
2005	Sébastien Léger - ''Mooguno EP''
2005	Sébastien Léger - ''Take Your Pills''
2006	Sébastien Léger - ''Brouwersgracht EP''
2006	Sébastien Léger - ''Bad Clock 04 EP''
2006	Sébastien Léger - ''Cosmogold EP''
2006	Sébastien Léger - ''Geft'' / ''T''
2006	Sébastien Léger - ''Hit Girl''
2006	Sébastien Léger - ''Hypnotized''
2006	Sébastien Léger - ''Mistakes EP''
2006	Sébastien Léger - ''The Bug EP''
2007	Sébastien Léger - ''Mercury'' / ''Mars''
2007	Sébastien Léger - ''Aqualight''
2007	Sébastien Léger - ''Pluton'' / ''Saturn''
2007	Sébastien Léger - ''Planets LP''
2008	Sébastien Léger - ''Jaguar''
2008	Sébastien Léger - ''Word'' / ''Ghost''
2008	Sébastien Léger - ''Majestic''
2009	Sébastien Léger - ''Marina'' / ''Jungle''
2009	Sébastien Léger - ''Seaweed'' / ''Sunset'' / ''Snapshot''
2009	Sébastien Léger - ''Foxxy'' / ''Le Moustique''
2009	Sébastien Léger - ''Bubbly'' / ''Discotechno''
2009	Sébastien Léger - ''The Rhythm''
2009	Sébastien Léger - ''Binola / The White Island''
2010	Sébastien Léger - ''Plik Plok''
2010	Sébastien Léger - ''Take Your Pills''
2010	Sébastien Léger - ''Balkamaniac / Les Frelons''
2010	Sébastien Léger - ''Silicone Carne / Superdrums''
2010	Sébastien Léger - ''Gone Wild / Mixtape''
2011	Sébastien Léger - ''Origines''
2011	Sébastien Léger - ''Polymod / Like Before''

|}

Exclusive tracks

{| width="100%" | width="50%" valign="top" |

Sébastien Léger - ''The Skyy Soul'' Sébastien Léger - ''The Hell of a Guy''

width="0%"	Year	Title	Compilation	Label
1999	Sébastien Léger - ''Rock It & Play''	Blackjack Sampler 1
1999	|	Blackjack pres. Jackpot	Black Jack
2000	|	Flamingo EP	Black Jack

| width="50%" valign="top" |

Sébastien Léger - ''Overdrived'' Sébastien Léger - ''Refresh Your Mind''

width="0%"	Year	Title	Compilation	Label
2000	Sébastien Léger - ''Ice Cream''	Cruel Summer
2004	|	Bassethound Sampler 1	Bassethound Rec.
2004	|	Always Open	Sismic Music

|}

Remixes

{| width="100%" | width="50%" valign="top" |

width="0%"	Year	Title	Label
1999	Fafa Monteco - ''Vous Voulez de la Musique''	Sculpture
1999	Tony Esposito - ''Kalimba De Luna''
1999	Da Bitchie Boyz - ''Le Zeeep''
1999	Fafa Monteco - ''Good Time''
2000	Paul Jonhson - ''Noise''
2000	Ron Carrol - ''The Sermon''
2000	Fab G - ''Frenchy Frenzy''
2000	DJ Nekbath - ''Feel It''
2000	Chris Rubix - ''Brooklin Queen''
2000	Phunky Data - ''Body Music''
2000	Fab G - ''Feelings''
2001	Eminence feat. Kathy Brown - ''Give It Up''
2001	Nicholas - ''The Cruise''
2001	Def Bond & Fafa Monteco - ''The Master''
2001	Rok - ''Cycle Cuts''
2001	Jimmy Van De Velde - ''Beginnings''
2001	Dj Nekbath - ''Think Twice''
2002	Nicolas Vallée - ''Land Of The Free''
2002	Jaimy & Kenny D. - ''Keep On Touchin Me''
2002	Jakatta feat. Seal - ''My Vision''
2002	M - ''So Fly''
2002	Etienne De Crecy - ''Three Day Week End''
2002	Liquid People vs. Simple Minds - ''Monster''
2002	Alexander East - ''Tears''
2004	Fat Phaze - ''Take Care''
2004	Manuel Tur - ''Keep It Warm''
2004	Dave Armstrong - ''Make Your Move''
2004	Sébastien Léger & Alexander Koning - ''Greencross''

| width="50%" valign="top" |

Co-Fusion - ''Hot

width="0%"	Year	Title	Label
2005	Highstreets - ''Don't Let Go''	Ledge Music
2005	Hot! (Love To Heart)''	Southern Fried Rec.
2005	Hiroki Esashika - ''Kazane''
2005	DJ Marnix - ''Fire''
2005	Armand Van Helden - ''Into Your Eyes''
2005	Inner City - ''Say Something''
2005	The Soul Monkey - ''Equator''
2005	Invader - ''Desperate House''
2005	Lifelike - ''Running Out''
2006	Dannii Minogue - ''Greatest Dancer''
2006	Bruno Banner - ''Spaceshift''
2006	Giorgio Prezioso vs. Libex - ''Xperimetal Scratch''
2006	Dave Robertson & Jon Gurd - ''The Rendition''
2006	Supermode - ''Tell Me Why''
2006	Claude Vonstroke - ''Deep Throat''
2006	Eric Prydz>Cirez D - ''Knockout''
2006	Fairmont - ''Gazebo''
2006	Hystereo - ''Winters In The City'' / ''Executive Memo''
2006	Don Diablo - ''Blow''
2007	Julian Jeweil - ''Air Conditionné''
2007	Ida Engberg - ''Disco Volante''
2007	Justin Timberlake - ''What Goes Around''
2007	Ali Love - ''Secret Sunday Lover''
2007	Stefy - ''Chelsea''
2007	Chris Lake feat. Emma Hewitt - ''Carry Me Away''
2007	Angel Alanis feat. Renée - ''Cage Me In''
2007	Eric Prydz vs. Pink Floyd>Floyd - ''Proper Education''
2007	Ida Engberg - ''Disco Volante''

|}

External links

Official Site

Interview / FAQ with Sébastien Léger

Ministry of Sound Radio

Sébastien Léger Essential Mix

References

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:French DJs Category:People from Breda Category:French house musicians

da:Sebastien Leger de:Sébastien Léger fr:Sébastien Léger nl:Sébastien Léger fi:Sébastien Léger

The Jaguar is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by artist Laura Molina and published under her privately-owned Insurgent Comix imprint. The character, created in response to California's 1994 passage of proposition 187, made her first appearance in ''Cihualyaomiquiz, The Jaguar'' #1 (1996).

The Jaguar's secret identity is that of Linda Rivera, an East Los Angeles law student. Linda lives in an alternate timeline in which proposition 187 has transformed California in to a police state ruled by right-wing fundamendalist groups, which enact the removal of equal employment and affirmative action policies. People of color are consistently denied civil rights while racist hate groups are allowed to proliferate throughout the state. Tired of seeing her people persecuted, Rivera dons the mantle of Cihualyaomiquiz, a term from the Aztec language translated as "''Woman ready to die in battle''" and becomes a vigilante known as The Jaguar. She is assisted by local activists groups and makes use of her fighting ability, detective skills and knowledge of the law in her pursuit of social justice.

Publication history

Molina first conceived The Jaguar as a response to California's proposition 187 which was designed to deny illegal immigrants social services, health care, and public education. The proposition would later pass with 58.8% of the vote before being overturned by the United States federal court. Molina viewed the proposition as a license to discriminate and a direct attack on human rights, as explained in her 1996 introduction to the character:

The Jaguar made her first published appearance in ''Cihualyaomiquiz, The Jaguar #1'' written and illustrated by Laura Molina in 1996 with Tomás Benitez assisting in additional story editing and dialogue. The series is currently on hiatus, but Molina promises new installments in the near future.

Fictional character history

Shortly after the passing of proposition 187, the rightwing backlash brings a new attack on civil rights, equal employment and affirminative action. Soon politicians are pushing for a national proposition 187. The right wing becomes corrupted by corporate media conglomerates and super rich while racist hate groups begin to grow more vocal and violent. The dignity of minority groups is assaulted on a daily basis with increasing violence against Chicano activist groups.

After witnessing the racist authority of California firsthand, Linda Rivera reclaims her heritage by reuniting with her native history. Adopting the mantle of Cihualyaomiquiz, dedicates her vigilante activities to Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war. Every night she performs an ancient ritual in which copal is lit and calls upon her nahual (spirit guide) to transform into her alter ego as The Jaguar. During one of her first adventures, she is shown to have received important information from an unnamed activist group in order to steal some important legal documents. Along the way she encountered two neo-nazis in a back alley doing drugs. They attempted to overpower her, but she easily dispatches of the two of them. Before leaving she concludes the altercation by congratulating them for being so lucky, because "''...after all, my ancestors used to eat their enemies.''"

Literary analysis

Since the character's debut, The Jaguar has been interpreted and discussed in other forms. One notable example appears in Laura E. Pérez' ''Chicana Art: The Politics of Spiritual and Aesthetic Altarities'', in which the comic book was compared to Art Spiegelman's ''Maus'':

Notes

ISBN 978-0822338680

Frederick Luis Aldama (2009): ''Your Brain on Latino Comics'', University of Texas Press, SBN: 978-0-292-71973-6

References

External links

Official site

Official MySpace

Category:Fictional American people of Mexican descent Category:Fictional vigilantes Category:Fictional women soldiers and warriors Category:Fictional lawyers Category:Comics characters