The “yaguarete”

GENERAL INFORMATION OF THE NATURAL MONUMENT

Originally the specie was distributed from the southwest of EE.UU to Negro River riversides in Argentina. Nowadays only it can be found in Argentina, in the middle of Misiones, north and east of Salta, east of Jujuy, northeast of Santiago del Estero, northeast of Chaco and northeast of Formosa. The yaguarete is the biggest feline of America. Can be 70 /130 kilograms weight and 80 cms. Height. Its aspect is similar to the African leopard, although this is thinner, has longer tail and doesn't have dark spots on its pelage. The yaguarete's pelage allowed it hide inside the vegetation to get close to its preys. It eats little rodents, stags, cattle and “tapires”. As the Asiatic tiger, it frequents watercourses to protect against the sun and insects, and to capture fishes, turtles and alligators. It is a solitary animal with night habits and doesn't be afraid of humans. Nowadays the yaguarete habitat is the “salteña and jujeñas nobuselvas”, and many sectors of the occidental “chaqueño” district and “misionera” rainforest, and frequents different kinds of ambient: dense forests, “tacuarales”, “picadas”, routes and places particularly close to the water. At Iguazu National Park there is an animal each 55 km2.


IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION

The yaguarete declination is fast. In the half of the 19 th century used to live near “bonaerenses” little lakes, it can be seeing in the Colorado riverside and also used the “Delta del Parana” as a refuge. There many reasons of its migration to the north: the persecution that suffered many years ago because people though that it was a danger for cattle and human being. Otherwise, its skin is a value prize. Nowadays the biggest problem was the alteration of the natural environmental where the yaguarete used to live, because of the farming and energetic exploitation.