Jaguar's

[Jordan-Jaguar97]

Paradise Wildlife Park And Chester Zoo:
Athena(F)Black Jaguar-PWP
Coro(M)Jaguar-CZ
Should Consider Swapping So That Pele(M)Melanstic Jaguar Should Breed With Athena The Female. Coro Could Move To PWP To Have A Solitary Or Batchellor Live With Ares The Other Male

 

[Indlovu]

Paradise Wildlife Park And Chester Zoo:
Athena(F)Black Jaguar-PWP
Coro(M)Jaguar-CZ
Should Consider Swapping So That Pele(M)Melanstic Jaguar Should Breed With Athena The Female. Coro Could Move To PWP To Have A Solitary Or Batchellor Live With Ares The Other Male

As far as I know Pele is too old to breed. I also don't think Chester would try to specifically breed Black Jaguars.

 

[mazfc]

Sorry for my ignorance, but are black jaguars a specific subspecies or just an oddity (perhaps I should rather say a genetic quirk).

If a genetic quirk then I think the days of breeding animals for 'pretty colours' are past (I hope) as I'm sure that can lead to inbreeding.

 

[Maguari]

Sorry for my ignorance, but are black jaguars a specific subspecies or just an oddity (perhaps I should rather say a genetic quirk).

If a genetic quirk then I think the days of breeding animals for 'pretty colours' are past (I hope) as I'm sure that can lead to inbreeding.

They are indeed just a colour morph. Very attractive and a perfectly natural part of the species' make-up, but mainstream zoos do not (as a rule) deliberately try to breed them (quite rightly, in my opinion).

 

[Javan Rhino]

I think melanistic jaguars and leopards are more common than white tigers and lions, and that they can occur naturally without inbreeding, am I right? However, zoos try and breed the species rather than the colour morph.

 

[Pertinax]

I think melanistic jaguars and leopards are more common than white tigers and lions, and that they can occur naturally without inbreeding, am I right?

Actully that is true of all four species, as White Lions and Tigers have occurred in wild populations too. But the gene for melanism(black) in some Jaguar and Leopard populations is evidently a lot more widespread meaning that yes, they crop up much more frequently in the wild, (as with Malaysian Leopards for example), than White Tigers and Lions do.

Normal- coloured leopards and jaguars can produce black cubs, and vice versa, depending on what gene combinations are present in both the parents. Zoos don't normally make an effort to 'create' black Jaguars and Leopards. However in theory its possible to selectively do so e.g.if its known two spotted parents both carry the 'black' gene, while (AFAIK) black x black always produces black.

 

[Javan Rhino]

Actully that is true of all four species, as White Lions and Tigers have occurred in wild populations too. But the gene for melanism(black) in some Jaguar and Leopard populations is evidently a lot more widespread meaning that yes, they crop up much more frequently in the wild, (as with Malaysian Leopards for example), than White Tigers and Lions do.

Normal- coloured leopards and jaguars can produce black cubs, and vice versa, depending on what gene combinations are present in both the parents. Zoos don't normally make an effort to 'create' black Jaguars and Leopards. However in theory its possible to selectively do so e.g.if its known two spotted parents both carry the 'black' gene, while (AFAIK) black x black always produces black.

Ahh right, I suppose that melanistic jags/leopards are good for zoos (providing that no inbreeding occurrs) since it draws visitors having an animal different to others of that species? I mean, look how popular animals like Snowflake were etc.

 

[Pertinax]

I mean, look how popular animals like Snowflake were etc.

Snowflake was a one-off- the World's only white Gorilla. Interestingly, although it would have involved inbreeding, I think Barcelona Zoo did try (on the quiet) to create another by keeping him for some time with one of his adult daughters(who obviously carried the 'white' gene too) in the same group. They said it was due to 'space constraints' but I'll wager they were hoping for another 'Snowflake' to replace him, but nothing happened.

Black Leopards and Jaguars aren't quite in the same category rarity-wise, but they are eyecatching and do look impressive. I always think they show best when kept with a 'normal' spotted companion (same goes for White tiger or any other unusual colour-morph animals).

 

[Javan Rhino]

@Pertinax: I agree, Snowflake was a rarity, I was kind of using it as an example on how a morph draws an audience, but being a one-off you are right it is unfair to compare.

I think I read somewhere about the 'attempted breeding' of Snowflake, nut can't remeber where.