Jaguar (
Panthera onca)
Care Manual
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Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(5) Moderate
(slight fat covering, bones not apparent, articulations visible but
smooth)
Forequarters: Neck filled in to flow
smoothly into shoulder. Muscles of
shoulder noticeable but with smooth
covering. Peak of scapula noticeable but
topline flows smoothly from neck into
torso.
Midsection: Ribs not visible;
abdominal
muscles noticeable as a transverse line.
Vertebrae not visible; back smooth or
heart-shaped & muscled. Waist noticeable
as a smooth concavity. Abdominal
skinflap may be present with nominal
filling. Slight delineation between
shoulder, torso, & hip.
Hindquarters: Point of hip barely
noticeable, well-rounded. Ischium
noticeable
when walking, barely
noticeable (flat/straight) when standing.
Upper leg smooth & filled with slight
muscle definition. Slope of hip becoming
rounder
(6) Moderate-High
(noticeable fat covering, articulations becoming less noticeable)
Forequarters: Neck filled & becoming
continuous with shoulder. Muscles of
shoulder apparent but covered with fat.
Peak of scapula noticeable but
topline
flows smoothly from neck into torso.
Midsection: Ribs not visible; abdominal
muscles barely noticeable. Back smooth &
rounded, becoming flat. Waist less
discernable as a shallow depression.
Abdominal skin flap filling with fat.
Delineation between shoulder & torso but
torso flows smoothly into hip.
Hindquarters: Point of hip & ischium
completely rounded. Upper leg smooth &
rounded, muscle definition minimal/barely
noticeable. Sacrum rounded.
(7-8) High
(considerable fat covering, animal becoming rounded & bulging)
Forequarters: Cheeks beginning to fill.
Neck continuous between head &
shoulder. Muscles of shoulder barely
noticeable, covered in fat. Fat
accumulating under neck & chest &
behind shoulder & arm.
Midsection: Abdomen smooth, rounded,
& well-covered; ribs or muscles not
visible. Back rounded & becoming flat.
Waist almost filled, barely discernible.
Abdominal skin flap apparent & thickened
with fat. Shoulder barely differentiated
from torso but torso continuous with hip.
Hindquarters: Point of hip & ischium
Jaguar (
Panthera onca)
Care Manual
116
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
covered & rounded. Hip & upper leg filled
& convex throughout. Muscles of leg
barely noticeable. Sacrum rounded, tail
base flush, & tail beginning to thicken.
(9) Extreme High
(animal bulging & completely covered in a heavy fat layer)
Forequarters: Cheeks filled out. Neck
bulging & convex, continuous with head
& shoulder. Shoulder rounded & muscles
barely discernable. Pendulous fat
accumulated beneath neck, chest, arms, &
abdomen.
Midsection: Torso rounded & smooth,
continuous with shoulder & hip. Back
smooth & rounded or flat & table-like.
Waist filled & not discernible. Thick,
pendulous fat along undercarriage.
Hindquarters: Hip & upper leg smooth &
rounded. Muscles of leg not apparent. Tail
noticeably thickened.
Chart developed by Ann Ward and Amy Coslik, Fort Worth Zoo.
Appendix I: Fecal Scoring Chart
A fecal scoring chart for jaguars has not been developed. In the literature, 1–5
scales are described
without a photo record. To minimize this subjective assessment, a scale with photos is highly
recommended. The
chart below, created by Purina (2000), is recommended to be used to provide
consistency between evaluators.
Jaguar (
Panthera onca)
Care Manual
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
118
Appendix J: Physiological Reference Ranges
(ISIS, 2002)
Parameter
Mean
Standard deviation
Sample size
*
Animals
**
WBC (10
9
/L)
11.77
3.883
236
109
RBC (10
9
/L)
7.26
1.35
199
92
Hemoglobin (g/L)
118
22
205
98
Hematocrit (L/L)
0.351
0.061
249
114
MCV (fl)
48.9
9.3
197
90
MCH (pg/cell)
16.5
3.8
188
86
MCHC (g/L)
335
31
205
98
Platelet count (10
12
/L)
0.2810
0.1150
59
40
NRBC/100 WBC
0
1
13
12
Reticulocytes (%)
0.0
0.0
6
5
Segmented neutrophils (10
9
/L)
8.896
3.426
213
98
Lymphocytes (10
9
/L)
2.096
1.936
222
103
Monocytes (10
9
/L)
0.345
0.353
175
94
Eosinophils (10
9
/L)
0.316
0.288
158
84
Basophils (10
9
/L)
0.074
0.112
30
20
Neutrophilic bands (10
9
/L)
0.912
1.662
83
45
Calcium (mMol/L)
2.45
0.23
197
96
Phosphorus (mMol/L)
1.58
0.39
167
85
Sodium (mMol/L)
151
4
172
87
Potassium (mMol/L)
4.1
0.4
175
90
Chloride (mMol/L)
121
5
164
84
Bicarbonate (mMol/L)
91.9
223.5
8
6
CO
2
(mMol/L)
15.8
2.2
67
38
Osmolarity (Osmol/L)
0.3040
0.100
30
19
Iron (µmol/L)
15.04
3.580
15
7
Magnesium (mMol/L)
0.934
0.197
13
12
BUN (mMol/L)
8.925
3.570
206
105
Creatinine (µMol/L)
168
53
202
102
Uric Acid (mMol/L)
0.012
0.018
63
34
Total bilirubin (µMol/L)
3
2
176
92
Direct bilirubin (µMol/L)
0
2
51
27
Indirect bilirubin (µMol/L)
2
2
51
27
Glucose (mMol/L)
7.770
3.053
203
102
Cholesterol (mMol/L)
6.294
1.606
178
91
Triglyceride (mMol/L)
0.3729
0.2260
104
55
LDL Cholesterol (mMol/L)
7.200
0.2331
2
2
HDL Cholesterol (mMol/L)
4.144
1.554
2
2
CK
***
(U/L)
321
267
84
50
LD
***
(U/L)
160
157
98
54
ALP
***
(U/L)
32
33
194
97
AAT
***
(U/L)
55
26
161
89
AST
***
(IU/L)
35
16
196
98
GGT
***
(U/L)
2
2
82
41
Amylase (U/L)
301.2
149.1
63
34
Lipase (U/L)
4.448
3.336
25
15
Total protein (g/L)
74
7
178
90
Globulin (g/L)
40
8
148
76
Albumin (g/L)
34
4
149
76
Progesterone (nMol/L)
0.4293
0.3552
2
1
Total triiodothyronine (nMol/L)
1.297
0633
5
5
Total thyroxine (nMol/L)
27
19
18
13
Body temperature (°C)
38.2
1.1
134
74
Sample size
*
- Number of tests run per parameter.
Animals
**
- Number of animals sampled per parameter.
***
CK – Creatinine phosphokinase; LD – Lactated dehydrogenase: ALP – Alkaline phosphatase; AAT – Alanine aminotransferase;
AST- Aspartate aminotransferase; GGT – Gamma glutamyltransferase.