Black Jaguar

I chose jaguars because of their distinct coat and stealth. These are primarily ground-dwelling animals with expertise in swimming, climbing, and sneaking up on prey. Jaguars live in rainforests of Central and South America. Each day, 80,000-200,000 acres of rainforest are destroyed. This has caused jaguar populations to drop exponentially. Today, there are only 600 black jaguars left in the wild. I believe that in the future, in order to survive, black jaguars might begin to obtain a brown and tan color like their close relatives–the spotted jaguar, in an effort to reduce heat absorption and increase camouflage for a drier and blander environment. They might also adapt to a savannah-like environment by getting a slimmer and lighter body with longer legs in order to keep up with their carnivorous predation habits, and larger ears and thinner fur to help aid in thermoregulation in their newfound hot environment.