Track 38

Track 38

Katie: Well, we were thinking of presenting each animal with a picture and describing their physical characteristics.

Tutor: OK, but not in too much detail. That’s just background information.

Ian: We’ll start with the jaguar. I’ll introduce it by saying that the jaguar is a nocturnal animal and the only species of the genus Panthera to be found in the Americas. Like any cat, it has whiskers and it can move quickly. its spine has great movement, meaning a jaquar can take long strides, sometimes up to five and a half metres. This can make it a deadly predator as you can imagine! Moving on to the fur. .. Its fur is quite distinct. The markings are like black doughnut—shaped spots on its otherwise yellow fur. People often confuse them with the leopard for this reason. Now the tail is interesting. Although people think that the tail has stripes on it, the fur on the tail actually is similar to the body with black circles around the lower section. The jaguar is generally a creature to be feared. Oh, yes, I should have mentioned this earlier. Sorry. Like most cats, it has sharp, retractable claws.

Tutor: Yes, that’s fine, but be careful. The jaguar is usually thought of as nocturnal, but strictly speaking, it’s crepuscular, in other words, most active between dusk and dawn. But as long as you mention this, you can put it under the umbrella of nocturnal. is that all?

Katie: Yes, I think so. Thanks, Professor.