Scientists have long believed that most big cats can't meow, but cameras in Brazil's Iguaçu National Park have now recorded mother jaguars and their cubs making "meow-like" vocalizations.
Charles J. Sharp/Wikimedia CommonsA jaguar in Brazil.
While domestic cats meow frequently to communicate with humans, big cats like lions and tigers are unable to make the same sounds. Scientists have long believed that jaguars couldn’t meow either — but cameras hidden deep in a Brazilian forest have now proven them wrong.
Recordings clearly show female jaguars meowing to their young — and their young meowing in return. This is the first time that jaguars have been captured making “meow-like” vocalizations, providing new insights into how big cats communicate with each other in the wild.
Capturing Jaguars Meowing In The Wild
University of SalfordOne of the jaguars recorded meowing in Iguaçu National Park.
The discovery of the meowing jaguars was made by researchers from the University of Salford in the United Kingdom, Atlantic Technological University in Ireland, WWF Brazil, and experts at the Jaguars of Iguaçu Project. They placed camera traps deep in Brazil’s Iguaçu National Park — and were surprised by the jaguar behavior that they captured.
According to a press release from the University of Salford, the cameras recorded two instances of adult female jaguars making “sharp,” “brief,” and “high-pitched” sounds reminiscent of a domestic cat’s meow. Jaguars are known more for their quiet movements — though male jaguars can roar — and have never been recorded meowing before.
“As far as we know this is the first time that jaguars have been recorded using this kind of communication, which we are incredibly excited about,” Dr. Marina Duarte, a research fellow at the University of Salford and a co-author of a new study about the meowing jaguars, remarked.
Domestic cats meow at their owners to get attention, but the female jaguars in Iguaçu National Park seemed to use their vocalizations for a different purpose. They meowed to find their young, who then meowed in response.
“This research really deepens our knowledge of how big cats can communicate,” Duarte stated. “We think they are making these sounds to help locate their young but they could also be using them for reproductive purposes too, to find a mate perhaps. It does sound very cute to our ears!”
The video footage of the meowing jaguars is more than cute, however. It also challenges long-standing assumptions about how big cats communicate.
Do Big Cats Meow? Inside The Complicated Question
The footage of the jaguars meowing is especially important because of what it suggests about big cats. While some wild felines, like cheetahs, have been known to meow, scientists have long believed that animals in the Panthera genus are incapable of making meowing noises. The structure of their larynx and trachea makes meowing unlikely, and most big cats do not purr, either.
Charles J. Sharp/Wikimedia CommonsA female jaguar in Brazil. While thought to be largely silent creatures, scientists now know that female jaguars are capable of meowing to their young.
Yet jaguars — like domestic cats and big cats like snow leopards and cougars — do meow when communicating with their young.
To scientists, the footage of the female jaguars meowing to their cubs in Brazil is an especially exciting discovery because it suggests that there’s still much we don’t know about these big cats. Thought to be quiet animals, the jaguars surprised the scientists by meowing on camera — and also challenged assumptions that researchers have about their relatives, like lions and tigers.
The discovery of the meowing jaguars also emphasizes the importance of further study. How else might jaguars use vocalization? Is the meowing limited to female jaguars and their young? Or can male jaguars make the sound as well?
“These results highlight the value of long-term monitoring efforts for this iconic Atlantic Forest species,” Vania Foster, the Head of Research at the Project Jaguars of Iguaçu, said in the university statement, “and show that there is still much to learn about how jaguars interact and communicate in their natural environment.”
After reading about the discovery of jaguars “meowing” in Brazil, go inside the story of Aoshima, Japan’s “Cat Island,” where felines outnumber humans. Or, learn about some of the most incredible prehistoric animals to ever walk the Earth.
