They may not look related, but this is Lolo, a rare black jaguar playing happy families with her recently born cub.

And from the resigned look on Lolo's face it isn't the first time her lively youngster has tried to cut his teeth on her ear.

They have an extremely powerful bite and eat large prey including deer, tapirs and even anaconda snakes.

Jaguars are usually spotted, to help them blend in with jungle surroundings, but around 6 per cent have a condition known as melanism which means they are entirely black.

Lolo, originally from South America, was guiding her still unnamed cub through his first public appearance yesterday at the zoo in Yaduda, Jordan, where he was born. Falah, his father, is kept separate to protect the youngster.

Adult jaguars have a powerful bite, but Lolo's cub is just two months old and his mother's ear was still intact when she shooed him gently away.

They are usually spotted, to help them blend in with jungle surroundings, but around six per cent of their population have a condition known as melanism, which means they are entirely black.