Jaguar

Classification and size

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest living cat native to the Americas. It belongs to the same genus as the leopard and tiger. Its heavy head and stocky build are good clues in a photograph. On many jaguars the flank markings are rosettes with small spots inside them. Body size varies across the range and between sexes, with males generally heavier than females. Dark-coated jaguars are another form of the same species and can retain a visible pattern when the light catches the coat.

Habitat and distribution

Most jaguars live in Central and South America, from Mexico south to Argentina, with the Amazon as a major stronghold. The species uses rainforest, wetlands and seasonally dry areas. The Pantanal is a good example of wetland habitat where waterways are part of a jaguar’s home range. A jaguar is a capable swimmer, so open water can form part of a hunting area. Connected habitat allows young adults to disperse and establish a range of their own.

Diet and hunting

Jaguars eat many kinds of animals. A jaguar in wet country may take capybaras and caimans, while cats elsewhere hunt mammals such as peccaries and deer. Their powerful jaws let them tackle a variety of prey. A jaguar may wait beside a route used by prey or move under cover to get close. Adults generally hunt by themselves. The prey list for a single site depends on which animals live there and how the local habitat changes through the year.

Conservation

The IUCN lists the jaguar as Near Threatened globally. Forest clearing and roads can fragment habitat, and attacks on livestock can lead to retaliatory killing. Smithsonian researchers track movements to see where habitat corridors could keep populations connected. Those paths matter especially where a cat must cross developed land between areas with good cover.

Sources

• IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group — Jaguar
• Smithsonian Movement of Life — Jaguar