The strongest bite
For its size the jaguar has the strongest bite of any big cat. It can crack a turtle's shell.
Amazon rainforest
Jaguar
Panthera onca
A heavy, powerful, golden cat covered in black rosettes with spots in the middle.
- Size
- Up to 1.8m long, plus the tail
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rainforest and wetlands from Mexico to Argentina
Pads after you, low and quiet. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Jaguar
Good to know
Six things about the jaguar
Spots within spots
A jaguar's rosettes have a spot in the middle. A leopard's are empty.
A water cat
Jaguars love water and are strong swimmers. They hunt caimans, turtles and fish.
Killed in one leap
The name comes from an old South American word said to mean he who kills with one leap.
Black jaguars
Some jaguars are black all over. Look closely and the rosettes are still there.
Third biggest cat
Only tigers and lions are bigger. It is the biggest cat in the Americas.
The real thing
Photos of the jaguar
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
The Pantanal wetland in Brazil is the best place in the world to see a jaguar: they sun themselves on riverbanks, and boats can watch from the water.
How to help
Jaguars have lost about half their range. Support groups that protect the forest and help ranchers to keep cattle safe without killing cats.
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