Jaguars, the Cats That Love Water
Field note: the largest cat in the Americas swims, hunts caimans and patrols riverbanks.
By Biosphere Editorial Team · 2026-07-26
Most cats avoid water. The jaguar, Panthera onca, does the opposite: it is a strong swimmer that often hunts along rivers in the rainforest and in wetlands such as Brazil’s Pantanal.
Jaguars hunt capybaras, peccaries and deer, and along rivers they also take caimans and turtles. Their bite is exceptionally strong for their size, and they often kill by biting through the skull of their prey.