Jaguar
Panthera onca · Animal
The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world. It has an exceptionally powerful bite and is at home in forests, wetlands and rivers.
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Panthera onca
- Kind
- Animal
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN NT)
- Habitat
- Rainforest · wetlands
- Range
- Mexico to northern Argentina
- Size
- Up to about 2.5 m with tail
- Weight
- Up to about 150 kg
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years in the wild
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Activity
- Mostly nocturnal · solitary
- Population
- Declining across much of its range
Diet
Hunts capybaras, peccaries, deer, caimans and turtles; its bite can crack turtle shells.
Behavior
Unlike most cats, jaguars love water and are excellent swimmers. Their rosettes have small spots inside, unlike a leopard’s.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Felidae
- Genus
- Panthera
- Species
- P. onca
Conservation
Near Threatened: it has disappeared from about half of its historic range.
Main threats
- Deforestation
- Conflict with ranchers
- Poaching