Jaguar Art from Members
AR

CEFAM

CHA

IMMS

JC

SMM

Jaguar

Panthera onca

This page is also available in Spanish and Portuguese!

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the only member of the 'big cat' family that lives in the Americas. The puma, or cougar, also lives in the Americas and is about the same size as the jaguar, but it is classified as a small cat because it cannot roar. The other 6 members of the big cat family are: lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard, and cheetah. The other 27 species of small cats includes wild cats, leopard cats, lynx, bobcat, ocelot, margay, and Geoffroy's cat. Bigger than leopards, jaguars have broad heads and large, powerful paws. They measure 68 -76 cm ( 27 - 30 in) from the ground to their shoulders and weigh about 57-113 kg (about 190 -300 pounds for males and 130-200 pounds for females).

Jaguars can roar, but more often grunt, snarl, growl or even mew.

Jaguars are typically yellow-brown with black spots, called rosettes, but they can also be black with black spots. They are nocturnal and have a keen sense of smell and hearing. These cats are excellent swimmers, great tree climbers, and move easily on the ground.

These skilled hunters live on a diet of small mammals, including peccaries, capybaras, tapirs, and spider monkeys as well as turtles, frogs, and fish that they catch in the forest and rivers. Except when they are breeding, jaguars live alone. The young will stay with their mothers until about age 3 when they start their own families. Like house cats, they mark their territories with urine and tree scratchings. Their conservation status is vulnerable or endangered because trophy hunting, poaching for fur, and habitat loss threaten their survival.