Jaguar

Panthera onca

Jaguar (Panthera onca): The Big Cat That Bites Through Skulls

The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas and the third-largest cat in the world, after the lion and the tiger. This stocky, spotted ambush hunter lives mostly in forests and wetlands near water, swims well, and often kills prey with a bite that pierces the back of the skull. Some jaguars are black: the 'black panthers' of the Americas.

Habitat
Mostly lowland rainforest and wetlands near water; also dry forest and scrub
Size
1.5-2.4 m nose to tail tip; usually about 45-113 kg, exceptionally 36-158 kg
Diet
More than 85 prey species, incl. peccaries, capybaras, deer, caimans, turtles and fish
Range
19 countries, from the southwestern USA and Mexico to northern Argentina
Conservation
Near Threatened (IUCN); about 173,000 estimated in the wild
Lifespan
About 10-15 years in the wild

Habitat & range

Jaguars live in 19 countries, from the rugged mountains of the southwestern United States through Mexico and Central America to the Amazon, the Pantanal and the dry forests of northern Argentina. They have disappeared from El Salvador and Uruguay ([USFWS](https://www.fws.gov/species/jaguar-panthera-onca)). About 57% of their range is Amazon rainforest, but they also turn up in swampy savannas, dry forest and even desert scrub ([USFWS](https://www.fws.gov/species/jaguar-panthera-onca)). What they need most is water, dense cover and enough prey. They are rarely far from rivers, lagoons and swamps ([ADW](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Panthera_onca/)).

How to recognise it

The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas, with a broad, heavy head, a compact muscular body, short legs and a fairly short tail ([USFWS](https://www.fws.gov/species/jaguar-panthera-onca)). Its coat is pale yellow to reddish tan with black **rosettes** that usually have one or more dots inside. Leopards, which live in Africa and Asia, have rosettes without the inner dot and a lighter build ([San Diego Zoo](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/jaguar)). Every jaguar's spot pattern is unique, and often differs between its left and right sides ([USFWS](https://www.fws.gov/species/jaguar-panthera-onca)). Some jaguars are black (melanistic), caused by a single dominant gene variant. Their rosettes are still faintly visible against the dark coat ([ADW](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Panthera_onca/)).

Diet & hunting

Jaguars eat more than 85 different prey species, preferring medium to large animals such as peccaries, capybaras and deer, but also taking caimans, turtles, armadillos, birds and fish ([USFWS](https://www.fws.gov/species/jaguar-panthera-onca)). They stalk and ambush rather than chase. A jaguar either bites the neck or kills instantly by driving its canines through the back of the skull, and its jaws can get through thick reptile skin and turtle shells ([ADW](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Panthera_onca/)). For its size, its bite is stronger than a tiger's, lion's or leopard's ([Wroe et al. 2005](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1564077/)). They are strong swimmers, and jaguars have even been seen tapping the water with their tails, apparently to attract fish ([San Diego Zoo](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/jaguar)).

Behavior

Jaguars are solitary and territorial, marking their areas with scrapes, urine and droppings. They are mostly active at night and around dusk and dawn ([ADW](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Panthera_onca/); [USFWS](https://www.fws.gov/species/jaguar-panthera-onca)). The jaguar is the only cat in the Americas that can roar. A male's roar sounds more like a bark followed by a growl ([USFWS](https://www.fws.gov/species/jaguar-panthera-onca); [San Diego Zoo](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/jaguar)). Mothers raise one to four cubs alone, and the young stay with her for about two years ([USFWS](https://www.fws.gov/species/jaguar-panthera-onca)).

Conservation

The IUCN lists the jaguar as **Near Threatened** ([IUCN Red List](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15953/123791436)). An estimated 173,000 remain, but their habitat has shrunk by about 20% since the early 2000s. Jaguars are also killed for trophies and body parts and in revenge for attacks on livestock ([USFWS](https://www.fws.gov/species/jaguar-panthera-onca)). In the United States the jaguar is listed as Endangered, and international trade in jaguar skins is banned under CITES ([ADW](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Panthera_onca/); [San Diego Zoo](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/jaguar)). Compare it with the other big cats in our [biggest cats ranking](/journal/biggest-cats-in-the-world-ranked-tiger-lion-jaguar).

Fun facts about Jaguar

  • For its size, the jaguar bites harder than a tiger, lion or leopard (Wroe et al. 2005).
  • Jaguars often kill by biting straight through the back of the skull (ADW).
  • Black jaguars still have rosettes, just hard to see (ADW).
  • Jaguars have been seen tapping the water with their tails, apparently to lure fish (San Diego Zoo).
  • It is the only cat in the Americas that can roar (USFWS).

Jaguar vs Mountain Lion

Jaguar wins: heavier, more muscular and with a much stronger bite for its size.

These two really do share ground: from Mexico to Argentina, jaguars and mountain lions live in the same forests, as in Brazil's Iguaçu National Park area, where both were studied side by side ([Azevedo 2008](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2008.00404.x)). In a straight fight, the jaguar is the heavier, more heavily muscled cat with a far stronger bite for its size ([Wroe et al. 2005](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1564077/)). The mountain lion is lighter and more agile, but in thick riverside cover the jaguar's power and skull-piercing bite give it the edge. Our verdict: the jaguar holds the riverbank.

Read more about Mountain Lion.

Common questions about Jaguar

Is a black panther a jaguar?

Sometimes. "Panther" is not one species: a black panther in the Americas is a black (melanistic) jaguar, while in Africa and Asia it is a black leopard (San Diego Zoo). The black coat comes from a single dominant gene variant, and the rosettes are still faintly visible (ADW). Black jaguars occur mainly in South America and are not found north of Mexico's Isthmus of Tehuantepec (USFWS).

What is the difference between a jaguar and a leopard?

Where they live and how they are built. Jaguars live only in the Americas, leopards in Africa and Asia. Jaguars are stockier and more muscular, and their rosettes usually have a dot inside, while leopard rosettes do not (San Diego Zoo). Jaguars also have a broad, heavy head and short legs and tail (USFWS). Compare the mountain lion, the other big cat of the Americas.

How strong is a jaguar's bite?

Very strong for its size: stronger than a tiger's or a lion's. A 2005 study gave the jaguar a bite force quotient of 137, above the tiger (127), lion (112) and leopard (94), with an estimated canine bite of about 1,000 newtons (Wroe et al. 2005). That lets it kill by piercing the back of the skull and bite through caiman skin and turtle shells (ADW).

Are there jaguars in the United States?

Yes, but very few. The United States is one of 19 countries where jaguars live, and they have been recorded in the rugged mountains of southern Arizona and New Mexico (USFWS). The jaguar is listed as Endangered there, and critical habitat has been designated along the border with Mexico (USFWS).

Can jaguars swim?

Yes, very well. Jaguars are excellent swimmers and are usually found near rivers, lagoons and swamps (ADW). They hunt in and around water, taking caimans, turtles and fish (USFWS), and have been seen tapping the water with their tails, apparently to attract fish (San Diego Zoo).

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