Jaguar
Scientific Name: Panthera onca
Range: Central and South America
Habitat: Tropical habitats such as deciduous forests, rain forests, and wet savannas.
Size: Five to six feet long
Weight: 100 – 125 pounds
Lifespan: 12 - 15 years in the wild; up to 25 years in captivity
Diet: Jaguars are carnivores that favor large prey such as deer, peccaries, and cattle. They also dig up and eat sea turtle eggs in the spring.
Predators: The jaguar is at the top of the food chain, but has been hunted by humans.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Did You Know?
• The jaguar is the largest species of cat native to the Western Hemisphere.
• They are the only cat native to the Western Hemisphere that roars.
• The Mayans believed that the jaguar was the god of the underworld and assisted the sun in traveling beneath the earth at night so that it would rise each morning.
• Though most cats avoid water, the jaguar is a skilled swimmer and hunter in water.
• The jaguar is a solitary creature that usually travels and hunts alone.
• The jaguar sharpens its claws on trees.
Download the Animal Atlas Jaguar's Wallpaper here!!
