Jaguar

The jaguar is the largest member of the cat family, Felidae, found in either North or South America. Formerly designated either Leo onca or Felis onca, the jaguar is now classified as Panthera onca. In Latin America it is commonly called a tigre, the term jaguar is derived from its native Indian name.

A male jaguar may reach 1.8 m (6 ft) in length (head and body) with a 75 cm long (2.5 ft) tail, and may weight nearly 180 kg (400 lb). Its coat ranges from grayish to reddish tan and is spotted like that of a leopard, with body spots grouped into small circles, or rosettes; unlike the leopard, the jaguar’s rosettes surround one or more solid spots. The jaguar is also more stoutly built, with a larger, broader head.

Jaguars are found from the southwestern United States to Petagonia in southern Argentina. The inhabit marshes, scrub brush areas, and both temperate and tropical forests. They feed on a wide variety of large and small animals and also occasionally prey on domestic animals, very rarely, they have become man-eaters. Jaguars breed once a year. After a gestation period of about 14 weeks, usually one to four young are born.

The jaguar, the largest cat found in the Americas, looks like a leopard but is more heavily built. The solitary jaguar establishes its own territory, and males and females disregard each other except during mating season.