The Jaguar is the largest cat and territorial predator in the western hemisphere. The Jaguars lean muscular body enables it to adapt to swimming, climbing and crawling. Also the Jaguars agility and strength allow it to capture such prey as: peccaries, caimans, and deer. The ancient Mayans and Incas saw the Jaguar as a divine creature and believed that the skin of a Jaguar symbolized the night sky. Whereas the ancient Aztecs fed the hearts of sacrificial victims to them. Throughout the Amazon the Jaguars reflecting eyes were believed to have a deep connection to the spirit world.

The Jaguar is smaller than the Lion and Tiger. They have the same appearance as an African and Asian Leopard, though they have much smaller tails, as well as a more powerful and agile body. The size and weight depend heavily on the sex of the animal and its eating habits, along with the territory in which it presides. Adult male and female Jaguars may weigh between 124 - 211 lbs. Larger more individual Jaguars can weigh anywhere in between 288 - 333 lbs. Their lengths vary between 5.3 - 6 ft. The female Jaguar tends to be 10 – 20% smaller than the males.