Panthera pardus

At maturity the jaguar is 44'' to 73'' long and 18'' to 30'' tall. It stands 2 ft high. Its tail length 30 inches.

Weighs about 200 lbs.

Its color is a rich yellow to rusty red, possibly black with large spotted rosettes. It has a large rounded head, a deep chest, and short, with massive limbs, and short sleek hair.

They eat arboreal, terrestrial and aquatic animals.

Can be found from the southern U.S.. to northern Argentina. Very abundant in the dense forests ofCentral America and Brazil.

The black Jaguar is a melanistic phase, occurring when the jaguar has too much of the pigment melanin.

• Lincoln Park Zoo species Data Sheet
• The Bigger Big Cats Info Page
• American Zoo and Aquarium Association
• WWF Factsheet