The name jaguar means "he who kills at one leap". The jaguar is only found in the American Continents but the leopard is not. A full-grown jaguar is about 1.8m long and 159kg.

The jaguar is often mistaken to be a leopard. However, the jaguar can be recognized by its small dots or irregular shapes within the larger rosette markings. It has a shorter tail and a more muscular body. In real life, by the location of the species, we are able to determine whether it is a jaguar of a leopard.

Jaguars found in the Amazon Forest is only half the size of those found in open terrain. The reason is that larger and stronger preys are found in the open terrain, requiring the jaguars to have a larger size and build. The colouration of the Amazon jaguars is darker than those found in the grasslands as they can camouflage better in their various habitats.

As a predator of the jungle, the majestic cat hunts at night in areas where man inhabits. However, in areas unexplored by man, the jaguars are crepuscular or diurnal. They hunt domestic animals such as cattle and horses. In the wild, it preys on marsh deer, brocket deer, peccary, capybara, agouti etc. Even fish, monkeys, turtles and large caiman cannot escape its jaws.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the jaguar population declined by a large percentage. Each year, about 18,000 jaguars were killed for their fur. Nowadays, illegal hunting has been controlled but deforestation which leads to the loss of habitats, has become another major threat to the jaguars. An estimated number of 15,000 jaguars are present nowadays. Conservation areas have been established by the government and associations. The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Preserve for example provides home to about 200 jaguars.

birds          Black Skimmer           Great Egret           Harpy Eagle

Macaw           Yellow-tufted Woodpecker

fish          piranha

insects          Leaf Cutter Ant

mammals          Brazilian Tapir           Collared Peccary           Giant Anteater           Giant Otter

Howler Monkey           Owl Monkey           Jaguar           Pink Dolphin

reptiles          Anaconda Snake           Tree Boa           Black Caiman

rodents          Brown Agouti           Capybara