| The jaguar, Panthera onca, is a big cat, a feline in | | | | presence of water and is notable, along with the |
| the Panthera genus. It is the only Panthera | | | | tiger, as a feline that enjoys swimming. The |
| species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the | | | | jaguar is a largely solitary, stalk-and-ambush |
| third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and | | | | predator, and is opportunistic in prey selection. It is |
| the largest and most powerful feline in the | | | | also an apex and keystone predator, playing an |
| Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range | | | | important role in stabilizing ecosystems and |
| extends from Mexico across much of Central | | | | regulating the populations of prey species. The |
| America and south to Paraguay and northern | | | | jaguar has developed an exceptionally powerful |
| Argentina. Apart from a known and possibly | | | | bite, even relative to the other big cats. This |
| breeding population in Arizona (southeast of | | | | allows it to pierce the shells of armoured reptiles |
| Tucson), the cat has largely been extirpated from | | | | and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites |
| the United States since the early 1900s. There is, | | | | directly through the skull of prey between the |
| however, a high probability that (given the | | | | ears to deliver a fatal blow to the brain. |
| surveyed population in southeastern Arizona) | | | | The jaguar is a near threatened species and its |
| populations of Jaguar exist in other unsurveyed | | | | numbers are declining. Threats include habitat loss |
| regions within southern Arizona, New Mexico and | | | | and fragmentation. While international trade in |
| possibly even Texas. | | | | jaguars or their parts is prohibited, the cat is still |
| This spotted cat most closely resembles the | | | | regularly killed by humans, particularly in conflicts |
| leopard physically, although it is usually larger and | | | | with ranchers and farmers in South America. |
| of sturdier build and its behavioral and habitat | | | | Although reduced, its range remains large; given |
| characteristics are closer to those of the tiger. | | | | its historical distribution, the jaguar has featured |
| While dense rainforest is its preferred habitat, the | | | | prominently in the mythology of numerous |
| jaguar will range across a variety of forested and | | | | indigenous American cultures, including that of the |
| open terrain. It is strongly associated with the | | | | Maya and Aztec. |