Jaguar

Where most big cats throttle their prey, the largest cat of the Americas often kills with a single bite through the skull or the back of the neck. Its canines can pierce the shells of river turtles, and along rivers it drags caimans from the water's edge.

• Each rosette usually encloses one or more small dark spots, which a leopard's rosettes lack.
• Black jaguars are the same species, and their rosettes remain visible in strong light.
• Jaguars of the Pantanal and Llanos can weigh more than 100 kilograms, roughly twice the weight of those in Central American forests.
• The historic range reached the south-western United States, and lone males still occasionally cross into Arizona from Mexico.
• Its roar is a series of deep, hoarse coughs, often compared to the sound of sawing wood.

Jaguar is mostly crepuscular and nocturnal, resting in cover by day.

Habitat: rainforest, wetland, and dense river corridor habitat

Native range: Central and South America

Jaguar feeds on deer, peccaries, capybaras, caimans, turtles, and many prey animals.

Jaguar is mostly crepuscular and nocturnal, resting in cover by day.

Jaguar often lives around a decade or more in the wild.

Following roughly 14 weeks of pregnancy, females raise one to four cubs in hidden dens. Two is the usual litter. Cubs open their eyes at around two weeks and stay with the mother for up to two years.

The coat is the same in both sexes, but males are larger and range more widely. Males are typically 10 to 20 per cent heavier, and one male's range overlaps those of several females.

Rarity: Uncommon · 68/100. Jaguar is never easy to find and becomes less secure when rainforest, wetland, and dense river corridor habitat is reduced or broken apart.

• Keep distance and let the animal choose the space.
• Avoid blocking movement routes, nesting areas, or feeding behavior.
• Use optics, patience, and quiet observation instead of crowding for a closer view.