Common name

Jaguar

Species name

Panthera onca

ARKive fact

Relative to their size, jaguars have the most powerful bite of the ‘big cats' and are the only big cat to regularly kill by piercing the skull.

Conservation status

Near Threatened

Distribution

Jaguars were once found across the Americas as far north as California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas in the United States. In recent years they have been seen and photographed in southern Arizona but otherwise survive only in Central and South America, ranging from Mexico to north Argentina. Their population is small and highly fragmented in Mexico. The highest population densities of up to one per 15 square kilometres are found in the lowland rainforests of the Amazon Basin.

Habitat

Found in a variety of habitats across its range, from dense rainforest to seasonally flooded swamp areas, scrubland and savannas, but always near water. Although primarily occupying lowlands below 1,000 metres, sightings of jaguars have been reported as high as 3,800 metres.

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