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 The jaguar (panthera onca) is the third largest cat species and the only 'great cat' (cats that roar, in the genus Panthera) in the Americas. It is the biggest member of the cat family, Felidae, in the western hemisphere.
The size of jaguars varies widely, as those from rainforest are smaller than those from open habitats and can reach 280 pounds.
Jaguars are the strongest cats on earth, considering own body weight versus strength, taking on prey up to 4 to 5 times their weight!
Jaguars kill their prey other then other big cats we all know in Africa... with one bite in the neck!.
The jaguar does not roar like a lion. Instead it growls and makes deep grunts that sound somewhat like a cough. These sounds can be heard across a great distance in the forest, up to a 500 meters for humans and up to 20 km for other jaguars!
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In the 1960s and 1970s, over 15.000 jaguars were killed each year for their beautiful fur.
Jaguars are the most elusive animals on the planet. As such an animal of which hardly any information is available.
Due to deforestation and illegal hunting, even today jaguar numbers dwindle by the day. Perhaps a total of 15.000 jaguars are still alive.
Being on top of the chain, we need jaguars if we want to maintain a truly naturally intact system, if we don’t have them the forest will change.
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