“A jaguar's jaw is so strong it can bite through a turtle's shell.”
The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas, a stocky rainforest ambush hunter with the strongest bite of any big cat, able to pierce turtle shells and skulls. It is listed as Near Threatened.
By An Nguyen · Published · Updated
Measured against the 176 species profiled on this site. Each figure is converted to one unit system from the published range on the page, so the ranks are computed, not quoted.
| Measure | This species | Rank here | Exceeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body mass | 113.4 kg | #46 of 176#34 of 90 Mammalia | 74% |
| Body length | 1.83 m | #54 of 176#36 of 90 Mammalia | 70% |
| Top speed | 80.5 km/h | #9 of 75#4 of 46 Mammalia | 84% |
| Lifespan in the wild | 15 yr | #92 of 169#47 of 85 Mammalia | 40% |
Closest in body mass
Ranks use the upper end of each published adult range, so they compare typical large adults rather than records, and metrics with no published number are left out rather than estimated. The full table is downloadable from the species dataset, and any two species can be put side by side in the comparison tool.
Browse jaguar photographs—from cubs and rosette patterns to hunting in South American forests and wetlands.
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Core article
A closer look at habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and conservation.
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest wild cat in the Americas and the third largest on Earth. Stocky, broad-headed, and short-limbed, it is built for close-range ambush in forest, wetland, and floodplain — and, unlike most cats, it takes readily to water, hunting fish, turtles, and caimans. Its rosette coat dissolves its outline in forest shade, while a heavy skull drives a bite that can pierce shell and bone.
Jaguars have a compact frame suited to short ambushes rather than long chases, males 10 to 20% larger than females. Adults run 3.8 to 6 feet in body length (excluding tail), stand 2 to 2.5 feet at the shoulder, and weigh 100 to 250 pounds, the biggest in the Pantanal floodplains. Pound for pound the jaguar has the strongest bite of any cat — broad skull and heavy jaw muscles generate enough force to crack a turtle's shell or punch through a caiman's armored scutes, and where lions and tigers throttle prey by the throat, a jaguar often bites straight through the skull. Its rosettes usually enclose small dark dots, unlike a leopard's plainer ones, and about 10% of jaguars are melanistic (black), the rosettes still faintly visible. Partly webbed paws aid swimming, and a reflective tapetum lucidum sharpens night vision. It belongs to the big-cat genus Panthera within the family Felidae; Madagascar's fossa, cat-like in outline, is only a distant look-alike from a separate island lineage.
Jaguars once ranged from the southern United States to southern Argentina; today the range is smaller and fragmented, with the largest continuous population in the Amazon Basin of Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. They favour dense cover near water — tropical rainforest for ambush, and above all the wetlands and floodplains of the Pantanal, which hold the highest jaguar densities anywhere thanks to abundant aquatic prey — but also use savanna like the Llanos and dry forest where water and prey allow. Across tropical South America their range overlaps adaptable forest omnivores like the South American coati.
An apex carnivore, the jaguar has been recorded eating more than 80 species — capybaras, deer, peccaries, caimans, fish, and turtles among them. It hunts by stalking and ambush rather than pursuit: it can hit 50 mph in a short burst but tires quickly, so dense vegetation lets it close the distance. Its bite is unusually versatile — through the temporal bones of the skull for mammals, or into the neck vertebrae to disable a caiman.
Jaguars are solitary and territorial, with home ranges up to 50 square miles depending on prey. A male's range may overlap several females', while overlap between adult males is limited. They advertise and defend territory with scent marks, ground scrapes, and voice — not a purr but a series of deep, guttural grunts and saw-like roars. Encounters between males can injure or kill, usually over territory or a receptive female, though scent-marking and avoidance keep direct contact rare.
Jaguars breed year-round, often peaking when prey is abundant. After 93 to 105 days' gestation the female bears 1 to 4 cubs, born blind and wholly dependent; the male takes no part and may even threaten infanticide. Cubs open their eyes at about two weeks, wean by three months, and stay with the mother 1.5 to 2 years while learning to hunt. Wild jaguars usually live 12 to 15 years, up to 23 in human care.
The IUCN lists the jaguar as Near Threatened with a decreasing trend. Deforestation for farming, logging, and infrastructure fragments its territory and isolates populations, eroding genetic diversity. As habitat shrinks, jaguars meet agricultural frontiers and take livestock, drawing retaliatory killing by ranchers, and despite legal protection they are still poached for pelts, teeth, and claws. Depleting their wild prey forces the cats to travel farther, raising the odds of dangerous encounters with people and stock.
A jaguar's jaw is so strong it can bite through a turtle's shell.
Jaguars are excellent swimmers and often hunt fish and caiman in rivers.
Each jaguar has a unique rosette pattern, like a fingerprint.
The word jaguar comes from a native word meaning 'one who kills with one leap'.
Black jaguars are not a different species—they are the same animal with darker pigment.
Jaguars can roar, unlike most other spotted cats.
Select a question to reveal the answer.
Jaguars are found mostly in South and Central America. The Amazon Basin in Brazil holds the largest jaguar population. Small numbers also survive in Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Jaguars eat a wide range of prey including capybara, deer, peccary, caiman, fish, and turtles. Their powerful jaws allow them to bite through hard shells and thick hides.
Jaguars are bigger and stockier than leopards. A jaguar's rosette spots have small dots inside them, while a leopard's rosettes are usually plain. Jaguars also live in the Americas while leopards live in Africa and Asia.
Yes. Jaguars are strong swimmers and often enter rivers and lakes to hunt fish, caiman, and turtles, while many other large cats use water less often.
Jaguars are listed as Near Threatened. Deforestation, illegal hunting, and conflict with cattle ranchers have reduced their range significantly over the past century.
Yes, jaguars can roar. This separates them from smaller spotted cats like cheetahs and ocelots. A jaguar's roar sounds like a deep, repetitive cough.
The spotted coat helps jaguars blend into dappled forest light. Each jaguar has a unique rosette pattern that helps researchers identify individual animals in the wild.
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