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Animal World
Jaguar — photograph 1
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Free License
IUCN: Near Threatened

Jaguar

Panthera onca

KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassMammalia›OrderCarnivora›FamilyFelidae›GenusPanthera
About

The jaguar is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus Panthera that is native to the Americas. Its distinctively marked coat features pale yellow to tan colored fur covered by spots that transition to rosettes on the sides, although a melanistic black coat appears in some individuals. With a body length of up to 1.

85 m and a weight of up to 158 kg (348 lb), it is the biggest cat species in the Americas and the third largest in the world. The jaguar's powerful bite allows it to pierce the carapaces of turtles and tortoises, and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of mammalian prey between the ears to deliver a fatal blow to the brain.

Key Facts
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Habitat
Rainforest, wetlands, grassland, and scrubland
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Diet
Carnivore — deer, capybara, caiman, fish, tapir
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Size & Weight
Body 1.1–1.9 m; weight 56–96 kg
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Lifespan
12–15 years wild
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Range
Mexico south through Central and South America
MammalFeline
Photo Credits
#1Wikimedia Commons · Free License
#2Thomas Fuhrmann · CC BY-SA 4.0
#3Bardrock · CC BY 3.0
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