Jaguar
Panthera onca
The largest cat in the Americas, a powerful spotted hunter that loves water and can bite through turtle shells.
Checking teacher reviews…
About the Jaguar
Jaguars are the only big "roaring" cats in the Americas. They weigh 150 to 300 pounds, with stocky, muscular bodies. Their coats are yellow to reddish-brown with black rosettes, and each rosette has a dot in the middle, unlike a leopard's. They live from Mexico to Argentina, mostly in the Amazon basin, in forests, swamps and grasslands near water.[1]
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Panthera onca[1]
- Weight
- 150 to 300 pounds.[1]
- Lifespan
- 11 to 12 years in the wild; 20 to 22 in human care.[1]
- Diet
- Carnivore. Over 85 kinds of prey, including peccaries, tapirs, deer, caimans and turtles.[1]
- Habitat
- Rainforests, swamps, grasslands and forests near water.[1]
- Where it lives
- Mexico to Argentina, mostly the Amazon basin.[1]
- Group life
- Solitary. Active mostly at dawn and dusk.[1]
- Babies
- 1 to 4 cubs.[1]
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]
Fun facts
Vocabulary
- rosette
- A ring-shaped spot on a cat's fur.
- ambush
- To hide and wait, then attack by surprise.
- Panthera
- The group of big cats that can roar, such as lions, tigers and jaguars.
- territory
- An area an animal lives in and defends.
- near threatened
- A conservation label meaning a species may soon be at risk of dying out if things don't improve.
See it in person
- Oakland ZooOakland, California · California TrailSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.
Sources
- [1] Oakland Zoo. “Jaguar.” https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/jaguar/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
- [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Panthera onca (Jaguar).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15953/123791436 (accessed 2026-10-02)
Facts last checked 2026-10-02.
