Jaguars! They’re pretty cool, even if you don’t know much about them. I mean, when a football team and a car company name themselves after your strength and prowess, you’ve made the big leagues! Some of the most interesting facts about jaguars include what do jaguars eat, how big are jaguars (you’d be surprised they’re the 3rd biggest cat after lion and tigers!) and where jaguars call home. Scientists learn more about these illusive mammals all the time!
Check out these 50 jaguar animal facts to blow your mind and fall in love with these big cats. But don’t get too close or you might find yourself as jaguar food! Ha!
Interesting Facts about Jaguars
Jaguars are the largest big cats of South America and the third largest cats in the world after the tiger and lion.
The name jaguar comes from the Native American word yaguar, which means ‘he who kills with one leap’. Pretty cool, right?!
The jaguar’s scientific name is Panthera onca… which doesn’t sound as cool but hopefully these pictures of jaguars will suffice.
Another fact about jaguars the animal is that adults weigh between 45 to 113 kilograms or about 100 to 250 pounds!
Males are heavier than females! Females weigh 100 to 200 lbs , while males can weigh from 126 to 250 lbs
Jaguars were thought to be nocturnal hunters (that means they hunt at night) but recent studies show that they are also active during the day!
From head to flank, jaguars range in length from 4 to 6 feet. That’s almost as tall as my dad!
In August and September, jaguars start to get busy. In scientific terms, those months are the jaguar mating season. After mating, the mom jaguar will gestate for around 100 days and give birth to one to four jaguar cubs.
When breeding, a pair of jaguars may mate up to 100 times a day. Ewwwww!
.Jaguars cubs are born with their eyelids sealed shut until about two weeks old. How cute is that?!
Jaguar Animal Facts
Fun Facts About Jaguars
A jaguar’s coat is generally a tawny yellow but ranges to reddish-brown for most of the body. The belly areas are white.
In captivity, jaguars may live for over 20 years as compared to 11 – 12 years in the wild.
Jaguars love to swim! Jaguars don’t avoid water like many cats do. They often live near lakes, rivers and and wetlands. They’re even known to cross large rivers like a boss. Talk about some fun facts about jaguars!
Anaconda is the only natural enemy of jaguar, especially when caught in water. However, the worst enemies of jaguars are humans.
Jaguars roam, hunt and live alone, only coming together to mate. Jaguars are solitary animals.
They leave a scent to mark their territory. Scent is like their GPS signals.
Female territories may overlap and range in size from 25 – 40 km2. Girls know how to share. 🙂
Males territories are double that size, but male jaguars will aggressively protect their area (and the resident females within it) from other males. Which basically means boys do not like sharing.
Interesting Facts on Jaguars
What do Jaguars Eat
Are you wondering what do jaguars eat? Well, pizza of course 🙂 JK! Jaguars eat deer, peccary, crocodiles, snakes, monkeys, deer, sloths, tapirs, turtles, eggs, frogs, fish and anything else they can catch. But probably not pizza.
Once they’ve caught their prey, jaguars kill it by piercing the skull with their canines, demonstrating the amazing strength of their powerful jaws. Yikes!
Jaguars are competent climbers, and will scale trees too!
They often use their vantage point among the branches to pounce on unsuspecting prey below.
To capture prey, jaguars hunt via stalking and ambush rather than chasing down prey. They use their sheer strength to hunt instead of, for example, a cheetah using speed to chase down its prey.
What is a jaguars habitat? Where do jaguars live? The jaguar habitat is dense rainforest.
The jaguars in the rainforest facts tell us that here is where they are most successful and prolific, but they are also found across other forested areas and open plains.
Facts About Jaguars
Facts for Kids About Jaguars
In total, there is 34 sub-populations of jaguars around the world.
The South American Jaguars are the biggest.
Ancient cultures such as the Maya and Aztec feature the jaguar in their mythologies. They’ve been impressive for a long time! Jaguars have been regarded as a symbol of strength for many generations.
The jaguar is considered a symbol of power in numerous South American cultures.
.Jaguars are the only member of the big cat specie to live in North and South America.
Amazon Indians have told the story of jaguars emerging from the forest to play with children.
Jaguars run at a speed of 50 to 65 mile per hour.
The most distinctive feature of the jaguar is the shape of their spots. The spots resemble roses, and as such are known as rosettes.
Jaguar cubs are weaned onto meat at three months old and the mother teaches them to hunt at six months old. Jaguar cubs are so cute!
Jaguars who live in forests are smaller and darker than the ones which live in open woods. Do you have any idea why that might be?
The jaguar are the national animal of Brazil!
Black Jaguar Facts
Information About Black Jaguars – Panthers are Jagurs!
These are among the most interesting facts on jaguars…. so pay attention: Jaguars can be mistaken for leopards! Did you know that panthers are jaguars? If you’re looking for information about black jaguars and are wondering if panthers are jaguars… keep reading.
Jaguars have black dots in the middle of some of their rosettes, whereas leopards don’t!
Are panthers jaguars? YES! There are in fact jaguars that have a black coats! They are called “melanistic jaguars”.
Jaguars also have larger, rounded heads and short legs.
Although most kids think any melanistic big cat (aka BLACK!) is a black panther, they are generally a black leopard or a black jaguar. BOOM!
Jaguars that live in Central and South America are melanistic (black) Jaguars. Cool!
Black panthers that live in Africa and Asia are actually are black leopards. Awesome!
Jaguars that live in central and South America are melanistic Jaguars.
Black panthers that live in Africa and Asia are actually are black leopards.
Black Pankers or Black Leopards?
Interesting Facts On Jaguars
The jaguar is representative of power, ferocity, and valor.
Jaguars represent the embodiment of aggressiveness.
For some cultures, the jaguar represents the power to face one’s fears or to confront one’s enemies.
You can find rosettes on many different cats as rosettes are for camouflage.
The estimated population of jaguars in the wild is up to 15,000.
Jaguar has the strongest bite than any other big cat! That jaguar bite force is calculated at 200 pounds.
Belize has one of the healthiest populations in Central America, and the Jaguar is protected from hunting throughout Belize.
Both males and females roar really loud! It helps bring the together when they want to mate.
Loss of habitat to farming and over-hunting for its fur and to protect live-stock present the greatest threats to the jaguar. Humans are the biggest jaguar enemy.
Animal Facts for Kids!
Learn more about the amazing animals in our world with these random animal facts for kids.
