Jaguar

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Jaguar is the common name of Panthera onca, a big cat of Central and South America and the largest cat native to the Americas, along with the cougar. It is arguably the most impressive carnivorous mammal of the western hemisphere (not counting extinct forms), being larger and stockier even than the Old World leopard, with a shorter tail and larger head. Its coat bears a similar spotted marking to that of the leopard but with larger rosettes with spots, and a melanistic or black phase, sometimes commonly called a panther, is also known to exist.

The jaguar figured heavily in the religions of Central American peoples such as the Maya, where it was associated with the god of war.

As of this writing, out of the 52 species (including "other") represented on pounced.org, the jaguar is in the lower 20th percentile in popularity as a phenotype.

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.

Diet and behavior[edit]

The jaguar is a carnivore and apex predator. The jaguar is an ambush predator, it will slowly walk down forest paths in search of food. It preys on capybara, anteaters, deer, peccaries, armadillos, agoutis, tapirs, and reptiles like turtles, tortoises, lizards, caimans and crocodiles. Jaguars are also good swimmers, which also aids in their hunts.

See also[edit]

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