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About Jaguars (Panthera onca)

Mother jaguars give birth to one to four cubs. Most often, two cubs are born. 

A newborn jaguar cub weighs only 1½ - 2 pounds (700–900 grams). 

About 5 newborn kittens together weigh what a newborn jaguar cub weighs. 

The jaguar cub’s eyes are sealed shut for 10–14 days after birth. 

Jaguars have a layer of tissue in the back of their eyes that reflects light. Because of this they can see 6 times better than you or I can at night or in dark places. 

Jaguars can hear really well too, and their sense of smell is strong. 

Jaguar cubs stay with their mother for about two years.  She protects them from danger and teaches them how to hunt.

No two jaguars look exactly alike. Every jaguar has her or his own unique spots and rosettes.

Jaguars and leopards look very similar, but live far away from one another, on different continents. Here you can see the difference in the black spots on their coat.

Black panthers are really black jaguars (or black leopards in Asia). If you look closely you will see rosettes on the skin underneath their fur.

Jaguars like water and are good swimmers. They swim in fresh water lakes and rivers. They hunt in the water too.

Jaguars often sleep in the branches of a tree. They like to eat up in the trees too.

Jaguars make a variety of sounds, and sometimes they roar. 

There are eight subspecies of jaguars, which vary in their size and coloring. 


A full grown jaguar is 4 to 6 feet in length from its nose to its flank (1.2–1.95 meters). Its tail is 1½ to 2 feet long (50–60 centimeters). From nose to tail a jaguar is 6 to 8 feet in length (1.95–2.4 meters).

Female jaguars weigh 100–200 pounds (45–90 kg). Male jaguars weigh 125–250 pounds (57–113 kg). 

​A jaguar’s lifespan is estimated to be 12–15 years in the wild. Jaguars who live on reserves often live 15–20 years.

Today most jaguars are found in South America, near rivers or swamps. The Amazon Rainforest is their primary habitat. Some jaguars also live in Central America and Mexico.  Occasionally a jaguar is spotted in the southern United States. 


Jaguars are the largest big cats that live in the Americas, and the 3rd largest Big Cat in the world.

Protecting Jaguars

Jaguars have no predators, but their sharp teeth, strong bite, and piercing claws cannot protect them from bullets and arrows. Unsuspecting jaguars may also be killed by snares and traps. When they come near cattle ranches and farms, they may eat poisoned bait, or be shot on site by the ranchers protecting their cows. 

Wildlife experts estimate that only 10,000–15,000 jaguars exist in the wild today. This is a very small number, especially when you consider how many jaguars once roamed in South America, Central America, and North America. 

For decades, jaguars were hunted, mostly for their beautiful fur coats. Until 1969, it’s estimated that more than 15,000 jaguars were killed every year! In 1969, the U.S. banned the importation of jaguar fur and body parts. 

In 1997 jaguars were added to the list of endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In the year 2000, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil banned the sale of jaguar fur and body parts. 

Jaguar hunting and poaching is illegal, but as long as there are customers willing to pay for a jaguar’s beautiful coat, head, teeth, or claws, poaching will go on. Please never, ever, buy any body part from a slain jaguar.

Other dangers for jaguars
  • Toxic land, rivers, and fish from Mining sites
  • Toxic land, rivers, and fish from Oil spills
  • Cattle Ranching and Animal Agriculture 
  • Poachers and Trophy hunters
Filmed with hidden cameras in Belize, giving close up footage, though a bit blurry, of jaguars and other rainforest animals. Two jaguar cubs are born near the end of the documentary.
“60 Minutes” went in search of the most elusive of all of nature’s big cats, the jaguar, and captured amazing footage of them in the Brazilian jungle.
Living With Jaguars explores historical and current tensions in a rural region where jaguars prey on ranchers' cattle and ranchers kill them in retaliation. Now ranchers and jaguars must find new ways to co-exist - or risk the future of a species under threat.
Jaguars Returning to Southern Arizona

Jaguar Folklore

The people of Mexico, Central America and South America have many stories about the jaguar. Many believed jaguars have magical powers including the ability to change into other animals or humans (shape shifting), or to disappear into the night sky, becoming stars that form the constellations. 

Other stories describe how the mystical jaguar transforms into a beautiful woman to marry a warrior, and the couple produce powerful and courageous children. Or sometimes a jaguar transforms into a wise and powerful leader amongst men. 

Some of the medicine men dress up as jaguars for ceremonies and dances. In some tribes warriors paint their faces to resemble a jaguar’s face.

Jaguars have continued throughout history to represent strength, courage and spiritual power.

Adopt a Jaguar

Adopting a jaguar is not like adopting a kitten from your local animal shelter. The jaguar won’t come home with you. ‘Adopting a Jaguar’ means donating to help protect a jaguar’s environment so he or she can be safe in the wild. 

To find out more, please visit these websites:
​Defenders of Wildlife “Adopt a Jaguar” program
​Panthera.org’s successful Jaguar Programs
​World Wildlife Fund’s “Adopt a Jaguar” program
Copyright 2018 Chandra Media
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