Jaguar
species of big cat native to the Americas / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a big cat (feline) of the genus Panthera. It lives in South and Central America.
Jaguar | |
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A jaguar | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Pantherinae |
Genus: | Panthera |
Species: | P. onca |
Binomial name | |
Panthera onca | |
The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion. It is also the largest and most powerful feline in the Western Hemisphere.
Because of its spots, jaguars look like leopards, though it is usually larger and stronger, and its behavior is more like that of a tiger. It likes to stay near water, and like the tiger, it is famous for being a big cat that enjoys swimming. It usually hunts alone.
The jaguar has a very powerful strong bite, even compared to other big cats.[1] Because of its strong bite, jaguars can bite capybaras, Brazilian tapir, peccaries, giant anteaters, tamanduas, through armoured reptiles like caimans, crocodiles, turtles and tortoises.[2] Jaguars kill their prey in an unusual way: they bite directly through the skull between the ears and into the brain.[3]