Jaguar: (Panthera onca)
Page revised 12/26/2007
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  • Jaguar: (Panthera onca)
  • Order: Carnivora
  • Family: Felidae
  • Genus: Panthera
  • Species: onca
  • Sub-Species:
    • P. o. onca: Venezuela to East and central Brazil (Amazon Rain Forest)
    • P. o. arizonensis: Arizona and northern Mexico
    • P. o. centralis: Chiapas, Mexico to Colombia
    • P. o. goldmani: Yucatan and northern Guatemala and Belize
    • P. o. hernandesi: Sonora to Chiapas
    • P. o. palustris: South Bolivia, Mato Grosso, central Argentina
    • P. o. peruvianus: Peru, Equador
    • P. o. veraecrucis: South Texas, north Chiapas
  • Body Length: up to 9 feet
  • Tail Length: 18 to 30 inches
  • Weight: up to 300 lbs
  • Birth Weight: 1-1/2 to 2 lbs
  • Litter Size: 4 average
SUMMARY: In appearance the Jaguar is often confused with the leopard since both cats, depending to a degree on sub-species have a similar brownish/yellow base fur color, which is distinctively marked with dark rosette markings. In the wild, identification would not be an issue as the cats inhabit different continents. The jaguar is the only member of the panthera family to be found in the Americas and its is by far the biggest cat on the continent. The jaguar can also be distinguished by the presence of small dots or irregular shapes within the larger rosette markings, a more stocky and muscular body and a shorter tail than the leopard.
See More Cheetah pictures Back to Big Cats Index See More Cheetah pictures View photos 1 thru 49 Read More About the Jaguar Read About the Jaguar