Jaguar

The Jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus Panthera. It is found in tropical rainforests and wetlands of South America. The jaguar is threatened by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, poaching for trade with its body parts, and killings in human-wildlife conflict situations, particularly with ranchers in Central and South America. It has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2002. The wild population is thought to have declined since the late 1990s. Priority areas for jaguar conservation comprise 51 Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs), defined as large areas inhabited by at least 50 breeding jaguars. The JCUs are located in 36 geographic regions ranging from Mexico to Argentina.

It is the third largest cat species in the world with a body length of up to 1.85 m and a weight of up to 158 kg (348 lb). Although some individuals have a melanistic black coat, most have a pale yellow to tan colored coat covered in dots that turn into rosettes on the sides. 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.