Sunday fun Facts
This post is sponsored by SAASA and Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary
Fun Facts about Jaguars
Jaguar Latin name: Panthera onca
DID YOU KNOW?
Jaguars have the strongest bite force of all cats.
Rather than killing their prey by suffocation like most other cats, the jaguar aims for the head, crushing the skull with one bite.
Although Jaguars usually have yellowish coloured fur, other colours are also known including black and white.
Although Jaguars hold the reputation for being very aggressive, unprovoked attacks on humans are rare.
The jaguar is the 3rd largest of the big cats after the tiger and the lion and it is the largest of all the big cats in the Americas.
Jaguar's are only found in the Americas.
Their range extends from Arizona in South west United States, Mexico, through Central America, into most Amazon River Basin countries in South America and as far south as northern Argentina.
The jaguar's preferred habitat is dense rainforest, but they are also found across other forested areas and open plains.
With its spotted coat the jaguar most closely resembles the leopard which is found in Asia and Africa, however, the Jaguar is larger and has a stockier build than the leopard, it also has less but bigger rosettes (spots) with small dots in the middle.
Jaguars behavioural habits more resemble that of a tiger.
Jaguars can see six times better than humans at night or during darker conditions due to a layer of tissue in the back of the eye that reflects light.
Like the tiger, jaguars enjoy water and are good at swimming.
The jaguar stalks and ambushes its prey, often leaping into water or from a tree.
Come back next week for more exciting fun facts from SAASA and Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary here on Lets Go Big Tunes blog page