Search results for "jaguar"

One of the largest members in the family Felidae, the jaguar is a proficient hunter of a variety of small and large vertebrates on the ground and in the trees. Highly territorial over an extensive home range of up to about eighty square miles (200 sq km), it lives a solitary life — except during the breeding season, when male and female come together to mate and reproduce. After the young are born, the female becomes highly aggressive toward any perceived threat — which can include the father. The young may stay with the mother for up to two years as they hone their hunting skills....

Dense forest-dwelling jaguars are darker in color than jaguars that inhabit grasslands and scrub forests. Females are generally lighter in color than males. The jaguar has a large, broad, rounded head, stocky legs with retractable claws and a muscular body. Its coat is soft and woolly with short, smooth hairs. The belly is white, and the chest is paler than the rest of the body. It has large eyes. Jaguars measure approximately 4 to 6 feet in length with a 17- to 30-inch-long tail. They weigh 125 to 260 pounds; females are 20 percent smaller than males.