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Awesome Animals
Watch the amazing moment we came face to face with a jaguar in Brazil!
You might know jaguars as the biggest cats in South America, but there’s much more to these incredible creatures than meets the eye!
The jaguar is the largest big cat in South America and the third-largest in the world, after tigers and lions. They can grow up to 2m long, including tail, and a large male can weigh 120kg – that's nearly 19 stone!
Jaguars have excellent eyesight and are great at working out exactly how far they need to leap to land on their prey. They can see really well in the dark – much better than a person can.
A jaguar’s fur is usually tan or orange with black spots, called ‘rosettes’ because they’re shaped like roses. Some jaguars are so dark you can barely see their spots. The spotted pattern provides excellent camouflage in the forest.
Jaguars have powerful jaws and the strongest bite of all big cats, which helps them catch almost anything in the jungle. They can even chomp through a turtle’s shell and the tough skin of a caiman crocodile. Blimey!
Unlike many other cats, jaguars like water and are really good swimmers. They can cross large rivers, which means they’re able to hunt a huge range of animals like capybaras, deer, tortoises, iguanas, armadillos, birds and monkeys as well as fish.
Jaguars are powerful predators, with strong legs and muscular bodies. They sometimes climb trees and leap down on to prey below – sneaky! So, it’s no surprise their name comes from the local word yaguar, which means 'he who kills with one leap'.
They aren’t as zippy as cheetahs, but jaguars can run at speeds of about 50mph!
