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As June marks World Jaguar Day, this month we’re celebrating these powerful predators. 

These mighty big cats have a fearsome name to match - the word 'jaguar' comes from the Indigenous word 'yaguar', which means 'he who kills with one leap'. With a more powerful bite than any other big cat, they can take down prey three to four times their own weight, usually with a lethal bite to the back of the skull. Their teeth are even strong enough to chew through the thick hides of crocodilians and the hard shells of turtles.

There are around 173,000 jaguars left in the world today, and most of these big cats are found in the Amazon rainforest and the Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland. Their stronghold is in Brazil – it may hold around half of the estimated wild numbers.

Despite their strength, jaguars are under threat. Jaguars used to be found from the south-west USA, throughout South America to the central-southern part of Argentina. Now, they’ve been virtually eliminated from half of their historic range. Deforestation rates are high in their Latin American home, both for logging and to clear space for cattle ranching. The loss of their habitat means that they’re becoming isolated, which makes it tougher to find mates and prey.  

But, thanks to your support, we’re creating and managing protected areas of habitat, working with local communities to monitor jaguars, and working with cattle ranchers to improve existing ranches and prevent new deforestation. 

You can bring some stunning big cat imagery to your desktop, tablet, or mobile phone with our wallpaper and June 2025 calendar, which are also a thank you for being a WWF member. Just scroll down and click the relevant button to download the image.