Latin name : Panthera onca

A Furtive Hunter!

• The jaguar is a master in the art of camouflage. Indeed, its irregular spots provide it with a unique hiding tool in the dense tropical forests.

• It is one of the rare felines, along with the tiger, to voluntarily enter water in order to hunt, travel, or to cool itself. It is an excellent swimmer; it can swim across a river several kilometers wide.

• The jaguar was very present in the spiritual lives of Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs. The Mayans saw in this animal a god that helped the sun travel underground during the night and ensured its rising the next morning.

• Its name comes from the term "jaguara", of aboriginal origin (Tupi-Guarani) which means "the carnivore that can catch a prey in one leap".

• The high level of deforestation in Latin America, as well as conflicts between humans, are among the threats to the jaguar.