The black jaguar is a big cat, from the Panthera genus, and is the only extant Panthera species native to the Americas. The jaguar is estimated to be the third-largest cat after the tiger and the lion, and is the largest native to the Americas. The jaguar can be found in almost all of tropical South and Central America as well as the Southwestern United States. However the cat is largely absent from the United States and has been so since the early 1920’s..
This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, but it is much larger and of sturdier build. Its behavioral and habitat characteristics on the other hand are more closely related to those of the tiger. While dense rainforest is where it prefers to live, the jaguar will range across a variety of forested as well as open terrains. Its usually prefers swampy and wooded habitat regions, but it is not absolutely uncommon for jaguars to also live in scrublands and deserts. The jaguar is notable, along with the tiger, as a feline that enjoys swimming, contrary to popular belief. The jaguar is for the most part a loner and will hunt in solitude when the right opportunity presents itself in a stalk and ambush situation. It is a keystone species, playing an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and regulating the populations of the animals it hunts. The jaguar has an extraordinarily powerful bite, even when compared to the other big cats. This allows it to pierce the tough shells of armored reptiles and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of prey between the ears to deliver a fatal bite to the brain.
The jaguar is a near threatened species and its numbers are declining. Threats include loss and fragmentation of habitat. While international trade in jaguars or their parts is prohibited, the cat is still frequently killed by humans, particularly in conflicts with ranchers and farmers in South America. Although reduced, its range remains large. Given its historical distribution, the jaguar has featured prominently in the mythology of numerous indigenous American cultures, including those of the Maya and Aztec.