- By Ridam Sharma
- Sat, 29 Nov 2025 12:00 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Lesser-Known Facts About Jaguars: The International Jaguar Day is celebrated annually on November 29th, which was a collaborative effort by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other organisations. The day was a reminder of significant conservation efforts to protect these majestic felines from extinction. They are regarded as important for keeping the balance of the ecosystem. The scientific name of the jaguars is Panthera onca. They are known for one of the strongest bites among all big cats in the world. To your surprise, jaguars are also popularly known as the ‘Apex Predator’ or ‘Kings’ for their strength and adaptability.
To know more such interesting and lesser-known facts about the Jaguar, here is a list of more than 30 lesser-known facts about it, according to the WorldWildlifeFund.org, that are perfect to know on the occasion of International Jaguar Day 2025.
List Of 30+ Lesser-Known Facts About Jaguars:
1. Jaguars use the third strongest bite power among big cats, after tigers and lions, which allows them to break turtle shells and kill them with a single bite to the skull.
2. In sharp contrast to most cats, jaguars are great swimmers, and they have been seen swimming across the Panama Canal.
3. Their coat has specific rosettes and a central point found in each of them, unlike other big cats.
4. Jaguars have shorter legs and are sturdier compared to male leopards, who weigh up to 158kg. On the other hand, female Jaguars weigh up to 10 to 20 per cent smaller in size than males.
5. Their tail is the shortest among other big cats, with a size between 45 cm to 75 cm.
6. There is geographical variation in the size of the jaguar. The Southern populations are mostly larger than those in the north.
7. Jaguars kill their prey with a bite straight through the skull between the ears, which is an unusual way of killing among cats.
8. They are capable of crushing the bones of big animals, including capybaras, all thanks to their strong jaws.
International Jaguar Day 2025 (Image Credit: Canva)
9. Population numbers have decreased, and by the end of the previous century, Jaguars had lost approximately half of their population and are now found primarily in the Amazon rainforest.
10. There have been some instances where jaguars have been spotted in the southwestern part of the United States, like Arizona and Texas.
11. Approximately half of the world's jaguar species population is found in the Brazilian Amazon and the Pantanal wetlands.
12. Every jaguar has its own pattern of spots (rosettes), which makes it possible to identify the animal individually, just like a human fingerprint.
13. Jaguars are the heaviest cats in the Americas, as well as the third heaviest in the world.
14. Their small size enables them to be good hunters, as they can easily fight big prey.
15. Jaguars are sexually dimorphic, and the males and females differ in size.
16. They have been reported to use their canine teeth to shatter bone across the temporal to stab their brain tissue to make quick kills.
17. The habitat of the Jaguar is spread across the southern United States to Central America to South America up to Argentina.
International Jaguar Day 2025 (Image Credit: Canva)
18. They are also known to live in very various habitats like rainforests, wetlands and even in dry forests.
19. Melanisti are the jaguars in black colour. They are found in nature and are referred to as black panthers. However, their normal colour is pale yellow or tan, along with spots.
20. The jaw muscles of the jaguar are very powerful because the force of their bite is greater than that of the other big cats of the same size.
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21. Jaguars can swim and hunt in the water where they typically live on fish and reptiles.
22. They have a scientific genus name, Panthera, and are related closely to lions, tigers, and leopards.
23. Jaguars possess shorter, thicker limbs than leopards and a square-shaped head.
24. They mark and patrol their territories with vocalisations and scent marking.
25. In Middle America, the jaguars are found in the smallest and weigh as little as 36 kg.
26. The population of the jaguars is locally extinct in countries like El Salvador and Uruguay.
27. Jaguars are an important apex predator in the ecosystem because they help balance the ecosystem.
International Jaguar Day 2025 (Image Credit: Canva)
28. In the past, they had a range of approximately 19 million square kilometres, but this has been cut by a greater percentage.
29. Many pre-Columbian cultures and Indigenous cultures have cultural significance of jaguars, which is of power and royalty.
30. Jaguars are nighttime hunters, crepuscular hunters; they typically hunt at night or dawn and dusk.
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31. They use guile and strength and not speed, unlike other big cats.
32. The world celebrates International Jaguar Day on November 29th each year to promote awareness about the conservation of these majestic felines.
Each of the above-mentioned facts about jaguars provides insight into these majestic felines' phenomenal existence, including their unique adaptations, ecological importance, and the urgent need for conservation attention for this magnificent big cat. Happy International Jaguar Day 2025.
