Jaguar (Panthera onca) looking at the camera - stock photo

Close up of Jaguar (panthera onca) in a wildlife refuge. The jaguar is the largest cat in America. It is also the largest predator in the jungle areas inhabited by the alligator. Unlike many other cats, jaguars do not avoid water; in fact, they are quite good swimmers. Rivers provide prey in the form of fish, turtles, or caimans—small, alligatorlike animals. Jaguars also eat larger animals such as deer, peccaries, capybaras, and tapirs. They sometimes climb trees to prepare an ambush, killing their prey with one powerful bite. Most jaguars are tan or orange with distinctive black spots, dubbed "rosettes" because they are shaped like roses.