Schleich Jaguar

Jaguars spend most of their lives alone and only really associate with each other when they're ready to breed. Their powerful jaws enable them to hunt large prey like deer, but they'll also eat frogs, mice, birds, or fish. Jaguars can run very fast but don't have much endurance and rarely chase prey for very long. Their coats are orange-yellow with dark rings, known as rosettes, which enclose smaller spots, and spots on their heads and necks -- leopards, in contrast, have no spots within their rosettes. Jaguars that have a condition called melanism appear entirely black -- although you can still see spots upon close inspection. These jaguars are known as black panthers but aren't really a different species. Jaguars are born blind and only begin to see after a couple of weeks. Babies stay with their mothers for up to two years before leaving to establish a territory of their own.

Fun Facts: Jaguars are felines that swim and actually prefer to live near water.

Zoological Name: Panthera onca
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Primary Habitat: Tropics
Global Home: Americas