Jaguar - Panthera Onca -Kingdom: Animalia -Phylum: Chordata -Class: Mammalia -Order: Carnivora -Family: Felidae -Genus: Pantherinae Panthera -Species: Onca Animal Description: Jaguars, also known as Panthera Onca, are the largest South American big cats. These magnificent creatures once roamed from Argentina, in Southern America to Arizona, in Northern America. Now Jaguars are mainly found in isolated regions of South and Central America - such as the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. Jaguars are predators which mean they have tightly packed bodies, large heads and powerful jaws, that allow them to hunt down their food (they are carnivores). Jaguars are top-level carnivores this is why their diet is varied from crocodiles to turtles. The Jaguar has a distinct kind of …show more content…
Unlike other large cats the Jaguar is the only big cat that can kill its prey with one bite to the back of the head, not like other large cats which go for the throat. This structural adaptation allows the animal to kill its prey so that it can eat its food and it also makes the Jaguar have a varied diet since it can pierce through another animal's skull. It also allows the Jaguar to kill its prey with one bite, without needing to fight it. Behavioral Adaptation: Although Jaguars are comparatively short and small, they have powerful muscles that can allow them to do many actions such as swimming, climbing and jumping. This behavioral adaptation combines well with the explained structural adaptation above, making the Jaguar able to kill its prey in different scenarios and environments - swamps, trees and many more. This behavioral adaptation that a Jaguar has powerful muscles allows it to do various activities such as swimming, climbing and jumping. Allowing the Jaguar to further more take its ability to kill its prey whenever it’s hunting in the wild. Physiological