The Jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest cat found in the Americas. In addition to their enormous tongues, jaguars have incredibly powerful jaws, able to pierce a turtle's shell. They are also excellent swimmers and climbers.
Jaguars are solitary stalk-and-ambush hunters, feeding on anything they can catch. (85 species on their list of prey) Wild jaguars expend considerable energy in the capture and kill of prey, and may consume up to 25 kilograms of meat at one feeding.
In Central and South America, the jaguar has long been a symbol of power and strength. In the Maya civilization, the jaguar was believed to facilitate communication between the living and the dead and to protect the royal household. The Aztec civilization shared this image of the jaguar as the representative of the ruler and as a warrior.
