While they may appear lithe and unobtrusive, jaguars are extremely clever and dangerous. They are the feline apex predators of the western hemisphere. Despite their power and ability to camouflage into jungles and swamps, human development and habitat destruction threatens them most.
Everything about these formidable cats poses a danger to prey. How strong are they compared to other animals? Continue reading to find out.
Key Points:
- Jaguars are the apex predator felines of the western hemisphere, with a powerful strike force of up to 15,000 lb.-ft./s.
- This cat has the strongest bite force of any cat at 1,500 psi. This is one of the strongest bites of any mammal in the world.
- While they are not the largest cat, they are proportionally the strongest big cat for their size.
- Jaguars are the third-largest cat, after lions and tigers.
How Strong Are Jaguars?
Jaguars are the third-strongest big cats in the world. In the western hemisphere, they are at the top of the food chain. Two of their most powerful traits are their strong jaws and deadly claws, which they use to latch onto and kill their prey.
Jaguars also have high endurance levels. While hunting, they can travel over 6 miles in a single trip around their territory. Their only predator of the jaguar is the human.
Where Are Jaguars Found?
Jaguars are native to the western hemisphere, and they live in the jungles, swamps, and humid mountains of Central and South America. Before human settlement, jaguars lived throughout most of South, Central, and southern North America. Their territory was a range that stretched thousands of miles from Argentina to the southwestern United States.
Today, their range has shrunk dramatically. Jaguars can be found from Brazil to Central America. They like to live in the Andes Mountains, rainforest environments, and the Amazon river basin.
Populations also live in a wetland area called the Pantanal, which encompasses lakes, rivers, and swamps, that extend for over a thousand miles. Some are occasionally seen in Arizona and Texas too.
Research has found that they are more active in the daytime than during the night. Even so, they are extremely-well camouflaged by their tawny golden coats with black rosettes. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that there are 173,000 jaguars remaining in the world.
How Big Are Jaguars?
Jaguars are the third-largest cat in the world. They are well-muscled and compact creatures, built for the thickets and jungles of the tropical Americas.
Most measure about 27 in at the shoulder, but their length from nose to tail varies greatly. Smaller jaguars are a little less than 4 ft. from nose to tail, while large males measure 6 ft. long.
One unique trait of the jaguar is that it has the shortest tail out of any big cat species. Jaguars’ tails measure in at a range of 18 to 30 inches.
They weigh between 100 and 250 pounds. Most are in the 150-250 pound range, which is large enough to take down small prey like peccaries (a pig-like relative in South America), capybaras, or large prey like cattle. Some Amazonian jaguars even hunt giant caiman, which are similar to alligators.
Larger jaguars are found in South America, specifically the Amazon rainforest and the Andes mountains. Here, larger prey can be hunted, so the cats evolved to be larger.
What’s The Bite Force Of A Jaguar?
Coming in at nearly 1,500 psi, jaguars have the most powerful bite force of any cat in the entire world. In fact, their bite force is what enables them to catch and kill prey so effectively.
The jaguar’s typical method of disabling prey is twofold:
- First, the cat swipes at and catches the prey in its huge paws.
- Second, it finds the animal’s head and bites down into the skull, crushing it with their canine teeth.
Because they have the practically unlimited ability to disable any type of prey, jaguars have very diverse diets. They can bite through the shells of turtles, chomp on giant caiman, and even kill horned cattle.
Their fangs are up to 2 inches long. Like other cats, their tongue has ridges that scrape the meat off the bones of their prey.
How Powerful Is Their Swipe Force?
Jaguars regularly mark their territory by swiping claw marks into trees along the edges of their range. They have retractable claws that slice through the smooth bark of Amazonian trees. They can also crush bones with a single swipe of their paws.
Male jaguars can swipe with their paws with a force between 7,500 – 15,000 lb.-ft./s. Females’ swipe is a bit weaker, but still very formidable, at a range of 5,500 – 8,750 lb.-ft./s.
What’s The Speed Of A Jaguar?
Jaguars navigate through territory with trees, swamps, and rivers. They’re adept at climbing, running, and swimming.
When they do run, they only sprint when chasing after prey or a threat. Jaguar sprints can measure between 50 and 65 miles per hour. For some scale, cheetahs’ maximum speed is 75 miles per hour!
Male vs. Female Jaguar Strength Comparison
Like most large cats, male jaguars are bigger than females. They have other differences too, including wider jaws, larger shoulder muscles, and generally bigger bones and muscles. This difference between the sexes is known by scientists as sexual dimorphism.
Since males are more muscular and larger than females, they are also stronger. They can leap farther and take down bigger prey.
Females do have the ability to climb smaller trees that can’t carry heavier cats. They can fit into tight spaces and use their paws in more skillful ways.
Comparing Jaguar and Human Strength
At their smallest, a jaguar weighs the same as a petite person, but they are much stronger. This formidable cat has retractable claws, razor-sharp teeth, and a bite that can take down almost any animal.
Humans might be able to fight off a jaguar with a spear or knife, but it would take a firearm to be able to confidently vanquish the cat without risking serious injury or death. Pound for pound, jaguars are more muscular, stronger, and more lethal than an unarmed human.
Anna is a wildlife biologist who graduated from Texas A&M in 2020. She enjoys studying and learning about wild birds and wildlife of all types.