Wildlife of the World
Puzzle 17 · Amazonia and the Neotropics · Page 35 in print
Jaguar Pantanal
A jaguar’s bite is exceptionally powerful for its body size; in the Pantanal, these strong-swimming cats hunt caimans, while capybaras and peccaries are also among their varied prey.
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A jaguar rests along a tree branch in Mato Grosso.
Species reference for Jaguar Pantanal. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) avocat, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The jaguar's rosette pattern is visible in this close view from Brazil's Pantanal region.
Species reference for Jaguar Pantanal. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) Thomas Galewski, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The words
Bite Force
Jaguars have the strongest bite of any wild cat for their size.
Caiman
The crocodilian the Pantanal jaguar often hunts.
Caimans are abundant where jaguars live and are a convenient prey.
Cuiaba
The Cuiabá River flows past Porto Jofre, in the Pantanal, and jaguars hunt along its banks. Tour boats come to watch; a 2025 study reported up to 30 boats on the water there at once.
Ecotourists
Ecotourists flock to the Pantanal, funding jaguar conservation.
Jaguar
The large spotted cat of the Americas; in the Pantanal, it hunts along rivers and wetlands.
Melanism
Black, melanistic jaguars are fairly common.
Pantanal
The largest jaguars live in the Brazilian Pantanal.
Animal Diversity Web (opens a new tab) · panthera.org (opens a new tab)
Panthera
The jaguar is Panthera onca, genus Panthera (roaring cats).
Peccaries
Wild pig-like animals the jaguar hunts.
Peccaries are preferred jaguar prey.
Animal Diversity Web (opens a new tab) · San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (opens a new tab)
Porto Jofre
Porto Jofre has the world's highest density of jaguars since jaguar tourism began.
Rosettes
Jaguars have rosette-shaped spots, often with a spot in the centre.
Animal Diversity Web (opens a new tab) · San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (opens a new tab)
Skull Bite
Jaguars kill by piercing the skull with their canines.
Animal Diversity Web (opens a new tab) · San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (opens a new tab)
Tapir
Tapirs are among the jaguar's preferred prey.
Turtles
Hard-shelled prey its jaws can crack.
Jaguars also prey on turtles and tortoises.
Waterways
Caimans are most often found in the waterways of the Pantanal, where jaguars hunt them.
Sources
- Jaguar behaviour and bitewww.panthera.org
- Jaguar Pantanal (source capture)Houston Zoo
- Jaguar Pantanal (source capture)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
- Jaguar Pantanal (source capture)San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
- Jaguar Pantanal (source capture)Mongabay