Jaguars are also the largest cats in the Western Hemisphere. They have short dense fur that can be golden brown to yellow gold with white on the undersides and face, and is flanked with large black rosettes. The spots can still be seen on melanistic jaguars and leopards, but only when direct sunlight is shining on their fur. Melanistic individuals are thought to occur more in areas where the forests are denser, where an all black coloring would be useful. Jaguars are much stockier, heavier, and longer than their leopard cousins, though they are often confused for one another.
Jaguars also have a broader face, larger rosettes, thicker legs, and a longer face than leopards.
There is very little known about the life of wild jaguars. Like all the big cats, they have been hunted for their skin and body parts, causing them to become very endangered. The fact that they have been heavily hunted and have become so rare make them hard to study. Most information about the life of jaguars comes from studying them in zoos. Jaguars are solitary animals, like most cats, and only come together to mate.