The puma, or cougar, also lives in the Americas and is about the same size as the jaguar, but it is classified as a small cat because it cannot roar. The other 27 species of small cats includes wild cats, leopard cats, lynx, bobcat, ocelot, margay, and Geoffroy's cat. Bigger than leopards, jaguars have broad heads and large, powerful paws.
Jaguars can roar, but more often grunt, snarl, growl or even mew.
Jaguars are typically yellow-brown with black spots, called rosettes, but they can also be black with black spots. They are nocturnal and have a keen sense of smell and hearing. These cats are excellent swimmers, great tree climbers, and move easily on the ground. These skilled hunters live on a diet of small mammals, including peccaries, capybaras, tapirs, and spider monkeys as well as turtles, frogs, and fish that they catch in the forest and rivers. Except when they are breeding, jaguars live alone.