Jaguars are the largest of American cats and are strong swimmers and climbers.
Once found from the southwestern United States to northern Argentina, jaguar populations today inhabit only the rain forests of Central and South America. A legendary symbol of Latin America's tropical rain forests, the jaguar requires large areas of natural habitat to survive. Thethird largest cat in the world, jaguars may weigh more than 300 pounds and growto more than eight feet in length, including a two-foot tail. Most countries with jaguar populationslegally protect them, but hunting and habitat loss continue to be threatsto the survival of the species. The 6,000 square miles of Amazonian rain forest included in Peru contain almost half of all bird species found in South America, including the scarlet macaw.