Jaguars can kill smaller animals, such as dogs, just by slapping them with a paw. Like most of the big cats, jaguars usually hunt by walking along a well used trail or beside a stream crossing until they encounter prey, then stalking or rushing it. Occasionally, jaguars do wait in ambush, leaping on unsuspecting prey as they pass. Now and then, jaguars may take to the trees to grab a monkey. Despite all its strength and power, the jaguar subsists mainly on a diet of smaller prey.
Jaguars live in a suprisingly wide range of habitats.
When people think of jaguar habitat, many of them get an image of dense tropical rainforest. That's true, but the also survive in the swampy grasslands in Brazil, the high altitudes of Peru, and the low scrub in fairly arid lands in Mexico. In general, though, they seem to prefer living near water. Jaguars swim well, and like the tiger, may spend the heat of the day half submerged in a stream. According to one Indian myth, the jaguar acquired its beautiful spotted coat by daubing mud on its body with its paws.