These two beautiful big cats are often mistaken for one another in pictures. In fact, you sometimes see them incorrectly captioned in images online!
So what is the difference between a leopard and a jaguar?
At first glance they certainly look similar and they do share certain attributes however, there are several important aspects that differentiate these spotted predators.
Geographical differences between the Leopard and the Jaguar
LEOPARD
- Asia
- India
- China
- Middle East
- East Africa
- Southern Africa
JAGUAR
- Central America
- South America
- Amazon Rain Forest
Read also 51 Animals of the Kruger Park
Physical differences between the Leopard and the Jaguar
LEOPARD
- 80 kg
- 0.8 m height at the shoulder
- 1.5 m length head and body
- Head is small and defined
- Slender build
- Small rosette markings with no inner spots, close together.
JAGUAR
- 110 kg
- 0.8 m height at the shoulder
- 1.8 m length head and body
- Head is large and round
- Thickset build
- Large rosette markings with inner spots, widely spaced.
Read my article The Big 5 – Photographing the Leopard
Behavioural differences between the Leopard and the Jaguar
LEOPARD
- Agile climbers
- Stalker/ambush hunter
- Secretive/elusive
- Kills via suffocation
- Natural enemies – lions and hyenas
- Preys on mammals and birds
- warthogs
- antelope e.g impala
- guinea fowl
JAGUAR
- Excellent swimmers
- Stalker hunter
- Bold/apex predator
- Kills by crushing and ripping with canine teeth
- Natural enemies – none
- Preys on reptiles and fish
- caiman
- turtles
- large fish
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