A Yellow Beast at the top of a tree!

The Jaguar is a species of feline with a robust and muscular body found in practically every region of Brazil. This carnivorous mammal is considered to be the largest feline in the Americas and the largest carnivorous animal in South America. It is also the third largest feline in the world, behind the tiger and lion, and is the largest on the American continent.

The jaguar follows a diet adopted by most big cats, known as “feast or famine”. The animal goes up to a week without eating, but can devour up to 20kg of meat in a single day. Poor fate of those who cross their paths on a hunting day! Even if it does not feed itself very often, it has a very important ecological function since it is a predator that helps in the balance of populations of other animals.

In ancient Central and South American civilizations, the jaguar is considered a symbol of strength. The Aztecs, for example, named a class of elite warriors as “Jaguar Knights”.

In Brazil, people from inland cities control their children by putting fear in them saying: “don’t do that, or, don’t go there or else the jaguar will catch you”. But despite this, jaguars are timid and tend to run away from humans. Reports of attacking humans are rare, and when they do happen, they are usually related to the defense of their young.

Proportionally, taking into account its weight and size of the skull, the jaguar has the strongest bite in the world, surpassing felines like the tiger and the lion. Its jaw is so strong that it is capable of breaking turtle shells.

It’s worth remembering that if one day you’re walking through the woods of Brazil, don’t forget to look up. The jaguars are nocturnal animals and spend the day resting in trees and as much as they are resting, the jaguars take advantage of the heights to have a better view of their prey and use the trees as a refuge so as not to be disturbed by mosquitoes and other animals.