A jaguar's coat is covered in dark rosette-shaped spots, a bit like a leopard's - but jaguars have small dots inside each rosette, which leopards don't. You can tell them apart that way. Up close, jaguars are also chunkier and stronger than leopards, with much bigger heads.
Most cats don't like getting wet. Jaguars love it. They are excellent swimmers and often hunt in rivers, leaping in to catch fish, turtles and even small crocodiles called caimans. Of all the big cats, they have the strongest bite for their size - strong enough to crack open a turtle shell.
Jaguars live alone, not in family groups like lions. Each one has its own patch of forest, which it patrols at night and sleeps in during the day. A mother jaguar stays with her cubs for around two years, teaching them everything they need to know before they go off to find their own patch.
The word 'jaguar' comes from an Indigenous word, 'yaguar', which is sometimes translated as 'he who kills with one leap'. Many cultures across South America have told stories about jaguars for thousands of years, treating them as one of the most important animals in the forest.