What Is The Scientific Name Of Jaguar? (ANSWER)

What Is The Scientific Name Of Jaguar? (ANSWER)

SCIENTIFIC NAME OF JAGUAR – In this topic, we are going to know and identify the scientific name of jaguar.

SCIENTIFIC NAME OF JAGUAR
Image from: San Diego Zoo Animals and Plants

It is a large felid species which is native to the Americas. The cat extends from southwestern United States and Mexico in North America, across much of Central America, and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina in South America.

It falls under the Near Threatened species on the IUCN Red List. They are threatened by loss and fragmentation of habitat, among others.

It is known as the largest native cat species of the New World, as well as the third largest in the world. It resembles the leopard, but is usually larger and sturdier. The cat ranges across a variety of forested and open terrains, but it prefers habitat is tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest, swamps and wooded regions.

The jaguar enjoys swimming and is a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush predator at the top of the food chain. It plays a vital role in stabilizing ecosystems and regulating prey populations.

Scientific Name

The binomial name of jaguar is Panthera onca.

Panthera is a genus of the cat family Delidae, which is composed of tiger, lion, jaguar, and more. Panthera is a Latin term derived from the Greek word “pánthēr“, which obviuously means “panther. It is derived from the Sanskrit word pāṇḍ-ara which means “pale yellow, whitish, white”.

The specific name onca, on the other hand, is derived from the Italian term lonza, which means leopard or lynx.

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