Jaguar VS Leopard - FAQ Friday

Many people have a hard time distinguishing the difference between a jaguar and a leopard. Let us clear that up for you!

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[MANDYTRAUGH]

That's so funny! I've always called the Jaguar the "pit-bull" of the cat family.

[Sylmarys]

I also notice that Jaguars have a much larger and more robust head than the Leopard.

[equarg]

Also, when leopards kill, they go for the throat like other cats.
BUT Jaguars like to bite the skull and kill with a brain bite.
Jaguar teeth differ from Leopard teeth because of this too!

[LloyettaJEwing]

Wow, they do look alot alike. Beautiful cats. In memory of Mickey...

[kevinquinonez]

"Can I copy you homework ?"
"Yeah just change it up a bit so it doesn't look the same"

[nunosantos]

Jaguars are beautiful, they are short but very bulky and if the fur is clean it almost shines.
Bigger jaw and head, more power for the jaguar and a male is almost on the level of a lioness in strenght.

[KyairEnnis]

Also Leopards can climb trees better than any other cat, Jaguars can climb too but have a harder time climbing/ Leopards don't like water but Jaguars love water.

[shafqatishan]

But it gets complicated when some leopards actually have jaguar like rossetts and some jaguars have leopard like. Also some leopards like Persian leopards are similarly muscular as jaguars, whereas some central American jaguars have a leaner built. The best way to tell them apart is by their tail and legs. Leopards always have much longer tail and jaguars have shorter legs relative to their body.

[CaptainKeelhaul]

The leopard at 0:45 also seems to have spots inside of the rosettes.

[bettinaeicher]

Trank you for helping all big cats, neither is it a leopard or a jaguar!
And merry Christmas to everyone!

[MesutTemiz]

Another difference is that, the front part of the muzzle of jaguars are clearly and disticly white, while that part is not distinctly white but just goes lighter in leopards... Of course this is only for the spotted specimens.... Telling black jaguars from black leopards is more difficult, since you can only rely on the differences in their built.

[b.sylphaen]

Also the shape of the head and ears are a bit different. Jaguars have more squeare heads and rounder ears.

[starlinguk]

So two almost identical animals evolved on two different continents. That's awesome.

[-nf]

Always found it difficult to tell the difference between a Jaguar and a leopard

[madcapper]

I've heard that jags and leopards used to be the same species, or had common ancestors from back when Africa and South America were joined, then took slightly different evolutionary paths when the two continents split and drifted apart.

[Thelby]

The Jaguar is my Favorite Big Cat!
Merry Christmas!!

[zinnnq]

Merry catmas big cats and the workers in big cat rescue!

[Tjtjboy]

Jaguars love to swim and leopards don't. Jaguars have the strongest bite of any cat and leopards are the best at climbing trees.

[Aaron-Miller-]

I always have been able to tell the difference between the two cats. Because I watch your videos a lot and I’ve learned it all through watching your videos.🙂😉

[hopflyisme]

These are the most important answers 😀 always been baffled by the difference.