How does the jaguar (the animal, not the car) differ from the leopard?

Question

I've never seen either animal live but I have seen pictures. They look the same to me.

Answer 1

I think the differences between the two are clear--one has a professional football team!

Answer 2

One is where the live

A leopard lives mostly in Africa. The Jaguar lives in South America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar

-This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, although it is usually larger and of sturdier build and its behavioural and habitat characteristics are closer to those of the tiger.

-DNA evidence shows that the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, and clouded leopard share a common ancestor

-The jaguar closely resembles the leopard, but is sturdier and heavier, and the two animals can be distinguished by their rosettes: the rosettes on a jaguar's coat are larger, fewer in number, usually darker, and have thicker lines and small spots in the middle that the leopard lacks. Jaguars also have rounder heads and shorter, stockier limbs compared to leopards

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard

-The leopard has relatively short legs and a long body, with a large skull. Physically, it most closely resembles the jaguar, although it is usually smaller and of slighter build. Its fur is marked with rosettes which lack internal spots, unlike those of the jaguar. Leopards that are melanistic, either completely black or very dark in coloration, are one of the big cats known colloquially as black panthers.

-One of many spotted cats, a leopard may be mistaken for a cheetah or a jaguar. The leopard has rosettes rather than cheetah's simple spots, but they lack internal spots, unlike the jaguar. The leopard is larger and less lanky than the cheetah but smaller than the jaguar. The leopard's black, irregular rosettes serve as camouflage. They are circular in East Africa but tend to be square-shaped in southern Africa.

http://www.funadvice.com/q/what_is_the_d...

"Firstly, they're all members of the cat familiar. Second they're all fairly large with the jaguar being the largest and strongest, followed by the leopard, the puma and finally the cheetah. The Puma is a tawny creature found in both the Americas, varying in size according to climate, with the largest recorded ones in the colder parts of Argentina. In North America it is sometimes called a Cougar. It bears a superficial resemblance to its larger cousin the Lion and is sometimes found in mountainous areas, hence the name Mountain Lion. The Jaguar is found in South America and like the Leopard and the Cheetah, it is spotted. However the Jaguar is larger and stronger than either of these, in fact it is the only cat able to kill with a single bite, having the strongest jaws in the Cat family, while only Lions and Tigers are larger in terms of both size and mass. The leopard is the most successul of all feline predators in that its generalist diet, supreme intelligence and absolute stealth makes them able to take on even human adversaries. In India and Africa, people fear the Leopard far more than the Tiger or Lion respectively as a result. The Cheetah, the third of the large spotted cats, is native to Africa and Asia, but most commonly associated with the African savanna and is the fastest of all land animals, being the only cat whose claws cannot retract and appears therefore to be more doglike. It even chases down prey more often than stalking it. Cheetahs are easily tamed and were once used to accompany Moghul kings on hunting trips.The above three cats differ from each other in habitat, prey species, behaviour and colouration. A jaguar inhabits the jungles or rainforests of South America, while both Leopards and Cheetahs prefer the plains of Africa and Asia. Both Jagaurs and Leopards have been known to climb trees to rest and keep their prey safe from other roving predators such as wild dogs, hyenas and lions. Confusingly they're both referred to as Panthers in literature, added to by the fact that both can have black mutations (only possible if both parents are black). Jaguars (like Tigers) enjoy swimming and have shorter tails than Leopards who prefer the Savannas and need the tails to aid in balance while running down their prey. Jaguars also have more muscular bodies. Cheetahs can be thought of as the sprint athletes with thin bodies and individual black ,dots as opposed to Jaguars and Leopards with their black circles witj brown centres and heavyweight boxer or wrestler build. The Cheetah' s head is smaller and has a black line running along the nose. Finally the mutation that one finds in Cheetahs is called the King Cheetah and results from the spots fusing into 'lines' or 'stripes', in my opinion a relic from the days when they were creatures that needed to do more stalking.

I hope this is sufficient information for you.

Regards

Layme"

Answer 3

Jaguars (Panthera onca) are larger than leopards, weighing up to 350lb - they are the third largest of all cats, after the tiger and lion. They are more heavily built than leopards, with shorter, stockier legs, a broader head, and shorter tail. The background colour of their coats is usually richer than that of leopards, and their spots are arranged in large, blotchy rosettes. They are fond of water, and often hunt animals such as fish and turtles. They are found in Central and South America.

Here's a jaguar:

http://t3.pacific.edu/teams/M013105/PV-J...

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is smaller than the jaguar, weighing only 200lb at most. It is more lightly built, with a longer tail, and the background colour of its coat is usually (though not always) lighter than the jaguar's. Its spots are smaller and arranged in small rings. It is the most adaptable and widespread of the large cats, ranging across Africa and Asia. It is an excellent climber and often hauls its prey into trees to keep it safe from other predators. 'Black panthers' are actually just melanistic leopards - that is, leopards with an excess of the dark pigment melanin, resulting in an almost totally black coat (the markings will still show up against the background in certain lights).

Here's a leopard:

http://www.tulileopard.co.za/images/leop...

Answer 4

Thank you for the clarification, I was about to point out that a Leopard does not have wheels and a Jaguar eats petrol (gas) not deer.....

Answer 5

Well for one they both live in different parts of the world.

The jaguar is found from Mexico, Central and South America, while the leopard is found only in Africa and Asia.

The rosettes on a jaguar's coat are larger, fewer in number, usually darker, and have thicker lines and small spots in the middle that the leopard lacks.

Jaguars also have rounder heads and shorter, stockier limbs compared to leopards

Answer 6

Leopards are leaner in built, without the spots in between their spots.

Jaguars are heavier built, with the spots (or rosettes) in the middle of their spots.