Jaguar and Panther Differences

Both the panther, which is a nickname for a leopard, and the jaguar are the smaller members of the big cat family. But both are wily hunters capable of bringing down elk, zebra or even, a human. While the leopard and jaguar belong to the same family, panthera, the two big cats have four striking differences in size, location, tree-climbing ability and coloring.

  1. Size

    • The leopard is smaller. A male measures about 4-feet long from head to body; a panther's tail can then add another 2 feet to its total length. A male weighs between 75 to 150 pounds and stands nearly 3-feet tall at the shoulders.

      A male jaguar can measure from 5-feet to 6-feet long and its tail can add another 30 inches. Male jaguars can weigh between 120 to 200 pounds and stand more than 3-feet tall at the shoulders.

    Habitat

    • Leopards can be found across the Eastern Hemisphere. They are especially common in Southern Africa and Southeastern Asia. References to leopards can be found throughout the cultures native to these areas. For example, the Ancient Greeks were captivated by the leopard's hunting prowess, and Alexander the Great took it as a battle emblem.

      The jaguar is found in the Western Hemisphere, but not in the United States or Canada. Before human encroachment, the cats could be found from the tip of South America to today's U.S.-Mexico border. Today, they are readily found only in remote areas in Central and South America, and in greater numbers in the Amazon rain forest. Native cultures here also saw jaguars as a remarkable creature. For example, the Aztecs' greatest and most-skilled soldiers were called Jaguar Warriors.

    Tree Climbing

    • The jaguar will occasionally flee to a tree to avoid confrontation or to seek solitude. But leopards are well known for their affinity for trees. They have the strongest chest and shoulder muscles of any big cat, which allows them to climb any tree with ease. The leopard's climbing ability is so pronounced that a leopard will stalk its prey, kill it and then drag it up into a tree to eat it at its leisure.

    Coloring

    • Both cats' fur are dominated by rosettes, small patterns that resemble roses -- a small brown spot encircled by twisting black circles. But the jaguar has larger rosettes, which are darker with bolder lines and smaller center spots. The leopard has smaller rosettes with less distinct black outlines.