Cougar or jaguar?
How to tell them apart
Jaguars are heavily spotted and stockier; an adult cougar has no spots.
An adult cougar has a plain tawny coat with no spots at all.
Quick answers
They differ on 1 of the 8 quick answers: dangerous.
| Question | Cougar | Jaguar |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | Yes | Yes |
| Dangerous? differs | Can be | Yes |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Day & night | Day & night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | No | No |
At a glance
| Question | Cougar | Jaguar |
|---|---|---|
| Found in differs | North America, South America | South America, Central America |
| Habitat differs | Forest, Mountains, Scrub, Desert | Rainforest, Wetland, Forest, Grassland |
| Size | Large | Large |
| Length differs | – | Up to 1.85 m plus tail |
| Height differs | – | 57–81 cm at the shoulder |
| Weight differs | Males 53–72 kg, females 34–48 kg | 56–96 kg in most regions |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Fur | Fur |
| Lives | Alone | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 8–13 years | 12–15 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Cougar
A large, plain-coated cat of the Americas, also called puma, mountain lion and panther. It can purr, but it can’t roar.
Jaguar
The biggest cat in the Americas and the only one of the roaring big cats native there. A stocky, heavily spotted hunter that sticks close to rivers and swamps.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.