Are pumas and jaguars the same animal?

Cougar and jaguar are often used to refer to the same animal, Panthera onca. The jaguar is a large cat in the Americas, so named because it lives in the Americas. In different regions it may be called a cougar, a jaguar or, in the northwest, a leopard. In China, it is also known as the Jaguar.

Lions, tigers and leopards are all big cats, but they are all different species. Jaguars are a separate species from African lions and Asian tigers.

Generally speaking, the terms cougar and jaguar are more colloquial terms that actually refer to the same animal, the jaguar.

animal tags: cougar jaguar

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a Animals Top editor.