This is the largest cat found in the Americas. The name comes from the native Indian name ‘yaguara’, meaning ‘a beast that kills its prey with one bound’. Black rosettes with a central spot define the coat of the jaguar. Relative to their size, they have the most powerful bite of the ‘big cats’ and are the only big cat to regularly kill by piercing the skull of its prey. Melanistic jaguars with all-black coats are called panthers.