Jaguar vs Leopard
Both these Panthera species are graceful and photogenic. More importantly, the ecology of the both animals is much similar with their carnivorous and aggressive habits. They are opportunistic feeders on any animal within their grasp. Therefore, almost all the other animals in their habitat are scared and fearful to these big cats.
Jaguar
Jaguars (Panthera onca) naturally range only in North and South America, distributed throughout the South American continent up to Southern parts of the USA through Mexico. Nine subspecies have been identified according to the locality via conducting genetic analyses. Jaguar is the third largest in terms of body size among all the big cats. It could weigh between 60 – 120 kilograms, more than 1 metre tall, and almost 2 metres long (without the length of tail). The characteristic black spot inside rosettes along with the sturdy body make them externally different from the other big cat species. Additionally, the size of a rosette and the thickness of the lines are bit larger. They can mate throughout the year and the frequency of reproduction may increase with an increased number of prey items. Under captive conditions with all the attended staff with veterinary care, a jaguar can live more than 20 years whereas in the wild it is between 12-15 years of a lifetime.
Leopard
Leopard (Panthera pardus) is naturally distributed in the forest patches of Asia and Africa. There are nine subspecies of leopards according to the results of studies on DNA analysis. All the subspecies are different according to the locality. Leopards are the smallest members among all the big cats in terms of the body sizes, and they are naturally distributed in Africa and Asia. Their skull is large and the body is long more than 1.5 metres. The weight ranges from 40 to 90 kilograms. According to the scientific reasoning for this wide range of body weight, the prey species found in the inhabited area has a significant effect. The size of a rosette is small and there is no black spot in the middle. Also the rosettes are more circular in African populations, but Asian populations have little squarer rosettes. Leopard can sexually meet their partners all around the year except for the ones live in cold climates. The usual lifetime of a leopard in the wild is between 12 and 17 years while, it can go up to more than 20 years in captivity.
Difference between Jaguar and Leopard
Having a golden yellow background with camouflaging and beautiful rosettes, and all the necessary predatory adaptations, the leopards and jaguars exhibit some important and interesting characteristics. The mostly discussed difference of having a spot inside the ring of rosette in jaguars is not the only one to distinguish them. Since the rosette size is larger in the jaguars, the number of rings is lower than the leopards, plus the thickness and the darkness of the rosettes are more in jaguars than the leopards. However, the life spans of both animals look similar in the wild a well as under captive conditions. Both have nine subspecies each and also they differ according to the localities. The extremely well developed musculature, strong bones, dreadfully strong and sharp canines, padded paws, camouflaging coat colours with rosettes, and many more other features have made them the most successful predators on the Earth.