Jaguars are probably the best swimmers of all the felines. They are certainly the best underwater swimmers. Tigers are a pretty close second. Jaguars have an extraordinary ability to swim under water in an entirely natural way as if they’ve been transformed into an aquatic animal. The video illustrates this admirably.
The infographic contains a video with a play button in the middle of the infographic. It is an awesome video. You’ll be impressed. It is conclusive proof if it is needed that jaguars are good – no excellent – swimmers.
As mentioned in the infographic, the jaguar is “strongly associated with streams and watercourses” according to Mel and Fiona Sunquist who wrote the excellent Wild Cats of the World.
Having done a lot of research on the third largest feline on the planet I have got the distinct impression that the jaguar spends a lot of time, if it can, in and around water both because they are likely to find prey animals in that area and because in the heat of the day, they can keep cool.
The jaguar, with the tiger are the world’s best underwater swimmers of all the cats. You will see videos of tigers swimming like this underwater as if made for the task and indeed, as if they are aquatic animals. The naturalness with which the jaguar swims underwater is astonishing.
It certainly indicates that over eons of evolution they have spent so much time in water that they have developed this almost seal-like quality when swimming.
And you will see many still images and videos of jaguars attacking caiman, alligators and crocodiles. Prey animals that live in and near water. They look like daunting prey animals to kill because of their size and the robustness of their anatomy but the jaguar copes admirably.
The jaguar has the strongest bite of all the feline species and can insert their canine teeth into and through the carapace of a turtle. Surely another highly impressive indicator of the capabilities of this roaring cat.
