A jaguar looks a bit like a leopard, but its spots are different. They are called 'rosettes' - small black rings with a dot in the middle, like little flowers. Every jaguar's pattern is unique, like a fingerprint. From far away the rosettes break up the cat's outline so you can walk right past one without seeing it.
Jaguars love water. Unlike most cats they swim happily and often, paddling across rivers and even diving to grab fish. Their favourite habitat in Mexico is the wet, green Selva Maya - a vast rainforest in the south that stretches into Guatemala and Belize.
Their bite is famous. A jaguar has the strongest jaws of any big cat for its size. They are the only cats that often kill by biting straight through the skull, instead of the throat. Their head looks slightly square and chunky, which is why their bite is so powerful.
Jaguars were sacred to ancient Mexican civilisations. The Aztecs had warrior groups called 'jaguar warriors' who wore real jaguar-skin costumes. Maya temples have jaguar heads carved into them. Today, the jaguar is protected and is the symbol of wildlife reserves across southern Mexico.