Jaguars are patchily distributed throughout Mexico, Central America, and to the
Northern part of Argentina. It is mainly terrestrial, but can climb and swim
very efficiently. It will sleep during the day in shady areas, steam banks, or
horizontal tree branches. Jaguars favor undisturbed evergreen forests in the
lowlands and foothills, but is also found in deciduous forest, mangroves, and
grasslands. Jaguars tend to be quite territorial. Males occupy home ranges of
28-40 km2, and females tend to use smaller ranges inside the male's
range. Males have been known to mark their home ranges with urine, grunt calls,
and tree scratching. Though sometimes with seasonal habitat changes, such as
logging or drought males have been known to wander hundreds of kilometers.
(Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico)
