Q 01/05

What is the jaguar's scientific name?

A) Leopardus pardalis

B) Puma concolor

C) Panthera pardus

D) Panthera onca

Answer · why

D) Panthera onca

Panthera onca is considered a keystone species: by hunting herbivores, it is thought to help keep their numbers in check.

Q 02/05

Where does the jaguar rank in size among the world's cats?

A) Second largest

B) Fifth largest

C) Largest

D) Third largest

Answer · why

D) Third largest

Third largest, and so powerful that adult jaguars have no natural predators; people are the only real danger they face.

Q 03/05

Roughly how heavy was the heaviest jaguar on record?

A) About 15 kg

B) About 50 kg

C) About 160 kg

D) About 500 kg

Answer · why

C) About 160 kg

About 160 kg: a record male topped 158 kg, but forest jaguars run smaller than those in open country, possibly because big prey is scarcer in forests.

Q 04/05

What is unusual about the jaguar's killing method?

A) Biting straight through the skull between the ears

B) Raking it open with its hind claws

C) Snapping its neck with a paw swipe

D) Holding it underwater until it drowns

Answer · why

A) Biting straight through the skull between the ears

Biting straight through the skull between the ears kills at once, and the same bite is strong enough to pierce turtle and tortoise shells.

Q 05/05

In which Brazilian city did Juma, a jaguar shown at a 2016 Olympic torch ceremony, escape and get shot dead?

A) Belém

B) Manaus

C) Recife

D) Fortaleza

Answer · why

B) Manaus

Manaus: after the ceremony at an army zoo there, Juma slipped her handlers, four tranquilliser darts failed to stop her, and a soldier shot her dead.