Jaguar. The jaguar is a highly aggressive and ferocious great cat that makes its home in dense forests or swampy areas near a source of fresh water. Of all the big cats, the jaguar is the most at home in the water. They are excellent swimmers and stalk their prey through deep water where other cats won't go. They also excel at climbing and often spend time hunting tree-dwelling animals (such as monkeys). The jaguar is highly territorial with its personal hunting ground often covering an area of several square miles. The typical jaguar subsists on a diet of animals such as deer, tapir, elk, fish, armadillos, and other small animals. If hungry or its food supply is thin, jaguars have been known to attack prey much larger than itself. Jaguars stalk their prey and prefer to attack from ambush, swooping in and felling prey with one swift stroke of their powerful jaws or locking on until their prey is dead.