Jaguars have beautiful golden-yellow fur covered in dark rosette shapes — circles with spots inside, like beautiful flowers. Each jaguar's pattern is unique, just like a human fingerprint. They are excellent swimmers and love to be near rivers and streams, which is unusual for big cats — lions and tigers usually avoid water.
A jaguar can weigh up to 100 kilograms and can run at about 80 kilometres per hour in short bursts. They are mostly active at night, which is one reason people rarely spot them even when they are nearby. Motion-sensing camera traps set up by scientists in Belize have captured incredible photos of jaguars padding silently through the jungle in the darkness.
In the rainforest, jaguars are what scientists call 'apex predators' — they sit at the top of the food chain and help keep the whole ecosystem balanced. When jaguars thrive, it usually means the whole forest is healthy.
The Maya civilisation considered the jaguar a deeply powerful and important animal and included it in their art, stories and architecture. Today, the jaguar is a national symbol of Belize, celebrated on coins, stamps and in schools across the country.