Jaguar

Jaguars were large, jungle-dwelling felines.

Description
Jaguars were similar in size and appearance to leopards, but were somewhat bulkier and had spotted rosettes. They had golden fur and black spots, but a rare few had black fur and black spots, and were called black jaguars.

Combat
Jaguars were ferocious predators, and greatly feared by any humanoid who lived in their territory. They were aggressive and attacked any creature they saw as a potential threat. They stealthily stalked prey, usually from above in the tree cover. Their sharp claws delivered devastating wounds. A jaguar was capable of jumping a distance of up to.

Ecology
Jaguars lived solitary lives and were primarily tree-dwelling, spending most of their time above ground.

Diets
Jaguars were obligate carnivores. Despite spending a significant part of their day in the tree tops, jaguars were excellent swimmers. Being solitary creatures, jaguars only mingled with others of their species for mating. A female jaguar had a litter of up to three cubs.

Habitats
Jaguars were typically found in jungles and were very territorial. In the Shining South, they were known to inhabit the Ajmer Forest and Forest of Amtar.

Beyond Faerûn, jaguars were found throughout Maztica and in the jungles of Zakhara. In east Zakhara, they could be found in the Grey Jungle.

Relationships
Jaguars had a significant place in Maztica, even having a month named after them in the Maztican calendar. They were the namesake of the Jaguar Knights of Maztica, and a holy symbol of the god of war, Zaltec.

Jaguar claws were a token of hishnashapers and used as a material component in certain hishna spells. Mazticans used tough strands extracted from jaguar guts to craft snares to capture parrots and other birds used for pluma magic.

Wild halfling villages in the jungles of Far Payit kept jaguars, using them to kill any prisoners.

Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue sold jaguar hides for 25 gp a piece.

Trivia

 * The spell conjure animals could summon a jaguar to the aid of its caster.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Ironhelm • Realms of the Dead
 * Video Games
 * Icewind Dale II • Neverwinter Nights: Pirates of the Sword Coast