jaguar It is a felid carnivore of the Panterine subfamily and the Panthera genus. It is the only one of the five current species of this genus that is... found in America. It is also the largest felid in America and the third largest in the world, after the tiger (Panthera tigris) and the lion (Panthera leo). Its current distribution extends from the extreme south of the United States continuing through much of Mexico, Central America and South America to the north and northeast of Argentina. It lives mainly in dry and humid tropical areas, but also lives in arid scrub. Its diet is very wide, it can hunt large prey, including cattle, or small animals. Except for a few populations in Arizona (southwest of Tucson), this species has been virtually extirpated in the United States since the early 1900s.