Do jaguars ( Panthera onca ) depend on large prey

The jaguar ( Panthera onca ) has been classified as an opportunistic hunter that takes as many as 85 prey species, according to availability. In this study we analyzed jaguar food habits throughout its range to quantify the importance of small, medium, and large prey in the diet. Because peccaries ( Tayassu ) are present in most studies, we also tested their importance in relation to other prey items. We conclude that jaguars are equally using medium- and large-size prey, with a trend toward use of larger prey as distance increases from the equator. There was no significant difference between the importance of peccaries and other large prey.