where are the jaguars from

Jaguars are native to the Americas and primarily found in a range that extends from southern Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, through Mexico and much of Central America, and down into South America as far as northern Argentina. Their largest continuous population lives in the Amazon Basin, including areas such as the Cerrado, Pantanal, and Chaco. They inhabit dense tropical and subtropical moist forests, wetlands, swamps, and wooded regions, often near water sources like rivers and lakes. Jaguars also adapt to habitats like scrublands, reed thickets, coastal forests, and even some drier areas such as oak woodlands in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. They are excellent swimmers and prefer dense cover for hunting and safety, rarely found above 2700 meters in elevation except in some uncommon cases. Historically, their range was larger but has been reduced due to habitat loss and other threats, with current populations mostly concentrated in South America but still extending into parts of Central and North America.