While all jaguars are panthers, not all panthers are jaguars. The main difference between these animals is that a jaguar is a large cat of the Panthera onca species and a panther is not a specific animal from a single species. Panthera is a genus within the family Felidae which comprises tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards.
Table Summary
| Panther | Jaguar |
| Four different species | Specific species (Panthera onca) |
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Definitions
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large feline species and the only living member of the Panthera genus native to the Americas. It is the largest cat species in the Americas and the third-largest in the world. The jaguar is part of the genus Panthera.
Panthera is a genus within the family Felidae which comprises the tiger (P. tigris), lion (P. leo), jaguar (P. onca), and leopard (P. pardus).
Panther VS Jaguar
While jaguar is a single species of feline, panther is the name of a genus within the Felidae family. Though all jaguars are considered panthers, not all panthers are jaguars – they can also be tigers, lions and leopards.