Research overview: jaguar and puma coexistence in the Neotropics

Across much of Latin America jaguars and pumas occur together, and their coexistence is mediated by differences in prey, habitat, and behavior. This overview synthesizes research showing that jaguars tend to take larger prey and favor dense, wet habitats near water, while pumas exploit a broader range of prey sizes and tolerate drier, more open and disturbed areas. It reviews how the two cats partition prey size and habitat, how pumas may shift their diet and distribution where jaguars dominate, and how the loss of one cat affects the other. The synthesis frames their coexistence as a model of niche partitioning between two large sympatric felids. For enthusiasts it explains why pumas are often more widespread and adaptable while jaguars concentrate in productive lowland habitats, and how the two divide the Neotropical predator role.