Grades 3 -5 Toolkit: Into the Jungle - Jaguars
Welcome to our Into the Jungle - Jaguars Toolkit
Jaguars are one of the most beautiful and powerful animals in the Americas. For students, they’re an instantly recognizable Big Cat that can serve as an excellent introduction to the ecology of the rainforest, while serving as a way to contextualize the many ways animals interact and adapt to their natural environment.
In this toolkit we make learning about jaguars fun and engaging for your students. Our resources clearly and simply explain the science and conservation status of jaguars for the K-2 level. This includes videos, reading activities, and more! Depending on their use, these resources can provide 30-60 minutes of classroom education on wildlife conservation and education.
Let’s start with a quick video that we think will engage your students!
What’s Covered in this Toolkit?
Written content on jaguars in Belize to enhance your lesson, and engage your students. These include videos and photos taken from the Belize Zoo and from our trail cameras in Belize.
A 3 minute video that includes important information about jaguars from the experts at the Belize Zoo.
A 10 minute narrated video that explores the wildlife that share the Belize rainforest with jaguars. This exercise includes comprehension questions for students. Included are talking points to ask your students about the video to ensure comprehension.
A podcast episode called Inspiring Animals - Jaguars, from the staff at Inspire EdVentures, which provides more information on jaguar conservation.
A hands-on exercise on spot identification in jaguars using real jaguars from Belize.
Alignment with Grade 3-5 Science Standards
North Carolina Science Standards Alignment
We can align our content to any state’s standards, or individual programs or curricula. Just contact us using the link below. [link to form coming]
The Story Starts Here …
Sneaking quietly through the jungle of Central America, the Jaguar’s whiskers twitch as it spies a Agouti – a large rodent related to the Guinea Pig. As this nighttime hunter silently creeps up on its prey, its spots shine in the moonlight, and its powerful jaws many times stronger than a human’s prepare to strike.
A jaguar in Belize captured on Inspire EdVentures camera traps (2017)
Jaguars are one of five cat species in Belize, and the only big cat in the Americas – in fact, they are the third largest big cat in the world, behind only the tiger and lion. While they could once be found in the United States, today jaguars can no longer be found in the U.S., with the exception of the occasional rare sighting in the southwestern U.S. But in Belize, a country only as big as a small U.S. state, you can find up to 700 jaguars who call these jungles their home.
Jaguars don’t hunt humans – they don’t even like to be around humans. But in Belize, the jaguar's territory is shrinking, as humans cut down rainforest in what is called deforestation to make room for farms and land for grazing animals.
As a result, more and more jaguars are coming in contact with humans. Some of these jaguars have even started hunting farm animals like cows, chickens, and sheep. Jaguars are carnivores, and their instinct is to hunt mammals and birds in the jungle. For jaguars, sheep and chickens are just easy to eat prey, and a jaguar that has started hunting farm animals will have learned to continue hunting them.
These jaguars are called “problem jaguars,” and sadly many are killed by farmers who are looking to protect their animals.
A jaguar at the Belize Zoo
In Belize, organizations like the Belize Zoo take in problem jaguars so they are not killed. Sometimes they are moved to other parts of the country. Other times, they are kept at the Belize Zoo as “ambassadors” to teach native Belizeans, and tourists coming to the country, about jaguars, and why they should be protected.
As the rainforest shrinks, jaguar populations also become isolated, meaning that they have difficulties meeting other jaguars to breed and reproduce. A solution to this is to build wildlife corridors, areas of protected forest that link together larger protected areas for jaguars to safely move through. One of these, called the Mayan Wildlife Corridor, is working to connect the forests across Belize and into neighboring countries.
If we want to see these beautiful cats in the future, the jungles that jaguars call home need to be protected, and people must be educated on why they should not kill jaguars. While there are many jaguars in Belize today, there may not be in the future. While Belize remains an important center for jaguar conservation, the pressures of human society are taking their toll. Over the past 20 years, jaguars have lost almost one fourth of their population, and one fifth of their territory. You can help, by learning about wildlife conservation and raising awareness about jaguars to your family and friends.
Fun Science Facts About Jaguars
Jaguars are nocturnal animals, meaning they are awake at night. Because of this, their vision is adapted to see more details and colors at night, when they are more likely to hunt prey. Jaguars also have excellent hearing, which also helps them listen for prey amongst the many sounds of the jungle.
Jaguar’s distinctive spots are also suited to the jungle, as they help with camouflage. The spots mimic light that filters down through the jungle canopy, making them harder to spot by their potential prey.
A jaguar’s spot is called a rosette, and the pattern of rosettes on their coat is unique to the individual jaguar - just like a human fingerprint! Scientists can use these patterns to track jaguars and where they live using techniques such as trail cameras.
Some jaguars are born all-black, and are sometimes called “panthers” (not to be confused with the puma, a large cat that also lives in Belize and is sometimes called a panther). This is called melanism, and is beneficial to jaguars, as their black pattern helps them camouflage even better in the jungle and can even regulate their temperature. Black jaguars are extremely rare, but occasionally one is seen in Belize.
Jaguars have the strongest bite of any big cat, which factors into their way of hunting orey. Their preferred method is to wait in trees, then pounce on their prey and kill it with a single large bite to the neck.
Jaguars are considered top predators of the jungle, meaning they are consumers who play an important role in controlling the populations of other species. Without big cats like jaguars, the population of certain prey species can grow too large, which can damage the plant life of the jungle.
Jaguars were considered sacred species to the Mayans, who still live in Belize today! Jaguars are called balam in the Mayan language, and were believed to be connected to the Mayan underworld, or land of the dead.
Learn More About Jaguars
Listen to our Inspiring Animals Podcast about Jaguars
[Design Note: This audio version will be replaced with a video version soon]
Talking Points and Activities for Podcast
Download the talking points handout here.
Ask an Expert [this will be a link to a form that comes directly to Michael and will be answered to the class either by an email, or probably an audio file]
Trail Camera Video Activity
Jaguars live beside hundreds of other animals that also call the rainforest home, from birds to large mammals and even other big cats! In this video, we go through some of the wildlife we’ve captured on our trail cameras in Belize, then look at some of the jaguars we’ve caught on camera. The video is approximately 10 minutes long, and we’ve included some talking point questions for your students to help them get the most out of the experience:
Talking Points and Activities for the Video
Download the Talking Points guide. [need new version]
Download the STEAM Activity. [ design new?]
Jaguar Spot Identification Activity
A jaguar captured by Inspire EdVentures trail cameras in Belize
Teacher Instructions [materials needed, how to, images]
Handouts [coming soon]
Teacher Resources
How to Identify Jaguars By Their Spots. An article we prepared using our jaguar identification projects in Belize. Lots of great pictures and an explanation on what jaguar spots tell us.
Science of Jaguars: Our article on jaguars. A great reference point for questions that may pop up in class.
Need assistance? Email us at experiences@inspire-edventures.com or call us at 828.372.2882
Version 1.0 August 2025