🐊 American alligator vs Jaguar 🐆
The American alligator is about one and a half times as long as the jaguar. The American alligator weighs about 5 times as much as the jaguar.
| Row | 🐊 American alligator | 🐆 Jaguar |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The American alligator weighs about 5 times as much as the jaguar. | 1,000 lb454 kg1 | 79 to 348 lb36 to 158 kg2 |
| Lives The American alligator usually lives about 4 times as long as the jaguar. | 50 years50 years3 | 10 to 15 years10 to 15 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | fish, turtles, frogs, snakes and birds | capybaras, deer, fish, turtles and caimans |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | swamps, marshes, rivers and lakes of the southeastern United States | the rainforests and wetlands of Central and South America |
Which one? American alligator or jaguar
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the American alligator or the jaguar yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
Compare two more
Getting the animals ready…
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/american-alligator-vs-jaguar
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, checked 30 October 2026.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Jaguar species profile, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Gulf Islands, checked 30 October 2026.