Sleeping jaguar

A jaguar rests in the shade at the Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, Minn., July 15, 2008. Jaguars, the largest of South America’s big cats, once roamed much of the Americas, according to National Geographic. Their population numbers are now limited to a few remote regions. The beautiful and powerful beasts are prominent parts of ancient Native American cultures. The name “jaguar” is derived “yaguar,” a Native American word for “he who kills with one leap.”