George Parker, age 7, of Springfield, I11., for his question:

WHERE DOES THE JAGUAR LIVE?

Largest of all the American cats is the jaguar. Known as "el tigre," or the tiger, in South America, the animal is between five and six feet long and has a three foot tail. The jaguar may weigh up to 300 pounds.

You'll find the jaguar living wild from the southern part of the United States, through parts of Mexico and Central America and down through most of South America.

The big cat has a coat of yellow with a pattern of black spots all over its body. The jaguar's coat is usually easy to distinguish from the spotted coat of a leopard because the spots are usually arranged in a rosette of four or five around a central spot.

Jaguars can be found on the plains, in the mountains and in dense forests near water.