Jaguar: King of the Jungle
By Davis Cook,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Detail-rich nature doc has brief animal violence and sex.
Add rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Jaguar: King of the Jungle
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In JAGUAR: KING OF THE JUNGLE, the producers at Doc Lights track an unnamed male jaguar throughout his continual efforts to find and kill many other animals like capybaras, crocodiles, wild hogs, rapiers, coatimundis, and more in the Brazilian rainforest. This narrative serves as the through-line against which a wide range of other facts about these animals and the surrounding rainforest are explored. These include: one brief episode about jaguar mating, with the male jaguar courting and conceiving with a female jaguar; a segment on a symbiotic relationship between one species of bird and crocodiles where the birds warn the crocodiles of the jaguar's presence; and more.
Is It Any Good?
Jaguar: King of the Jungle provides a glimpse into the life of jaguars in the Brazilian rainforest, and in the meantime tells the story of the various plants and animals that make up the rest of the ecosystem that the jaguars haunt. This is achieved through calm narration and some great camera shots.
The documentary exists in a middle ground that is somewhat unusual for nature documentaries: it follows one single jaguar yet does not name or anthropomorphize the jaguar at all (i.e. giving it traits like a personality or showing it interacting with its young or something like that). Because of this, the information and camera shots provided feel somewhat narrow, but this isn't made up for by a more gripping anthropomorphized "plot", so in the end the documentary isn't very gripping. However, it does list lots of facts about jaguars and their surrounding environments, and gives some camera shots that are enjoyable to look at. In the end, the documentary won't be entertaining for most people who aren't already interested in the subject matter, but it does successfully fulfill the narrow guidelines it sets out for itself.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how jaguars look different from humans yet still worry about some of the same problems (getting enough food, conserving energy, etc.). What are some other things that jaguars do throughout the day that you do as well?
Why are there so many nature documentaries like this one? What do we gain by making and watching nature documentaries?
How is watching nature documentaries about certain species like jaguars better and/or worse in your opinion than going to the zoo?
TV Details
- Premiere date: January 1, 2020
- Network: Max
- Genre: Educational
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: September 14, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate