The mascot is named #Pandi with a hashtag at the beginning to demonstrate its strong online profile.

It aims to inspire youths to embrace sport as a tool to make the world a better place, while also raising awareness about the species' risk of extinction.

A short animation has been released to show #Pandi making its way across Buenos Aires, demonstrating its athletic prowess before reaching the iconic Obelisk, the location of the Opening Ceremony.

"In the animated short, our young jaguar doesn't give up when faced with challenges as it tries to reach the ribbons with colours that symbolise Buenos Aires 2018," a statement from the Organising Committee reads.

"During the race it uses the positive energy of the sports found on the Youth Olympic programme to overcome all kinds of obstacles.

"It starts off with a breaking move; it demonstrates its skill in jumping over various hurdles; it defies gravity with a pole vault; and it ascends quickly just like in sport climbing.

"Exhaustion can't even get in the way of its final goal, to reach the Obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires, where it's embraced by the ribbons to become the mascot for the third summer edition of the Youth Olympic Games.

"With perseverance and the festive spirit it reveals upon reaching its goal, #Pandi symbolises the desire for Buenos Aires 2018, the first edition of an Olympic celebration with strict gender equality, to serve as an important source of inspiration to build a better world through sport."

Olympic mascots are ambassadors to the Games and are said to play a fundamental role in spreading the event's message and the Olympic values of friendship, respect, and excellence among different audiences, especially children and youth.

The jaguar, found in Argentina's northern region, is in great danger due to human causes.

Various non-Governmental organisations have warned about the risk of extinction as a result of the destruction of their natural habitat and hunting.

The Buenos Aires 2018 mascot was designed by the Argentina-based Human Full Agency.

The short animation was made by the local production company, Buda TV.

"Like the young athletes that give their best to qualify for the Games, the Buenos Aires 2018 mascot overcomes all types of adversity to reach its goals," Buenos Aires 2018 President Gerardo Werthein said.

A design based on a pebble was used as the mascot of the 2014 Summer YOG in Nanjing. 

Chinese officials claimed that NANJINGLELE was inspired by a unique natural feature of the host city known as the "Rain-Flower Pebble" - also translated as "Riverstone".

The mascots for the inaugural Summer YOG in Singapore in 2010 were Lyo and Merly, a fire-themed lion and a water-themed female merlion respectively.