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The Arizona Jaguar, or North American Jaguar, is a subspecies of jaguar native to Arizona, in the southwest United States. It was thought to have been eliminated by 1960, but occasional sightings of jaguars have persisted.

Description[]

The Arizona jaguar ranges from the southwestern United States to Central America. They are relatively smaller in size compared to the jaguars of South America. By 1960, jaguars were thought to have been eliminated in the United States. Jaguar hunting in Arizona was outlawed by 1969 but today only a small number of jaguars roam wild. All jaguar sightings are of males, with the last female being shot in 1963. [1]

Sightings[]

In 1996, rancher and hunting guide Warner Glenn came across a jaguar in the Penloncillo Mountains of Arizona. He would then become a researcher on jaguars and place webcams which recorded four more Arizona jaguars. [1]

On February 20, 2009, a male jaguar was captured and radio collared by Arizona Game and Fish Department officals. He was released back into the wild in Arizona and given the name Macho B. Unfortunately, he died shortly after that. [2]

On 19 November, 2011, a jaguar was sighted in the Whetstone Mountains by hunting guide Donnie Fenn and his daughter. His hunting dogs chased the jaguar and he took several photos. [3] In September 2012, a male jaguar (later confirmed to be the same individual) was photographed in the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona. It was captured on monitoring cameras placed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This jaguar was given the name El Jefe (Spanish for "The Boss") and was the only known jaguar living in the United States since Macho B's death. [4] El Jefe hasn't been seen since 2015, when he's assumed to have returned to Mexico to breed. [5]

On November 16, 2016, a jaguar was spotted by trail cameras in the Dos Cabezas Mountains of Arizona. It was the furthest north a jaguar had been seen in many decades. This jaguar was the seventh confirmed jaguar in the southwest since 1996. [6] On December 1, another jaguar was captured by trail cameras at Fort Huachuca. It was thought to be male and not previously seen in Arizona. [7] He was seen again in Feburary. [6]

In April 2021, University of Arizona Ph.D student Ganesh Marin was studying the ecosystems along the US-Mexico border when a young jaguar was captured on his video feed. [8]

Conservation[]

The Arizona jaguar was placed on the endangered species list in 1997. On March 4, 2014, Federal Wildlife officals set aside nearly 1,200 square miles along the US-Mexico border as habitat essential for the conservation of the jaguar. [9]

The Northern Jaguar Project is an Arizona-based organisation which aims to protect the Arizona Jaguar and other wild cats. The heart of the project is the Nothern Jaguar Reserve, an 86-square-mile wild landscape and the perfect habitat for jaguars. [10]

In Popular Media[]

  • In Kemono Friends, an anthropomorphised Arizona jaguar is a character in the series.

Gallery[]

Sources[]

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