Jaguars
once ranged from southern Argentina, up along the coasts of Central America and Mexico and into the southwestern United States as far north ILD W ND A as the Grand Canyon. In FISH U.S. Arizona and New Mexico, these majestic cats were found in virtually every type of habitat, from desert grasslands to montane-conifer forests. But by the 1900s, jaguars had largely disappeared from the United States, driven south of the border by development and hunting. Loss of habitat and illegal killing continue to threaten jaguars throughout their entire range. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) listed jaguars outside the United States as an endangered species in 1972. The species was protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1973. In 1997, with enough solid biological evidence to indicate that the Arizona and New Mexico borderlands are a legitimate part of the jaguar's range, FWS listed jaguars as endangered in the United States. This status guarantees protection for jaguars that cross into the United States from northern Mexico. A Jaguar Conservation Team made up of landowners, ranchers, citizen groups, scientists and state and federal agency representatives from New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico is working to develop a jaguar conser vation plan. But they need your help to identif y suitable habitat and cross-border migratory routes. This pamphlet was produced with the support of the the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Defenders of Wildlife and the U.S.D.A . Forest Service.
E
LIF ES ER VIC
WANTED:
Information
leading to the protection and conservation of jaguars along the Arizona-New Mexico borderlands
www.fs.fed.us
www.defenders.org
Jaguar (Panthera onca)
The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes they have been discriminated against in any Game and Fish program or activity, including its employment practices, the individual may file a complaint alleging discrimination directly with the Game and Fish Deputy Director, 2221 W. Greenway Road, Phoenix, AZ 85023, (602) 942-3000 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 130, Arlington, VA 22203. If you require this document in an alternative format, please contact the Game and Fish Deputy Director as listed above or by calling TTY at 1-800-367-8939.
Have you seen this animal?
U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Arizona Game and Fish Department 2221 W. Greenway Road Phoenix, AZ 85023 602-942-3000 www.azgfd.com
Jaguar Spotting: What to Look For
J. CHILDS, JAGUAUR CONSERVATION TEAM
Jaguars are found in habitats ranging from mountainous spruce-fir forests to lowland thornscrub deserts.
T
hroughout the past 100 years, jaguars have been consistently documented in the borderlands of Arizona and New Mexico. To develop a sound plan for protecting and conserving jaguars in the United States, the Jaguar Conservation Team needs more information about jaguars in the borderlands -- information you can help provide. If you see a wild jaguar, please note as many details as possible and promptly call the appropriate state agency. Your observations may prove to be a valuable contribution to jaguar conservation and help to preserve a precious part of America's wildlife heritage.
Jaguars are large, muscular cats with relatively short, powerful limbs and deep-chested bodies. Adults measure six to eight feet from head to tip of tail. Average weights are 200 pounds for adult males, 150 pounds for adult females and 80 to 100 pounds for juveniles. Stunningly beautiful, jaguars are cinnamonbuff in color with many black spots often in the form of broken circles or rosettes. An all-black, or melanistic, phase also occurs. Jaguars are easily distinguished from mountain lions (pumas), the only other big cats found in the borderlands, by their pronounced spots. Jaguars are shy and elusive animals and generally travel at night. They are at home in a variety of habitats, from high spruce-fir forests of the mountainous "sky-islands" to the lowland thornscrub deserts. Their habitat preferences in the United States are not welldocumented and may be determined as much by the availability of food and water as by habitat type.
Jaguar vs. Puma Tracks
FRONT HIND
Jaguar: Foot pads broad, not indented at top, toe pads rounded.
4.8 inches 3.7 inches
Puma: Top of foot pad indented, toe pads tapered, almost pointed.
3.4 inches 3.2 inches
To Report a Jaguar Sighting
If you see a jaguar or signs of jaguar activity:
1. Note the exact location. Be as specific as possible. 2. Note the coloration, size, posture and behavior of the animal. 3. Look for tracks, scat, hair and other sign. Make a tracing of a track, if you can do so without destroying it. Collect hair and scat samples for analysis by wildlife officials. 4. Report the sighting immediately to: Arizona Game and Fish Department 602-789-3573 or New Mexico Department of Game and Fish 505-522-9796.
