Update: New Jaguar Confirmed In Arizona

Jaguar photo analysis conducted by scientists

Arizona Game and Fish Department scientists confirmed a jaguar sighted on trail cam photos Dec. 1 is a different one. “Five scientists from the department independently examined photos from the new sighting with those from previous jaguars in Arizona to compare spot patterns,” said Jim deVos, AZGFD assistant director for Wildlife Management.

They concluded this animal has not been sighted previously in the state. “This animal, like all other jaguars observed in Arizona in at least 50 years, is a solitary male and the closest breeding population of this species is about 130 miles south of the International Border,” deVos added.

First jaguar sighted in 2015

The other most recent sighting of a jaguar in Arizona occurred in the Santa Rita Mountains in southern Arizona. The last documented sighting occurred in September 2015. Before then, trail cams photographed this jaguar hundreds of times over a three-year period.

“In the absence of female jaguars and the irregularity with which we document any jaguar presence in Arizona, this sighting in early December is important, but not an indicator of an establishing population in the state,” deVos said.