From AZ G&F:

Jaguar conservation has just experienced an exciting development with the capture and collaring of the first wild jaguar in Arizona by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The male cat was incidentally captured Wednesday in an area southwest of Tucson during a research study aimed at monitoring habitat connectivity for mountain lions and black bears. While individual jaguars have been photographed sporadically in the borderland area of the state over the past years, the area where this animal was captured was outside of the area where the last known jaguar photograph was taken in January.

The jaguar was fitted with a satellite tracking collar and then released. The collar will provide biologists with location points every three hours. Early tracking indicates that the cat is doing well and has already travelled more than three miles from the capture site.

The data produced by the collar will shed light on a little-studied population segment of this species that uses southern Arizona and New Mexico as the northern extent of its range.

"While we didn't set out to collar a jaguar as part of the mountain lion and bear research project, we took advantage of an important opportunity," says Terry Johnson, endangered species coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "More than 10 years ago, Game and Fish attempted to collar a jaguar with no success. Since then, we've established handling protocols in case we inadvertently captured a jaguar in the course of one of our other wildlife management activities."

The jaguar plan, which was created in consultation with other leading jaguar experts, includes a protocol for capture, sedation and handling in the event a cat was captured.

Biologists are currently working on an identification analysis to determine if the collared jaguar is Macho B, a male cat that has been photographed by trail cameras periodically over the past 13 years.

The collared jaguar weighed in at 118 pounds with a thick and solid build. Field biologists' assessment shows the cat appeared to be healthy and hardy.

The species has been protected outside of the United States under the Endangered Species Act since 1973. That protection was extended to jaguars within the U.S. in 1997, the year after their presence in the Arizona and New Mexico borderlands was confirmed.

"We issued a permit under the Endangered Species Act to radio collar a jaguar if the opportunity presented itself," said Steve Spangle, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Arizona field supervisor. "Gathering habitat use information and learning whether and how the cat is moving in and out of the United States may be essential to jaguar conservation at the northern edge of their range."

In 1997, a team was established in Arizona and New Mexico to protect and conserve the species. The Jaguar Conservation Team (JCT) began working with Mexico two years later, recognizing that the presence of jaguars in the United States depends on the conservation of the species in Mexico.

Trail cameras and field monitoring are carried out by the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project, a group that works in cooperation with the JCT.

Jaguars once ranged from southern South America through Central America and Mexico and into the southern United States. By the late 1900s, jaguars were thought to be gone from the U.S. landscape, but two independent sightings in 1996 confirmed that jaguars still used Arizona and New Mexico as part of the northern most extent of its range.

Jaguars are the only cat in North America that roars. They prey on a variety of mammals, fish, birds and reptiles. Individuals in the northern population weigh between 80-120 pounds. Females breed year-round and have litters of one to four cubs that stay with their mother for nearly two years.

This conservation effort is funded in part by the Heritage Fund and Indian gaming revenue. Started in 1990, the Heritage Fund was established by Arizona voters to further conservation efforts in the state including protecting endangered species, educating our children about wildlife, helping urban residents to better coexist with wildlife and creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation. Funding comes from Arizona Lottery ticket sales.

That is pretty cool! Arizona suddenly seems a bit more exotic.

I bet that was a hell of a surprise when they were checking their traps!

I'd be interested to know what the extent of the range might be on this cat.

Seems like everybody wants out of Mexico. Would be nice if they could build up a population of them though.

This is outstanding news. Very cool!

Pretty cool, absolutely beautiful animal.

Before I retired from the Fort Worth Zoo, one of the Curators there was fairly high up in the Zoo Fields Jaguar Advisory Group, and they were helping the Goverment agencies involved in their studies of Jaguars in the U.S./Mexico and Central America.

One day I passed by his office and he and some of his staff were working on and inspecting about 100 new Game Cams that were going out to the study areas.

It was interesting to see the pictures that started coming in after the cams had been in place for a few weeks, up to and including pictures of natives walking past carrying single shot shotguns.

It is really interesting as to who all gets involved and included into such studies as these.

Thanks for posting the picture and the story.

The first confirmed recent LIVE jaguar sightings in AZ/NM started back in 1996. Two different lion hunters had their hounds chase down two different cats.

In March 1996, lion hunter Warner Glenn photographed a jaguar in southwestern New Mexico.

Then in August 1996, Jack Childs, another lion hunter, chased a different jaguar in Arizona.

Since then, trail cams have photographed jags more than 65 times. I believe the last had been in 2007.

As an aside, identying the individuals is fairly easy if the photo is clear because each one will have unique spots just as humans have unique fingerprints. That's how they know they had later photos of the one Childs had seen.
So I'm sure they're now studying this one recent capture in an attempt to match him to earlier pix.

Here's bit more info on the jaguar program.

This is the photo Glenn took of the cat his hounds had treed.



These two are from trail cams.

Yes, I retired from the zoo in June 2006 and they had got involved in the program in 2003 or 2004 I believe.

I know that some of the pictures I saw came from some of the northern Mexican states, and if I remember right some of the pictures were from areas 100 miles or so south of the Arizona-Mexico Border.

Crazy,

The above are all from this side of the border.

Many folks would be surprised at the number of jags that had been killed in AZ early in this century. If I recall the last one legally killed in AZ was in the mid 1960s, and one was even killed near Big Lake in the White Mts. of NORTHEASTERN AZ.

Although they were protected in AZ by the state in 1969, the jaguar wasn't added to the federal endangered species list until 1997. Strangely, the USFWS had listed it as endangered OUTSIDE the US in 1972!! Even stranger, many of them had been trapped, poisoned or shot by the USFWS’s predator-control program!!


This is a listing of some entries from a real old Arizona Wildlife Trophies book.

1917 E.J. O'Doherty Helvetia (Santa Rita Mountains)
1924 Jack Funk Cibecue
1926 Fred Ott Nogales
1958 John F. Nutt Nogales
1959 Ed Scarla Santa Cruz County
1961 Arvid Benson "southeast Arizona"
1963 Terry Penrod Big Lake
1964 Russell Culbreth Ft. Apache Reservation
1965 Lawrence Magee Patagonia Mountains



Here are a couple more photos from Glenn.

Thank you for posting. AMAZING!!!!

Incredible! What next Bigfoot????

INCREDIBLE!!!! Many thanks Tony! For those of us who are leopard hunters it makes it even more meaningful to see the African spotted cat's bigger cousin in Arizona and New Mexico. Please keep us updated on anything else that comes in on the Jags.

Does anyone know if Jaguars and leopards are closely related enough to interbreed? They certainly look similar.

Bwanna,

At one time or another, one big cat species has been crossbred with other species. Most of the experiments with these have occurred in zoo-type settings, though it might happen in the wild, as well. Generally, the resulting litter males are sterile.

Coincidentally, quite a few mountain lions roam in the area where this jaguar was captured. So maybe he'll find willing female lion to shack up with.

I have been looking to see when the last recorded kill of a Jaguar took place in Texas, and so far all I have found was one made in 1903 or 04.

I believe however that there was one killed as late as the late 50's or early 60's, but I have not found any verifacation of that.

I worked at one zoo for almost 25 years and I cannot remember ever hearig or seeing anything about anyone purposely trying to cross a leopard with a jaguar.

Lions and tigers yes, but not leopards and jaguars.

I do not know how closely related they are genetically speaking, so I do not know if they would be able to cross breed.

Info I found on the last known kill in Texas showed 1948.

Here's a bit on crossbreedding of various cats:


A dogla is a supposedly natural hybrid offspring of a tiger and a leopard or possibly a leopard with aberrant patterns.

Note: The term "panther" used here refers exclusively to the Indian leopard in either spotted or black form.

There is anecdotal evidence in India of offspring resulting from leopard to tigress matings. The supposed hybrids are called "dogla". Indian folklore claims that large male leopards sometimes mate with tigresses. A supposed dogla was reported in the early 1900s. Many reports are probably large leopards with abdominal striping or other aberrant patterns. The Indian name for leopard is "chita-bagh" which means "spotted tiger" (or more correctly "spotted big cat" since "bagh" refers to any of the big cats). Many Europeans understood "bagh" to mean tiger and misunderstood chita-bagh as meaning a hybrid. In Ranthombore, a tiger and leopard became hunting partners, but there was no evidence of courtship or mating. They were both shot during a hunt.

A supposed leopard/tiger hybrid shot in the early 1900s was nothing like the traditional description of a dogla. F.C. Hicks, a Deputy Conservator of the Imperial Forest Service, wrote in "Forty Years Among The Wild Animals Of India" (1910) "During the beat the spotted head of a panther of extraordinary size pushed its way through the grass, followed by the unmistakable striped shoulders and body of a tiger. On examining it, I found it to be a very old male hybrid. Its head and tail were purely those of a panther, but with the body, shoulders, and neck ruff of a tiger." The pattern was a combination of rosettes and stripes; the stripes were black, broad and long, though somewhat blurred and tended to break up into rosettes. The head was spotted. The stripes predominated over the rosettes. The pelt of this hybrid was lost. It was larger than a leopard and though male, it showed some feminization of features which might be expected in a sterile male hybrid.

K Sankhala's book "Tiger" refers to large troublesome leopards as "adhabaghera" which he translated as " " and which suggests a dogla (tiger/leopard hybrid) belief of local people. Sankhala himself did not believe there ever were any leopard/tiger hybrids. With regard to Hicks' hybrid, Sankhala could find no such specimen in any museum. Sankhala noted the belief amongst local people that tigers and leopards naturally hybridise. There may have been plans to test this theory at New Delhi Zoo during the 1970s.

From "The Tiger, Symbol Of Freedom", edited by Nicholas Courtney: "Rare reports have been made of tigresses mating with lions in the wild. There has even been an account of the sighting of an animal thought to be the cross between a tiger and a female panther. This particular specimen disappeared after seriously mauling the witness who described his attacker: "...its head and neck were purely those of a panther but the body, shoulders, and neck ruff unmistakably of a tiger - the black stripes being broad and long, though somewhat blurred rosettes, the stripes of the tiger being most prominent in the body. The animal was a male measuring a little over eight feet [2.44 m]." This is the same description given by Hicks.

In 1900, Carl Hagenbeck crossed a female leopard with a Bengal tiger. The stillborn offspring had a mixture of spots, rosettes and stripes. The 1951 book "Mammalian Hybrids" reported that tiger/leopard matings were infertile, producing spontaneously aborted "walnut sized foetuses".


Jagulep
A jagulep, or jagleop, is the hybrid of a jaguar and a leopardess. A single rosetted, female jagulep was produced at a zoo in Chicago. The terms jagulep and lepjag are often used interchangeably regardless of which animal was the sire. Numerous lepjags have been bred as animal actors as they are more tractable than jaguars. The jaguar-leopard hybrids bred at Hellbrun Zoo, Salzburg were described as jagupards which conforms to the usual portmanteau naming convention.

When a jagulep or lepjag decide to cross breed with a lion, the offspring are referred to as lijaguleps. One such complex hybrid was exhibited under the name of a Congolese Spotted Lion, hinting at some exotic beast rather than a man-made hybrid. A Congolese Spotted Lion or more correctly lijagulep is the hybrid of a female leopard/jaguar cross (a jagulep or lepjag) with a male lion. ...


Leopon
Main article: Leopon
A leopon is the result of breeding a male leopard with a female lion, or lioness. The head of the animal is similar to that of a lion while the rest of the body carries similarities to leopards.You would rarely find lepons. A leopon is the result of breeding a male leopard with a female lion, or lioness. ...


Leotig
A leotig is a hybrid of a male leopard and a tigress. There are many rumors of such offspring, but nothing proven. This hybrid is more commonly known as a dogla. A dogla is a supposedly a natural hybrid offspring of a tiger and a leopard or possibly a leopard with aberrant patterns. ...


Lepjag
A lepjag, or leguar, is the hybrid of a male leopard and a female jaguar. The terms jagulep and lepjag are often used interchangeably regardless of which animal was the sire. Numerous lepjags have been bred as animal actors as they are more tractable than jaguars.


The female hybrids are fertile and when a female jagulep or lepjag is mated to a male lion, the offspring are referred to as lijaguleps. One such complex hybrid was exhibited in the early 1900s under the name of a Congolese Spotted Lion, hinting at some exotic beast captured in darkest Africa rather than a man-made hybrid. A Congolese Spotted Lion or more correctly lijagulep is the hybrid of a female leopard/jaguar cross (a jagulep or lepjag) with a male lion. ...


Liard
A liard or lipard is the proper term for a hybrid of a male lion with a leopardess. It is sometimes known as a reverse leopon. The size difference between a male lion and a leopardess usually makes the mating of the two difficult.


A lion x leopardess hybrid was born in Schoenbrunn Zoo, Vienna in 1951.


Another lion x leopardess hybrid was born in Florence, Italy (it is often erroneously referred to as a leopon). It was born on the grounds of a paper mill near Florence to a lion and leopardess acquired from a Rome zoo. Their owner had 2 tigers, 2 lions and a leopardess as pets and did not expect or intend them to breed. The lion/leopard hybrid cub came as a surprise to the owner who originally thought the small spotted creature in the cage was a stray domestic cat. The cub had the body conformation of a lion cub with a large head (a lion trait) but receding forehead (a leopard trait), fawn fur and thick brown spotting. When it reached 5 months old, the owner offered it for sale and set about trying to breed more.


The father was a 2 year old 250 kg lion 1.08 m tall at the shoulders and 1.8 m long (excluding tail). The mother was a 3.5 year old leopardess weighing only 38 kg. The female cub was born overnight on 26/27 August 1982 after 92-93 days gestation. The mother began to over-groom the cub and later bit off its tail. The cub was then hand-reared. The parents mated again in November 1982 and the leopardess appeared pregnant, however the lion continued to mate her and they had to be kept apart.


P L Florio published a report "Birth of a Lion x Leopard Hybrid in Italy" in International-Zoo-News, 1983; 30(2): 4-6


Liger
Main article: Liger
A 'liger' is the offspring between a male lion and a female tiger. It looks like a giant lion with diffused stripes. Liger The liger, is a hybrid cross between a male panthera leo (lion), and a female panthera tigris (Tiger) and is denoted scientifically as panthera leo x panthera tigris. ...


Liguar
A liguar is an offspring of a Lion and a Jaguaress.


Tigard
A tigard is the hybrid offspring of a male tiger and a leopardess. The only known attempts to mate the two have produced stillborns.


In 1900, Carl Hagenbeck crossed a female leopard with a Bengal tiger. The stillborn offspring had a mixture of spots, rosettes and stripes. The 1951 book "Mammalian Hybrids" reported that tiger/leopard matings were infertile, producing spontaneously aborted "walnut sized foetuses".


Tigon
Main article: Tigon
A tigon is the hybrid of a male tiger and a female lion. The tigon is not as common as the converse hybrid, the liger. Unlike popular belief, Tigons are not smaller because of combining genetics. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, tigons were more common than ligers. Tigon A Tigon is the hybrid of a male tiger and a lioness. ...


Tiguar
A tiguar is a tiger/jaguar hybrid. To date, there have been no known successful attempts in the mating of these species. A theoretical hybrid would be similar to the Dogla, but more powerfully built.

Many Thanks for posting that.

I had heard of the Ligers, and Tiglons/tigons.

Some of the others I had not heard of.

Also the 1948 date sounds right, but there may have been a later kill, but it may have been of an escaped captive held animal, I am still researching that one.

Since you have a much better research base than I do, and not meaning to take this topic off course, what is your opinion/idea of the so called American "Black Panther".

I have been involved in many heated debates over this subject, because unless some one has better or more convincing evidense, that while jaguars do come in a melanistic(black)color phase, I can find no verifiable evidence of a Black Mountain Lion, and Mountain Lions are the most numerous big cat in the Americas.

Are the reports of these animals strictly confined to Texas and the remainder of the southern states.

I believe that the Florida Panther/Mountain Lion is somewhat darker in color than the other geographical races, but I can find no proof, even in the writings I have studied concerning American Indians. of a Melanistic(Black Phase) Mountain Lion, and have never seen any records of one being born in captivity.

Sorry for wandering so far off course with this.

Here's a little more on jags in Texas. The first reference is from an article By STEVE SINCLAIR in the Valley Morning Star newspaper. BUT...I'm suspect of his facts since he has the part about the last killing of a jaguar in AZ quite wrong. As I had posted earlier, jags were still being killed in AZ into the 1960s.

June 21, 2008
As ranch hands measured the immense cat Reynaldo Ramirez had just shot on San Jose Ranch in 1946 near Olmito, little did they realize they had witnessed the passing of an era.

The 7-foot-long, 200-pound feline was the last jaguar documented in the Rio Grande Valley.

Two years later, in 1948, along Santa Gertrudis Creek near Kingsville, a second jaguar was killed not far from Highway 77. And with it, the jaguar was exterminated from Texas.

The last killing of a jaguar in the United States took place in 1949 in Arizona.

"I hate to see the loss of any wildlife species in Texas, especially a beautiful icon like the jaguar," lamented Michael Tewes, with the Cesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Tewes has studied wild cats of Texas for a quarter of a century.

"Jaguars historically ranged from the Pineywoods of East Texas to the Hill Country," he said.

"There's no indication they were numerous in Texas," Tewes said. "Reports from early settlers were that they were occasional."

He said encounters with jaguars usually took place along river corridors where the first settlements in Texas popped up.

The world's third-largest cat behind only the tiger and lion, jaguars today range from northern Mexico to South America. According to one estimate, 15,000 jaguars remain in the wild including about 500 in Mexico. The Jaguar Species Survival Plan reports that the population is declining.

The March 1946 issue of Texas Game and Fish carried an account of the final moments of the last jaguar in the Valley.

This particular cat had been raiding area ranches where it killed and ate yearling calves.

"For several weeks the jaguar went his nefarious way. Then he made a fatal mistake. He left tracks in the dense brush of the San Jose ranch," wrote Charles G. Jones in the magazine article.

"In no time all the hounds picked up the jaguar's trail. The chase was on. Ranch hands were stationed with rifles and shotguns on open spots where the jaguar might appear in his maddened efforts to lose the closely pursuing hounds.

"Reynaldo Ramirez was stationed at one open spot. He was armed with a shotgun. Ramirez was a bit startled when the jaguar came bounding out of the brush just a few feet from where he was standing," according the magazine account.

"He fired a load of buckshot at the big animal. The load went wild. The jaguar charged toward Ramirez. A hound cut across the open field and closed in on the infuriated jaguar. A mighty sweep of the paw and the hound was ripped apart.

"The jaguar continued his charge toward Ramirez who fired another load of buckshot at the snarling beast. All but one of the buckshot missed the jaguar. That one piece of lead struck the jaguar in the neck just below the head," according to the article.

"The animal slowed his charge to brush away the sting in his neck. Ramirez pumped six more loads of buckshot into the jaguar.

This time every load went home," the article said.

The cat was dead but not before it had killed 28 yearling calfs over a three-week period.

Ranch hands reported there were two other jaguars in the area and were determined to hunt them down also, but those two cats were never found.

"The reason jaguars no longer live in Texas are the changes made to their habitats," noted Linda Laack of Environmental Defense.

***

This is another reference:

Jaguar in the United States.
Fossil records indicate jaguars in Florida 7,000 to 8,000 years ago, and there is some evidence that they were present in the Carolinas in the 18th Century. Further west, records of jaguars are more complete and the species persisted longer. They were found across the South West USA in California, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

In the 1840s several jaguars were shot in the vicinity of San Antonio, Texas. It may have been the introduction of the horse and its use in hunting that doomed the jaguar in North America’s grasslands. The last jaguar on the Great Plains in Texas was killed in 1910, near the Llano River in Kimble County. On the Gulf Coast of Texas the last two jaguars were killed in 1946 and 1948.

***

RE: black panther

IMO, mostly myth. Despite all of the supposed sigthings, there has been nada, zilch, zero, no proof of one ever existing.

If one was ever legitimately spotted, my guess would be it was a melanistic jag.

RE: Florida panther

I was fortunate to take photos of several that are captive on the Seminole Reservation in FL. If I saw one in the wild, I wouldn't be able to tell it from an AZ lion. An adult appears to be a bit smaller than an adult western cougar, but the color is almost identical.

Here's the only photo I have scanned right now.

More info on "black" cats.

Melanistic jaguars
In jaguars, the melanism allele is dominant. Consequently, black jaguars can produce black or spotted cubs, but a pair of spotted jaguars will only produce spotted cubs. This is in contrast to the leopards wherein the mutation is recessive; spotted leopards can produce black cubs if both parents carry the recessive allele. Black leopards always breed true when mated together. The gene is incompletely dominant. Individuals with two copies of the gene are darker (the black background colour is more dense) than individuals with just one copy whose background colour may appear to be dark charcoal rather than black.

The black jaguar was considered a separate species by indigenous peoples. In Harmsworth Natural History (1910), WH Hudson writes:

The[5] jaguar is a beautiful creature, the ground-colour of the fur a rich golden-red tan, abundantly marked with black rings, enclosing one or two small spots within. This is the typical colouring, and it varies little in the temperate regions; in the hot region the Indians recognise three strongly marked varieties, which they regard as distinct species – the one described; the smaller jaguar, less aquatic in his habits and marked with spots, not rings; and, thirdly, the black variety. They scout the notion that their terrible "black tiger" is a mere melanic variation, like the black leopard of the Old World and the wild black rabbit. They regard it as wholly distinct, and affirm that it is larger and much more dangerous than the spotted jaguar; that they recognise it by its cry; that it belongs to the terra firma rather than to the water-side; finally, that black pairs with black, and that the cubs are invariably black. Nevertheless, naturalists have been obliged to make it specifically one with Felis onca, the familiar spotted jaguar, since, when stripped of its hide, it is found to be anatomically as much like that beast as the black is like the spotted leopard.

A black jaguar, named "Diablo", was inadvertently crossed with a lioness, named "Lola", at the Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary in Barrie, Canada. The offspring were a charcoal black jaglion female and a tan-colored, spotted jaglion male. It therefore appears that the jaguar melanism gene is also dominant over normal lion coloration (the black jaguar sire was presumably carrying the black on only one allele). In preserved, stuffed specimens, black leopards often fade to a rusty color but black jaguars fade to chocolate brown.


Melanistic cougars
There are no authenticated cases of truly melanistic cougars. None have ever been photographed or shot in the wild and none have been bred. There is wide consensus among breeders and biologists that the animal does not exist and is a cryptid.


Possible explanations
Black cougars have been reported in Kentucky and in the Carolinas. There have also been reports of glossy black cougars from Kansas, Texas and eastern Nebraska. These have come to be known as the North American black panther. Sightings are currently attributed to errors in species identification by non-experts, and by the memetic exaggeration of size.

In his Histoire Naturelle (1749), Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, wrote of the "Black Cougar"[6]:

"M. de la Borde, King’s physician at Cayenne, informs me, that in the [South American] Continent there are three species of rapacious animals; that the first is the jaguar, which is called the tiger; that the second is the couguar [sic], called the red tiger, on account of the uniform redness of his hair; that the jaguar is of the size of a large bull-dog, and weighs about 200 pounds (90 kg); that the couguar is smaller, less dangerous, and not so frequent in the neighbourhood of Cayenne as the jaguar; and that both these animals take six years in acquiring their full growth. He adds, that there is a third species in these countries, called the black tiger, of which we have given a figure under the appellation of the black couguar. The head is pretty similar to that of the common cougar; but the animal has long black hair, and likewise a long tail, with strong whiskers. He weighs not much above forty pounds. The female brings forth her young in the hollows of old trees."

This "black couguar" was most likely a margay or ocelot, which are under forty pounds in weight, live in trees, and occur in a melanistic phase.

Another description of a black cougar[7] was provided by Pennant:

Black tiger, or cat, with the head black, sides, fore part of the legs, and the tail, covered with short and very glossy hairs, of a dusky colour, sometimes spotted with black, but generally plain: Upper lips white: At the corner of the mouth a black spot: Long hairs above each eye, and long whiskers on the upper lip: Lower lip, throat, belly, and the inside of the legs, whitish, or very pale ash-colour: Paws white: Ears pointed: Grows to the size of a heifer of a year old: Has vast strength in its limbs.-- Inhabits Brasil and Guiana: Is a cruel and fierce beast; much dreaded by the Indians; but happily is a scarce species;

—Pennant's Synops. of quad., p 180
According to his translator Smellie (1781), the description was taken from two black cougars exhibited in London some years previously.


Reports of black cougars in the United States
In Florida, a few melanistic bobcats have been captured; these have also apparently been mistaken for panthers. Ulmer (1941) presents photographs and descriptions of two animals captured in Martin County in 1939 and 1940. In the photographs, they appear black, and one of the hunters called them black.

The Academy specimen, upon close examination, is far from black. The most heavily pigmented portions are the crown and dorsal area. In most lights these areas appear black, but at certain angles the dorsal strip has a decidedly mahogany tint. The mahogany coloring becomes lighter and richer on the sides. The underparts are lightest, being almost ferruginous in color. The chin, throat and cheeks are dark chocolate-brown, but the facial stripes can be seen clearly. The limbs are dark mahogany. In certain lights the typical spot-pattern of the Florida bobcat can be distinctly seen on the side, underparts and limbs. The Bronx Park animal appears darker and the spots are not visible, although the poor light in the quarantine cage may have been the reason.[8]

Adult male bobcats are 28–47 in (70–120 cm) long, with a short, bobbed tail, and are 18–24 in (45–60 cm) high at the shoulder. Females are slightly smaller. Florida cougars are 23–32 in (60–80 cm) at the shoulder and 5–7 ft (1.5–2.1 m) long, including the tail. Bobcats weigh 16–30 lb (7–14 kg) while Florida cougars are 50–150 lb (23–70 kg).

Another possible explanation for black cougar sightings is the jaguarundi, a cat very similar genetically to the cougar, which grows to around 30 in (75 cm) with an additional 20 in (50 cm) of tail. Their coat goes through a reddish-brown phase and a dark grey phase. While their acknowledged natural range ends in southern Texas, a small breeding population was introduced to Florida in the 1940s, and there are rumors of people breeding them as pets there as well. In Central America, they are known as relatively docile pets, as far as non-domesticated animals go. The male jaguarundi's home range can be up to 100 km² (39 sq mi) while the female's home range can be as large as 20 km² (8 sq mi). It has been suggested that very small populations of jaguarundi, which rarely venture out of deep forests, are responsible for many or most of the supposed black cougar sightings. While they are significantly smaller than a cougar, differently colored, and much lower to the ground (many note a resemblance to the weasel), memory bias could explain many of the sightings in the southeastern U.S.

Tony,

Its fancinating to think of Jaguars back in the US again.

The one caught though seems pretty small compared to those found in the South America...Are the cats generally smaller the further north they go, or was this a young male?

Regards,

Peter

Pete,

Agreed!! I have often hunted Coues deer & javelina in the area where this one was snared and would have been thrilled to see one.

From what I've read, their size varies quite a bit, with most of the larger ones coming from the tropical rain forest areas. Some allegedly have weighed up to 300 lbs., though it might have been some fisherman guessing at it.

This particular one is not a youngster since they believe it is the same one that has been photographed in that area for at least 13 years. Since the biologists had a hands-on opportunity to study it after the capture, they no doubt were able to estimate its age, as well, by checking out the teeth, etc.

Maybe the wide weight variation is due to the moisture factor. That could explain the larger size farther south to the tropics as opposed to the rather arid AZ desert areas. It certainly wouldn't be the lack of prey since there are lots and lots of critters in that part of AZ for it to eat.

Tony,

You may have read it already, but if not take a look out for "Jaguar Hunting in the Mato Grosso and Boliva" by Tony de Almeida, published by Safari Press...It has a wealth of information about these facinating cats, including how they are sometimes called..

Regards,

Peter

I haven't read it, but I'm going to have my wife see if the library has a copy of it.

I just found this site, which has lots of good info, photos and videos. There's even a streaming video of a black jag.

Big Cat Rescue

More on size variation:

Jaguar
Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the largest felid species in the New World and the only member of the genus Panthera, the roaring cats, that occurs in the Americas. They are the third largest cat species, being outsized only by lions (P. leo) and tigers (P. trigris). Although not the largest felid, jaguars have the strongest jaw in relation to head size of any of the cats, a fact that should be remembered whenever planning to capture and immobilize these animals. The body weight of jaguars is 90 - 120 kg for males and 60 - 90 kg for females, with a large variation in body size. Jaguars live in a wide variety of tropical habitats, ranging from montane forest and wet savannah to tropical rain forest and deciduous tropical forest. The largest documented jaguars occur in wet savannahs while jaguars that live in more forested regions tend to be smaller in size

Many Thanks for all the info.

I have met both Michael Tewes and Linda Laack during my tenure at the Fort Worth Zoo, at the time I met them Tewes was working for the Ceasar Kleberg Foundation and Laack was working for USF&W at the Laguna Atascose National Wildlife Refuge north east of Brownsville.

As to the black cougars, some folks are so caught up into the possible existance of such a creature that they can not or will not look at the fact that there has never been one bred in captivity, run over on a highway, shot by a hunter, caught in a trap or snare, and that the only time they make their presence known it to someone that either does not have a camera, witnesses or a gun and is willing to shoot.

I find that especially strange when the reports come out of Texas since TP&W consideres them vermin and only wants to know when and where a mountain lion is killed or found dead.

Thanks for all the information.

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As to the black cougars, some folks are so caught up into the possible existance of such a creature that they can not or will not look at the fact that there has never been one bred in captivity, run over on a highway, shot by a hunter, caught in a trap or snare, and that the only time they make their presence known it to someone that either does not have a camera, witnesses or a gun and is willing to shoot.

Bingo!! Most spotted in Area 51, too.

Here's the latest update from AGFD:

Biologists begin monitoring collared jaguar

Early data received from the tracking device on a recently captured and collared jaguar in Arizona is already giving biologists a better understanding of the cat’s movement and foraging patterns.

The male cat was incidentally captured Feb. 18 in an area southwest of Tucson during a research study aimed at monitoring habitat connectivity for mountain lions and black bears. It was the first capture and collaring of a wild jaguar in the United States. The jaguar was fitted with a satellite tracking collar and then released.

With nearly a week’s worth of data, the Arizona Game and Fish Department noted that the jaguar moved several miles after collaring to a very high and rugged area that the cat has been known to use in southern Arizona. The animal has stayed in that general vicinity for a few days with apparent patterns of rest and visits to a nearby creek. During the collaring, the cat appeared to have just fed on prey, which will aid its recovery and allow it to go for a period of time without feeding.

The satellite tracking technology will allow biologists to study diet and feeding patterns to learn more about the ecological requirements of the species in borderland habitats.

Scientists have also confirmed the identification of the collared animal: The cat is Macho B, an older male cat that has been photographed by trail cameras periodically over the past 13 years.

Macho B is believed to be the oldest known jaguar in the wild. His age was estimated at two to three years old in photographs taken in 1996, making him 15-16 years old now. Previously the oldest known jaguar in the wild was 13 years old.

“Every indication is that Macho B is doing well and has recovered from his capture and collaring,” says Terry Johnson, endangered species coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “With so little known about how jaguars move throughout our state, every little piece of data helps us understand more about the population segment that uses southern Arizona and New Mexico as the northern part of its range. Until now, all we’ve had is a photo here and a photo there, but nothing that shed light on what the species does while moving within or between habitats.”

The GPS tracking collar provides location points for the animal every three hours. While there are no regulations on the appropriate size of a tracking collar, experts agree that a collar should weigh no more than 3-5 percent of the animal’s body weight. At less than two pounds, Macho B’s collar is less than two percent of his body weight, and it should not impede his normal movements and ability to catch prey.

The tracking collar was donated by North Star Science and Technology and was specifically programmed for a jaguar in the event this species was incidentally captured during other wildlife management activities.

The collar has a unique feature with a special signal to indicate if the jaguar crosses the international border with Mexico.

Mortality due to predation from other large predators, injuries sustained during prey hunts, roadway crossing, disease, accidents or natural causes is possible.

More specific information on the capture location is being protected under the Game and Fish Department’s standard operating procedure not to release location data on threatened and endangered species and for legal reasons that may leave the department liable for “take” violations under the Endangered Species Act.

The species has been listed outside of the United States under the Endangered Species Act since 1973. That protection was extended to jaguars within the U.S. in 1997, the year after their presence in the Arizona and New Mexico borderlands was confirmed.

In 1997, the Jaguar Conservation Team was established in Arizona and New Mexico to protect and conserve the species.

Jaguars once ranged from southern South America through Central America and Mexico and into the southern United States. By the late 1900s, jaguars were thought to be gone from the U.S. landscape, but two independent sightings in 1996 confirmed that jaguars still used Arizona and New Mexico as part of the northernmost extent of its range.

This conservation effort is funded in part by the Heritage Fund and Indian gaming revenue. Started in 1990, the Heritage Fund was established by Arizona voters to further conservation efforts in the state, including protecting endangered species, educating our children about wildlife, helping urban residents to better coexist with wildlife, and creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation. Funding comes from Arizona Lottery ticket sales.

For more information about jaguar conservation in Arizona, visit www.azgfd.gov/jaguar.

Tony,

Thais is an excellent thread.
I had read of the exploits of Warren Glenn a few years ago, but didn't realize other sightings had been made.
Something alluring about big cats, like Jaguars, and Cougars.

Thanks for the postings!!

Don

Beats talking about SCI. THanks for a good thread.

Excellent thread, and Many Thanks for the updates.

Amazing thanks for sharing.

The sad ending to the saga.

Latest update as of March 2:

A collared jaguar from southern Arizona that was recaptured today for medical intervention has been euthanized after veterinarians determined the cat was in severe and unrecoverable kidney failure.

The decision was made in consultations between the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Phoenix Zoo.

The jaguar was brought to the Phoenix Zoo earlier today after a team from the department recaptured it. Zoo veterinarians conducted lab work and physical exams to evaluate the animal and discover the source of the cat's deteriorating condition.

While early data indicated that the animal was doing well in the days following the capture and collaring, careful monitoring of recent data revealed a decreased level of activity over the weekend that warranted further investigation.

"This is an unfortunate and disappointing situation," said Gary Hovatter, deputy director of the Arizona Gama and Fish Department. "We were looking forward to using the data acquired from Macho B to learn more about the species use of the borderland habitats in order to further conserve the species as a whole."

Macho B was believed to be the oldest known jaguar in the wild. His age was estimated at two to three years old in photographs taken in 1996, making him 15-16 years old now. Previously the oldest known jaguar in the wild was 13 years old.

Kidney failure is a common ailment in older cats.

"It is a sad, but appropriate course of action to euthanize this animal given the hopelessly terminal nature of his condition," said Steve Spangle, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Arizona field supervisor.

A necropsy will be performed to learn more about the jaguar's condition and to possibly provide clues into how long the animal had been sick.

The jaguar's initial capture was guided by protocols developed in case a jaguar was inadvertently captured in the course of other wildlife management activities. The plan, which was created in consultation with leading jaguar experts, includes a protocol for capture, sedation and handling.

That is an unfortunate end to the story Tony. Thanks for an excellent thread.

Ken....

Here's an earlier recap from yesterday (March 2)morning:

A collared jaguar from southern Arizona was recaptured today and transported to the Phoenix Zoo for medical attention after wildlife officials concluded the health of the animal may be in jeopardy.

A field team consisting of Arizona Game and Fish Department biologists and a wildlife veterinarian was deployed on Sunday to locate the jaguar to assess its overall condition.

Early data transmitted in the days following the capture and collaring of Macho B indicated that the animal was doing well, travelling more than three miles after being released. However, careful monitoring of recent data revealed a reduced pattern of movement and foraging over the past three days.

A capture was attempted unsuccessfully on Sunday, but a second attempt today was successful. The jaguar is being moved to the Phoenix Zoo for further assessment.

Recapturing the jaguar was required to better evaluate his condition and health. When the team observed the cat in the field, it was noted that the animal had experienced weight loss and was exhibiting an abnormal gait, so intervention was deemed necessary. Initial physical assessment showed the cat had normal vital signs.

“We have been monitoring Macho B’s movements continuously since the initial capture. While he was still moving around, we noticed a decreased level of activity over the weekend that warranted further investigation,” said Bill Van Pelt, the Arizona Gama and Fish Department birds and mammals program manager and a member of the Jaguar Conservation Team. “We had a rare opportunity to collect priceless data on a species we know little about when we incidentally captured Macho B during the course of a research study on black bears and mountain lions. Now it is incumbent upon us to do all we can to aid this animal.”

Biologists have been concerned with Macho B’s age. He is believed to be the oldest known jaguar in the wild. His age was estimated at two to three years old in photographs taken in 1996, making him 15-16 years old now. Previously the oldest known jaguar in the wild was 13 years old.

“We staunchly support the initial capture of the jaguar and the responsible efforts to closely monitor the condition of the animal and intervene as needed,” said Steve Spangle, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Arizona field supervisor.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Phoenix Zoo have been integral partners in providing technical assistance and support during and after the recapture.

The field team used the GPS location points provided every three hours to track the animal. At less than two pounds, Macho B’s collar is less than two percent of his body weight, and it should not impede his normal movements and ability to catch prey.

The jaguar’s initial capture was guided by protocols developed in case a jaguar was inadvertently captured in the course of other wildlife management activities. The plan, which was created in consultation with leading jaguar experts, includes a protocol for capture, sedation and handling.

Black bear and mountain lion trapping had been occurring in the area where the jaguar was initially trapped since the summer of 2007 without a jaguar being trapped.

The species has been listed outside of the United States under the Endangered Species Act since 1973. That protection was extended to jaguars within the U.S. in 1997, the year after their presence in the Arizona and New Mexico borderlands was confirmed.

In 1997, the Jaguar Conservation Team was established in Arizona and New Mexico to protect and conserve the species.

I know I am probably the only one thinking it, but they take what appears to be a healthy animal, inject it with sedatives (twice) to put it to sleep, inject it again with stimulants to wake it up, now with a collar that is not normal and they wonder why it was sick. I don't.

And I bet they don't say "the kidneys started to fail when we injected it with all our foreign shit." Bunch of dipshits. Just let it go if you capture one by accident. But no, we have to "learn" as much as we can by messing with it. Maybe we learned not to screw with them, maybe not.

I know I am being unreasonable, but it's the way I feel.

It sounds as though Macho B had to be Euthanized.

I worked with the University of Nebraska trapping, darting, and monitoring deer in and around DeSoto NWR in the 90's. Many of the deer we dartede had to have the batteries changed in their collars. In any species the older members are more suseptable to the sedatives. The team in Arizona knew this but felt the rewards outweighed the risks. Wonder if they still feel that way.

ddj

Larry,

I have absolutely the same feelings.

Some things we better don't mess with.

I hope there are still more of them around.

Best regards.

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In any species the older members are more suseptable to the sedatives.ddj

True with human beings also.. And not only with sedatives, but with many meds, as I'm finding out. My response to meds today is totally different from when I was younger, in some cases. Kind of shocking..