Over the past 15 years, only five jaguars have been spotted in southern Arizona and one of those individuals has just been recorded by a trail camera. The footage, captured by the University of Arizona’s Wild Cat Research & Conservation Center, shows the fifth male Jaguar, appropriately dubbed ‘Cinco’, leisurely drinking from a water source at night. This is one of over 240 encounters with the five individuals. According to the center’s Instagram post, the team of citizen scientists monitor the big cats in a “long-term” and “non-invasive” manner, which means no lures.
According to the Northern Jaguar Project, the species can grow up to eight feet in length, making it the third-largest big cat in the world and the largest that’s native to North America. Sadly, it’s now endangered in the United States and Mexico, but once existed as far north as the Grand Canyon.
The Wild Cat Research & Conservation Center highlights that these big cats are an umbrella species, meaning that they act as a barometer for the health of an ecosystem. To find out more about the center and for details on how you can help support its work, make sure you visit its website.
Camera traps are used all over the world, on land and beneath the waves, to monitor endangered species. Digital Camera World has reported on a number of exciting instances recently, including an underwater camera that filmed a world-first encounter, as well as camera trap footage of a critically endangered orangutan.
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Are you an animal lover? Check out the best cameras for wildlife photography as well as my 10 tips for wildlife photography. If you’re looking for a cheap, one-and-done camera for casual wildlife snaps, take a look at the Nikon Coolpix P1100.
