Arizona is a landlocked state in the Southwestern United States that borders Mexico in the south. It has incredible landscapes to explore as you escape ordinary life. Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff are amazing Arizona cities worth visiting.
From sky islands to pine forest, canyons to cactus, the parks, and monuments in Arizona offers a unique history, scenery, and activities for all ages. Plateaus and pines occupy the northern part of Arizona, while the Verde valley and red rocks are in central Arizona. Southern Arizona has incredible landscapes and imposing rock formations, while west Arizona has some of the most excellent beaches.
Here, we’ll find out Largest Jaguar Ever Caught in Arizona. Also, we’ll know about their size and the countries he has been roaming. Continue reading and learn more about the Largest Jaguar in Arizona and other critical factors.
Unique Facts about Jaguars
It’s not surprising that Arizona is home to desert-dwelling animals, including Desert sheep, pronghorn, and jaguars. Even if Lions are Tigers are giant cats globally, Jaguars too can have massive sizes. The big Jaguar on record weighed 328 lbs.
Jaguars have an iconic pattern of painting that might confuse you with leopards, yet, the two species are different. Researching more about jaguars is critical because they are among the endangered wild animals, and their number has declined over the years. Activities such as illegal hunting, habitat loss, and prey reduction are some primary reasons for the decline in Jaguar numbers. Therefore, protecting their habitat is the only way to protect the declining Wild cats.
Mexico forests have been the popularly known habitats of the Jaguars for many years. Also, it’s possible to spot them in Arizona’s southwestern regions. Forest is the most preferred habitat for the jaguars as it aids them in avoiding heat, and large trees are where they rest.
Jaguars prefer to stay close to the water sources like rivers and wells to have an easy time while quenching their thirst. Also, they are solitary species and occasionally mate for a short period. Their Large skulls, paws, and muscular are critical features that keep them fit to survive in the jungle. Their golden yellow fur is impressive, and every Jaguar’s spot is unique. The marks on Jaguar’s head and legs are solid but turn into rosette patterns along its body. On rare ocassion, they can have black fur covering the whole body.
Jaguars are carnivores and have excellent hunting skills like the other wild cats. According to the records, they have hunted more than 89 animal species since they eat almost everything they come across. However, Jaguar’s favorite dishes are Gazelles, deer, fish, Snakes, monkeys, birds, rabbits, and antelopes.
According to the history of classification, there are nine jaguar subspecies depending on the range they inhabit, and they include: The Central American Jaguar, West Mexico Jaguar, The East Brazil Jaguar, The Paraguay Jaguar, The Northeastern Jaguar, The Yucatan Peninsula Jaguar, Peru Jaguar, South American Jaguar, and Arizona Jaguar. However, according to genetic analysis, most jaguar subspecies are the same.
Jaguars have fantastic eye tissue that lets them see Cleary in the dark. For this reason, they prefer to hunt during the night. Yet, they don’t sleep the whole day; they still go to search for food even when the sun is shining, depending on the region and food scarcity.
Jaguars move at high speeds and can reach up to 80mph. However, they can only maintain the pace for a short period. Their long claws on the front paw aid them in catching prey. Jaguars’ jaws are strong and enable them to kill the prey, ideally by attacking it by the neck. After crushing the prey, they drug to their den using their jaws. It is rare for the Jaguars to attack humans since they always do their best to avoid them.
Male Jaguars are always larger than females and may grow up to 9 feet. Their size is crucial as it enables them to defend themselves from predators. Female Jaguars do not travel far from where they are born. As a result, it is tricky for species expansion. However, their male counterparts roam far to look for mates and new territories.
El Jefe, the Biggest Jaguar Ever Spotted In Arizona
El Jefe means “the boss” in Spanish and is the only biggest male adult Jaguar from North America spotted in Arizona. In November 2011, he was spotted for the first time at Whetstone Mountains. After several years El Jefe’s image was also seen in Santa Rita Mountains in Arizona. From 1900, only sixty-two jaguars have been captured in southwest America.
From November 2011 to 2015, El Jefe was the only Jaguar living in the United States after Macho B’s death in 2009. According to the animals’ habitat range, Santa Rita Mountain and Whetstone are almost 50 miles apart, giving them enough space to roam.
In September 2015, El Jefe was never seen again in Arizona and was speculated to have gone back to Mexico to the nearest breeding population of the Jaguars. Yet, In August 2022, a conservation group announced to have taken his photo in Arizona via a motion-detecting camera.
El Jefe’s name was chosen by Felizardo school students in Valencia in November 2015 during a non-profit conservation contest called Center for Biological Diversity. Several conservation groups and media have also consistently used that name. Yet, some monitoring researchers consider calling him the Santa Rita Jaguar.
The First Sighting
Dinnie Fenn, a cougar hunter, and his daughter were the first to see El Jefe at Whetstone in November 2011. The hunter’s dog chased him until El Jefe climbed a tree. Fenn took his photos and reached out to the state wildlife officials. Arizona’s Game and fish department organized a news conference a few days later. Fenn stated that the Jaguar climbed a tree after injuring some dogs. Fenn said that he abandoned his dogs and left the scene. Numerous news outlets published the photographs, but a video taken at the location is not available to the public.
The Santa Rita Mountain Appearance
A press release of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona’s Game and Fish Department of Arizona University, on December 2012 had good news about El Jefe’s. His pictures were taken on November 2012 at Santa Rita Mountain via Camera-traps and were similar to Fenn’s images taken a year before. The Jaguar survey and monitoring project team also set up the camera, an initiative that Arizona University leads to doing further research. As a result, the same spot patterns on the Jaguar acknowledged the researchers to confirm that it was the same male adult Jaguar.
Pursued Monitoring
After El Jefe’s photos emerged in 2012 at Santa Rita, some agencies in the area also released a few new pictures and videos. Since then, the Wild Cat Research, Arizona’s University conservation center, and Conservation CATalyt have been at the forefront of the research about the Jaguar. Dog Mayke, a Conservation CATalyt, also monitors El Jefe.
El Jefe’s Reappearance at Central Sonora
On August 2022, the Borderlands Linkages Initiative group, under the coordination of Wildlands networks, did a fantastic job. The two said it had obtained El Jefe’s two pictures at an undisclosed location in central Sonora. The pictures were taken on November 20221, attracting the attention of the U.S. and Mexico newsrooms.
Importance and the Emergence
El Jefe’s existence in the U.S. is vital because he represented four years of the only known Jaguar living in the United States, which once lived across the southwest. Before this photograph, no one could believe that Jaguars existed in the U.S. But, according to history, many Jaguars existed in South and North Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Arizona. Yet, from the 1940s, many of the jaguars that lived in the two states could start to decline.
The Defenders of Wildlife, in 2010, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, requiring them to develop a recovery plan and identify the vital Jaguar’s habitat. As a result, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formulated Santa Rita Mountain as the crucial habitat for Jaguar recovery in the U.S.
Some measures to establish the crucial habitat for the Jaguars and comprehend how the population has reached the U.S. are still underway. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service licensed the Wildlife Conservation Society to develop a connectivity model linking the jaguar breeding population in Mexico, U.S. The report includes the likely areas Jaguars use along Mexico’s western states and up to Arizona. It also highlights the interchange of these corridors and main highways.
The Debatable Development Projects
El Jefe’s appearance at Santa Rita Mountains gives rise to many questions. As a result, numerous organizations oppose Rosemount’s copper mining activities. The housing projects at Vigneto are also questionable because of their environmental impact and damage to Jaguar’s habitat.
The barriers in the U.S. and Mexico since 2006 are the hindrance to a female Jaguar that may want to expand its territory to Arizona from Sonora’s breeding population in Mexico. The ever-increasing infrastructure and waiver approval are the primary concerns of Jaguar’s recovery in the United States. The non-compliance of the Homeland security department to environmental law by building walls is also a big challenge.
Mexico’s Federal Highways number 2 and 15 are also significant hindrances to Jaguar’s recovery in the United States. Since 2010, Highway 2 has been undergoing expansions from Imuris town to Janos town in Chihuahua neighboring state. As such, the Wildlands Network group has been focusing on preserving the large carnivores’ connectivity, which has significantly boosted wildlife crossing on the expanded road. As a result, Jaguars and other wild animals can roam swiftly.
Unfortunately, the border wall is a barrier for the Jaguars to reach the United States. Implementing the mitigation measures to solve the challenge is critical to ensure Jaguar’s expansion to the United States.
Offering a habitable place for Jaguars to roam is an excellent way of re-introducing this species that is almost going extinct. As a result, Jaguars and other wild cats will increase in number. Since Jaguars repeatedly live in the U.S. and Mexico, quality habitat and increasing connectivity between the two countries is the only way to boost their existence.
