Researchers in Arizona are newly optimistic about the future of the state’s wild jaguar population after a never-before-seen animal was spotted on the prowl.
On Tuesday, Dec. 2, the University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center announced that it had recently spotted its fifth individual jaguar in the southeast corner of Arizona over the last 15 years.
According to the center, the big cat was captured on trail camera footage visiting a watering hole in November, and researchers quickly identified it as a new big cat in the area by its distinctive black rosette spots.
