A trail camera in southern Arizona has captured a photo of a brand new big cat visitor to the state, officials said in a release Thursday.
Scientist have confirmed that a jaguar captured by a trail cam in the Dos Cabezas Mountains is a new jaguar -- the third one documented in southern Arizona since September of 2012, according to a release from the Arizona Game and Fish Department in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management.
The photo was taken on Nov. 16, 2016, but officials said that the data was just recently retrieved. It marks the second new jaguar documented in the state over a two-month span.
A male jaguar often referred to as “El Jefe” was repeatedly documented in the Whetstone and Santa Rita Mountains from 2011 to 2015.
PHOTOS: Jaguars in Arizona
PHOTOS: Jaguars in Arizona
More recently, another male was photographed in the Huachuca Mountains in December. He was documented again in January, according to a release.
“Since 2012, an increase in trail camera monitoring of mountainous habitat in southern Arizona has provided increased documentation and a better understanding of jaguar presence and habitat preferences,” Steve Spangle, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Arizona Field Supervisor, said in a release. “This supports the phenomenon that jaguars seeking territories outside of competitive breeding areas in Mexico continue to occasion Arizona.”
But officials aren’t ready to say the jaguar is making a home in Arizona.
“This is a unique development. Jaguars are a historical component of Arizona’s wildlife diversity,” Jim deVos, assistant director for Wildlife Management at the Arizona Game and Fish Department, said. “However, given the irregularity with which jaguar presence in Arizona is documented, even with the expanded use of trail cameras, this sighting is not an indication that jaguars are establishing a population in Arizona.”
According to a release, jaguars have been protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1997.
The sex of the jaguar could not been identified by the photo, officials said. Although a female jaguar hasn’t been spotted in Arizona for, at the very least, over 50 years.
READ MORE: Jaguars have a long history with Arizona