The distinctive spots were a dead giveaway. Much like human fingerprints, each jaguar’s rosette markings are one-of-a-kind. Researchers confirmed they had discovered a new jaguar after examining images from a remote camera set up in southern Arizona.

According to the University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center, this is the fifth jaguar to be documented in the area over the past decade and a half, having crossed from Mexico into the United States. Captured on camera during a visit to a watering hole in November, the jaguar’s unique pattern distinguished it from those previously observed.

“We’re thrilled by this discovery. It demonstrates that this marginal population of jaguars continues to visit because the habitat meets their needs,” stated Susan Malusa, the director of the center’s jaguar and ocelot initiative, in a Thursday interview.

The research team is currently gathering scat samples to perform genetic testing, which will help determine the new jaguar’s sex and dietary preferences—ranging from skunks and javelinas to smaller deer.

Malusa noted that jaguars, as an indicator species, signal a healthy environment, though threats such as climate change and border barriers jeopardize their migratory paths. She emphasized that rising temperatures and severe drought conditions make it all the more urgent to maintain connectivity to the jaguars’ traditional habitats in Arizona.

More than 99% of the jaguar’s range is found in Central and South America, and the few male jaguars that have been spotted in the U.S. are believed to have dispersed from core populations in Mexico, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Officials have said that jaguar breeding in the U.S. has not been documented in more than 100 years.

Federal biologists have listed primary threats to the endangered species as habitat loss and fragmentation along with the animals being targeted for trophies and illegal trade.

The Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule in 2024, revising the habitat set aside for jaguars in response to a legal challenge. The area was reduced to about 1,000 square miles (2,590 square kilometers) in Arizona’s Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties.

Recent detection data supports findings that a jaguar appears every few years, Malusa said, with movement often tied to the availability of water. When food and water are plentiful, there’s less movement.

In the case of Jaguar #5, she said it was remarkable that the cat kept returning to the area over a 10-day period. Otherwise, she described the animals as quite elusive.

“That’s the message – that this species is recovering,” Malusa said. “We want people to know that and that we still do have a chance to get it right and keep these corridors open.”