Biologists already learning from rare jaguar capture in southern Arizona

Just a week after the first capture and collaring of a wild jaguar in the United States, Arizona Game and Fish Department biologists have figured out they already know the male cat and they have been closely watching his movements. It's a cat they call "Macho B," and Arizona Game and Fish officials have periodically captured his image on cameras near the Mexican border for the past 13 years. They believe he is 15-16 years old, compared to the average lifespan of about nine years. He weighs 118 pounds and has a thick, solid build. Jaguars are the only cat in North America that roars. Biologists attached a special collar on the endangered jaguar when they caught him Feb. 18 southwest of Tucson during a research study on mountain lions and black bears. "Every indication is that Macho B is doing well and has recovered from his capture and collaring," said Terry Johnson, Game and Fish's endangered species coordinator. "With so little known about how jaguars move throughout our state, every little piece of data helps us understand more about the population segment that uses southern Arizona and New Mexico as the northern part of its range."...Daily Courier