Jaguar Pictures: Record Big-Cat Numbers Spotted in Bolivia

Curious Cat

Photograph courtesy WCS Bolivia

A jaguar in Bolivia stares into a camera trap set up by WCS researchers. The team placed cameras in a region near the headwaters of the Madidi and Heath Rivers, in strategic spots along forest pathways and on the beaches of rivers and streams.

Unlike many other cats, jaguars are good swimmers and will often enter rivers to hunt for prey such as fish, turtles, or alligator-like caimans. (Take a big cats quiz.)

During the recent survey in Bolivia, the elusive big cats were photographed a record 975 times.

(See related camera-trap pictures: "Mammals-And a Poacher-Exposed.")

Published October 24, 2011

Bright Eyes

Photograph courtesy WCS Bolivia

Reflected light from a camera flash causes a jaguar's eyes to glow in a camera-trap picture taken in the rain forests of Bolivia.

The jaguar—the largest cat native to the Americas—is classified as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This means the species is close to facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. (Related jaguar picture: "First Seen in Central Mexico Since 1900.")

WCS attributes the high capture rate in its latest photographic survey to the use of digital cameras in place of traditional film units. Researchers returning to the traps could download the images in seconds rather than waiting days for film to develop, and the digital equipment stored more data than would have been possible with film.

Published October 24, 2011

Camera Shy?

Photograph courtesy WCS Bolivia

A jaguar in Madidi National Park gets its picture taken by a digital camera for a project that aims to identify the animals by their spots. The camera traps are triggered when animals cross infrared beams.

"We're excited about the prospect of using these images to find out more about this elusive cat and its ecological needs," WCS conservationist Robert Wallace said in a statement.

"The data gleaned from these images provide insights into the lives of individual jaguars and will help us generate a density estimate for the area."

(Related: "Saving Jaguars, Tigers Can Prevent Human Diseases?")

Published October 24, 2011

Beach-Combing Cat

Photograph courtesy WCS Bolivia

The attention of a jaguar in Bolivia is captured by something just outside the camera's field of view.

Madidi National Park, where the animals were photographed, is one of the country's top tourist attractions and is part of a chain of six nationally protected areas in northwestern Bolivia and southeastern Peru (map).

In addition to documenting biodiversity, WCS is working in the park to develop local projects for protecting the landscape from a variety of threats, including poorly planned development during road construction, hydroelectric projects, logging, and agricultural expansion.

More pictures: Rare Antelope, Big Cats Caught by Camera Trap >>

Published October 24, 2011