Jaguars in the United States are extremely rare today but historically they have roamed throughout the southern portions of the nation. Although they have been rarely been spotted in the US over the past century, there have been recent sightings indicating that jaguars might be moving back.

But most of the suggestions are similar to what is recommended for other large predator encounters: avoid sudden movements, pick up small children without bending over, slowly raise your arms to look big, back away slowly, and never turn your back on the animal or run away.

Jaguars exist in 18 countries in the Americas, from Mexico to Argentina. Jaguar has been protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1 July 1975 which means commercial international trade in jaguar, its parts and products is prohibited.

Four primarily Central American cats (jaguar, jaguarundi, ocelot and margay) currently or historically ranged northward into the brushland south of San Antonio from Mexico. In fact, there is only one native wild cat living north of the Rio Grande and the Gulf of California which is not found in Texas.

64,000 jaguars

Jaguars have not been found in Florida since Prehistoric times. When Spaniards first discovered Florida, the northern limit of the jaguars range extended into Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Further south, the jaguar was found throughout Mexico, Central, and South America, all the way to northern Argentina.

jaguar

They have the remarkable ability to sense pressure points and seek them out during an attack. All small cats have certain target areas at which they strike. The ocelot tends to target the armpit, inside of elbows, groin and neck. This makes a simple bite from an ocelot a dangerous event.