Jaguars In Quintana Roo

Are there Jaguars In Quintana Roo? As a matter of fact there are 20% more Jaguars here than there were 8 years ago thanks to conservation efforts and banning the hunting and killing of these beautiful wild cats. This is great news and proof that it is possible to develop this popular part of Mexico in a responsible way that does not encroach anymore on the habitat of rare and endangered animals like the Mexican Jaguar.

There are approximately 4800 Jaguars in Mexico and 1800 in the Yucatan Peninsula and Quintana Roo. These estimates were made by using cameras to record the movements of the Jaguars and figure out how to better protect them and understand their movements and prey.

The Mexican Jaguar is the third largest of all wild cats after the lion and the tiger and this solitary hunting animal uses an ambush and pounce hunting tecnique to capture it’s prey unlike the chasing or stalking tecniques of other big cats. The Jaguar also uses an usual style of biting the prey on the head between the ears to quickly disable it.

The Jaguars of Quintana Roo are strong and powerful cats that are skilled at climbing and swimming making them likely to take down prey like large turtles and even anacondas. They are known for being able to take down even large prey animals like Caimans, Deer and Capybyras  but will also eat small animals like frogs, birds and rodents.

The Jaguar has a long and rich history here in Quintana Roo and Mayan Riviera and the Mayans revered these animals. Temples were built to honor the wild cats and the Mayan’s considered them to be the king of the local animals and they were respected and admired.

Today, just like in the ancient times we continue to respect and protect these endangered animals and Conservation Groups like the National Jaguar Census (CENJAGUAR) have been working since 2007 to rebuild the population and educate people on the importance of protecting the natural Jaguar habitat. There have been concerns about big developments like the new Mayan Train Project  encroaching on the Jaguar Corridor and the nature preserve where these beautiful beasts make their home. Luckily, careful planning is being carried out to make sure that no new developments will hinder the population growth and continued support for these endangered Mexican Jaguars. We can only expect more good things for the Jaguars In Quintana Roo as we learn how to coexist in harmony with nature all over the Riviera Maya and Quintana Roo.