The incredible jaguar is the largest wild cat in the Western Hemisphere; they are a resilient species with a massive range. However, jaguars have disappeared from 40 percent of their historic range, and currently live across 18 countries in Mexico, Central America, and South America. According to the IUCN, the status of jaguars is currently in review, and if threats from poaching and habitat destruction continue, the species will likely be elevated Vulnerable in the near future.
Near Threatened
100,000 (estimate based on ranges)
6 million square km range across 18 range states from Mexico to Argentina
Habitat loss, poaching for skins and other products
Jaguars are not only threatened by deforestation, habitat loss, retaliatory killings and prey destruction, but they are also poached to fill the demand for their paws, teeth and furs. Having already disappeared from their ranges in the southwestern United States, we know that without action, jaguars will continue to decline.