Researchers Track Jaguars in Belize Using Isotopic Analysis

July 19, 2023
by Larry Waight +

The Best Places to See Jaguars in Belize

A team of scientists led by the University of Cincinnati is innovatively using genetic and isotopic analysis to study the habitat requirements of elusive jaguars in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Preserve in Belize as reported on phys.org.

The researchers employ dogs, Billy and Bruiser, trained in scat-detection to locate the often-hard-to-find droppings of jaguars. This reserve is also home to an array of other feline species including pumas, margays, ocelots, and jaguarundis.

Once found, the jaguar scat undergoes genetic analysis, a process referred to as molecular scatology. This technique allows the team to identify not only the species but also individual cats responsible for each sample. Following this, an isotopic analysis provides further insights into the jaguar’s hunting grounds based on the geology and vegetation where the scat was discovered.

“We’re not interacting with the animal directly,” said lead author Brooke Crowley, a professor of geosciences and anthropology at the University of Cincinnati. “There’s no trapping or darting. You might never see the animal, but can determine what it ate and where it ate it.”

The Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Preserve spans over 267 square miles of forest, savanna, rocky mountains, caverns, and streams in central Belize. It presents a challenging terrain for traditional tracking methods due to its unpaved and overgrown roads.

Isotopic analysis, therefore, emerges as a beneficial tool to study the jaguar, a solitary, wide-ranging, nocturnal creature, generally wary of humans. This methodology complements other wildlife surveillance techniques such as camera trapping, acoustic monitoring, and environmental DNA analysis.

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The study’s findings show that male jaguars in the reserve have territories spanning approximately 60 square miles, with some partially overlapping areas. The research also indicated that jaguars seem to avoid regions where prey is scarce due to recent wildfires.

“Belize is an important stronghold for jaguars,” said study co-author Claudia Wultsch, a research fellow at the City University of New York. Despite their protected status in Belize, the jaguars’ habitat has seen loss and fragmentation over the last 50 years.

As a result, this unique approach of combining genetic and isotopic analysis, published in the European Journal of Wildlife Research, is crucial for understanding the landscape use of elusive wildlife and informing conservation efforts. This non-invasive method provides an effective way to survey wildlife for conservation purposes and contributes to the ongoing effort to preserve the majestic jaguars of Belize.