Following a large-scale wildfire, more jaguars migrated to a study site in the Brazilian wetlands that already had the largest population density of jaguars in the world, a new study found.
Following a large-scale wildfire, more jaguars migrated to a study site in the Brazilian wetlands that already had the largest population density of jaguars in the world, a new study found.
“Finding even more jaguars and other mammals in the study area following the 2020 wildfire and extreme drought suggests that it may serve as a climate refuge, buffering the effects of extreme climate events,” said Charlotte Eriksson, a post-doctoral scholar at Oregon State University.
The 36,700-acre site is a seasonally flooded protected area in the northern portion of the Brazilian Pantanal, the largest freshwater wetland in the world.
Past research by Eriksson and others at Oregon State and in Brazil found the site is home to a population of jaguars that are unique because their diet primarily consists of aquatic organisms, instead of land-based animals, and because they are more socially tolerant and willing to share space with other jaguars.
Read more at Oregon State University
Image: Jaguar in Pantanal region of Brazil. (Credit: Charlotte Eriksson, Oregon State University)
