In a major wildlife discovery, a jaguar previously unknown to scientists spotted on cameras three times in November in southern Arizona.
Researchers from the University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center confirmed the sightings, noting that the elusive big cat had never been documented in the region before.
The discovery offers a rare sign of hope for the endangered species' comeback.
"We're very excited. It signifies this edge population of jaguars continues to come here because they're finding what they need," Susan Malusa, director of the center's jaguar and ocelot project told the Associated Press.
The Jaguar was seen at watering hole in Sonoran Desert and researchers believed that it probably travelled into Arizona from Mexico.
"It's the fifth individual documented here since 2011, confirming a pattern of new jaguars arriving every few years, but that window is shrinking," the center wrote on Facebook.
Jaguars are rarely seen in the United States, with sightings mostly in parts of Arizona, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas.
Officials have said that jaguar breeding in the US has not been documented in more than 100 years.
As per the reports, the scientists are now collecting the jaguar's droppings to study its DNA and learn its sex and other details.
