All footages taken from the same camera in the mountains of Sierra Gorda, Mexico.
Species: Armadillo, Collared peccary, Jaguar and Black bear.
FIRST RECORD OF BLACK BEAR IN CENTRAL MEXICO IN 100 YEARS 07/01/2019
A new trail camera survey in Sierra Gorda has confirmed the rumours of the return of Black Bears to Central Mexico, with the first true record of the species in 100 years.
The same trail camera also revealed that the same track was used by a resident Jaguar, and captured footage of a scurrying Nine-banded Armadillo.
“This news comes at the perfect time,” says Dan Bradbury, Director of Communications and Development at World Land Trust, “After the fundraising success for Sierra Gorda in 2018 protected 2,107 acres of these ancient forests, it is fantastic news to hear that this habitat is also home to bears.”
“We can’t be happier about this latest addition to Sierra Gorda’s records,” says Roberto Pedraza Ruiz, head of the Land for Conservation programme at Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG), WLT’s partner in Mexico. “We’ve heard reports of sightings before, but without a record like this we haven’t been able to confirm the presence of bears. It changes the way we see the forest, as not just a home of the small creatures like our salamanders and hummingbirds, or the cats like our Jaguars and Pumas, but it is also home to this large charismatic omnivore.
“We are learning new things about this habitat all the time. There have been numerous botanical discoveries in Sierra Gorda, and as these mountains are so unexplored almost every foray into the forest results in a new species record for the area, if not the world. I think this highlights the urgent need for its conservation, we can’t afford to lose a habitat which offers so much for wildlife before we even understand what we are losing.”
1 - The first footage shows a female jaguar interacting with what is likely a now-extinct Mexican grizzly bear. This footage was released by the show "Wild Kingdom" in the 70s, likely took place in northern Mexico or the southern USA.
2 - This footage shows the famous jaguar El Jefe at the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona patrolling at night, the next day a family of black bears crossed through the same trail area.
3 - This footage shows the jaguar Sombra of the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona standing in front of a trail cam at night, moments later a male black bear, perhaps drawn by the smell of the jaguar stops by the same location.
Jaguar Named Sombra in Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona (2017)
"Footage of Jaguar Named "Sombra" in Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona. Includes audio. Additional footage includes bear, mountain lion, deer, coati running at camera, bear cub video on the same camera and in the same location as the jaguar. Video by Russ McSpadden, Center For Biological Diversity."