Arizona is Home to the Western Hemisphere’s Fastest Animal

What is the Fastest Land Animal?

Many of the creatures that call Arizona home are slow and deliberate. Who really wants to move fast in the scorching heat?

However, Arizona is home to one speedster, and it clocks in as the fastest animal in the Western Hemisphere. If your brain's trivia Rolodex landed on the fastest land animal and you found the cheetah in the archives, you've landed in the right species, but on the wrong continent. The cheetah is Africa’s speedster.

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What is the Fastest Land Animal in North America?

In North America, we're talking about the jaguar, which can hit speeds up to 50 mph in short bursts. The University of Arizona tracks these big cats, which are built for power and stealth. They move fast, and like the cheetah, they don't have the stamina for a long-distance run, but for a short sprint, watch! They move fast!

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Can You Find Jaguars in Arizona?

The USDA and the Forest Service track jaguars in Arizona. Jaguars are commonly found in Central and South America, but southern Arizona is one of the only places in the U.S. where they’ve been spotted in the wild.

Recently, trail cameras captured images of a male jaguar roaming the mountainous desert near the U.S.-Mexico border. There have been only a handful of sightings in the past few decades, but it's exciting news for wildlife conservationists, who understand the importance of the apex predator in ecosystems.

Are Jaguars an Endangered Species?

According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the habitats of these big cats are critically endangered.

Their habitat in Arizona has been shrinking due to development, mining, and the construction of the border wall. Still, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated over 640,000 acres of critical habitat in Pima, Santa Cruz, and Cochise counties to help protect them.

There's hope for these large cats. Jaguar Number Four Spotted In Southeastern Arizona's Wildlife Corridor

Spotting Jaguars in the Wild

You probably won't encounter a jaguar even if you're hiking the Huachuca Mountains or wandering the trails near Tucson, because these large cats are shy and stealthy. However, knowing that these top predators are present, helping to maintain the ecosystem, might just be enough.