# Any Black Cats in Texas?



## harv418 (May 25, 2004)

A Woman in Arkansas filmed this one.






Here's the story with it

http://www.arkansashunting.net/showthread.php?t=86828


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

harv418 said:


> *Any Black Cats in Texas?*


Yes..........way too many...


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Jaguars used to roam all over Texas. It is thought that they had all been killed out and much of their has been habitat destroyed, but they are so stealthy that they could still move through some some areas undetected. Certainly, if any could, it would be the black phase jaguar.










Unfortunately that's a zoo photo.

I've spent a lot of time in jaguar habitat in Belize, Guatemala and southern Mexico, but as yet I've never been able to get a photo of a black jaguar in the wild. I've gotten glimpses, but they seem to evaporate into the jungle like a phantom leaving you with a sudden cold chill and wondering if you really saw it at all.

Jaguars are very quick and strong and they have the strongest jaws of all the big cats. Jaguars kill with one bite crushing bones and often decapitating prey. When attacking man they have known to crush a skull and rip the head off in one motion.

Jaguars show no fear of man's scent or the sight of a human, however, attacks on man are very rare. This stems from thousands of years of close contact with the Mayans and other Mesoamerican people of the forest. The jungle peoples and the jaguar have an innate mutual respect for each other. The Mayans believed that every night that five jaguars would enter their village with one going to each corner and the smallest, but strongest, jaguar would station itself in the middle of the village. They would stay the night providing protection from all evil and then would leave before first light. They built temples to the jaguar and the animals appears throughout their culture in stone carvings.


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## oOslikOo (Jul 13, 2010)

interesting stuff....


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## phil k (May 8, 2007)

there are JAG-A-RUNDIE'S (sp) had one last year about 150 yrds,from the house ...in BANDERA.Texas


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## troutslayer (Feb 7, 2006)

the cat in the video was not black


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## jimk (May 28, 2004)

troutslayer said:


> the cat in the video was not black


x2.


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## Swampus (Sep 1, 2005)

h:I almost hit a black cat this morning on the way home from taking my kids to school!!!!

Just sayin' they are out there!


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## southpaw (Feb 25, 2009)

A good friend of mine has a black jaguar that roams around his land outside of Victoria we've seen it numerous times and his dad who lives out there claims that cat has been roaming around out there for a few years now. It shows no sign of fear when it sees people. Last time we saw it we had an AR on us but just couldn't bring ourselves to shoot such a rare and beautiful animal. It doesn't seem to be affecting his deer hunting any so I see no reason to shoot it, although i do think it would make an awesome mount. From what I've heard they're pretty nomadic and have an incredible range, but this one seems to be staying put around his land, don't know why. Avianquest that's definitely some interesting info you provided if I ever catch a picture of this cat I'll post it up


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## jimk (May 28, 2004)

I don't mind a mountain lion sniffing me...but a jaguar in the area would bother me!


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## Reel Screamer (Jun 8, 2004)

phil k said:


> there are JAG-A-RUNDIE'S (sp) had one last year about 150 yrds,from the house ...in BANDERA.Texas


X2 Saw one in Webb County this past April. Standing broadside in the road at 75 yards. Most people don't believe they still exist in Texas. When you see one with your own eyes, you are a believer. Also, guy on my lease missed a cat ( tan with a 3 ft tail ) last weekend on the same lease.

LW


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## txred (Feb 24, 2006)

I see alot of Blk Cats....especially around Halloween


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

*Northeastern Mexico jags*

My mothers side of the family owns property near Linares, NL. Mx. on the foothills of the Sierra Madre. Jaguars started showing up about 15 years back when before no one remembers seeing or hearing of them. first thing we noticed were turtle and armadillo shells cracked in an area, a few years latter pigs began to be missing form the pens on Sundays when everyone went to town to attend church. Then a colt was dragged form a corral. I was near Christamas vacation from college and I was there for the hunt. We found the remains of the colt and set up snares and a big footholder trap arround it. Two days latter he was caught, but the javelinas tore him up and the voultures ate him before we can get a picture. Last year there was a study conducted in the area by the University of Nuevo Leon and they said that black jaguars did not exist in northen Mexico. 
The year after we were spotlighting cottontails and one black one crossed in fornt of us about 30 yards. I nearly **** in my pants, my adrenaline pumped so hard i felt my kidneys pounding like my hart was and they were also hurtin. I fired all 16 rounds of one the .22 we had at the brush were he went. I know I did not him him but is wanted to make sure he did not get near us. I never hunted rabbits at night again since then.


AvianQuest said:


> Jaguars used to roam all over Texas. It is thought that they had all been killed out and much of their has been habitat destroyed, but they are so stealthy that they could still move through some some areas undetected. Certainly, if any could, it would be the black phase jaguar.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## michaelbaranowski (May 24, 2004)

I see we are going to start this topic again. In the early '80s growing up north of Van Vleck, I had heard many stories of people seeing a black cats between Bay City and Ashwood. But it wasn't until the late '90 before I was able to see a black on two different accations West of Sweeny. Many people say they are "Black Panthers" but are always told that there is no such thing as a "Black Panther". That is why I have the feeling that the black cats are jaguars and not panthers.


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## jimk (May 28, 2004)

I believe the population of jaguarundis is increasing and account for most of the sightings. I'm not sure a jaguar would go unnoticed for very long.


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## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

several of us saw what we believe to be a dark-phase jaguarundi on a ranch near Laredo several years ago.

cat in the OP's video looked like a mountain lion to me.


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## Auer Power (Jun 16, 2009)

southpaw said:


> A good friend of mine has a black jaguar that roams around his land outside of Victoria we've seen it numerous times and his dad who lives out there claims that cat has been roaming around out there for a few years now. It shows no sign of fear when it sees people. Last time we saw it we had an AR on us but just couldn't bring ourselves to shoot such a rare and beautiful animal. It doesn't seem to be affecting his deer hunting any so I see no reason to shoot it, although i do think it would make an awesome mount. From what I've heard they're pretty nomadic and have an incredible range, but this one seems to be staying put around his land, don't know why. Avianquest that's definitely some interesting info you provided if I ever catch a picture of this cat I'll post it up


How far out of Victoria & white direction? We've seen what appeared to be one a few years back in Fannin.


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## phil k (May 8, 2007)

I don't mind a mountain lion sniffing me...but a jaguar in the area would bother me! 
 X 4


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## Dukdogtx (Jul 30, 2009)

YES!!!
Saw one with my own eyes while sitting on a ridge with my buddy in Center City, TX. about 4 years ago. We thought it was a Labrador retriever, but to our surprise...a BIG cat!!!
Saw the thing on a crystal blue sky at 8:45 in the morning.


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## bowskipper (Mar 2, 2006)

I saw a large black cat this past saturday morning on the Brazos River in Ft. Bend County. The land owner said he has seen four of them this year, one very large ( mother perhaps) and three smaller ones. If this is the case, there must be a male in the area as well. To say the least, they do have the deer spooked.


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## Kyle 1974 (May 10, 2006)

how is it.... that there is not one single documented case of a black "panther", and so many people who have seen only one large cat in their entire lives, and it just happens to be a black one? 

are there really that many lucky people out there, that stumble on the most controversial creature in north america on their first sighting?


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## James Howell (May 21, 2004)

I saw one one time, but it must have been tame, because Bigfoot had it on a leash taking it for a walk. Jaguarundis, maybe (especially down in the Rio Grande valley), mountain lions, possibly, they are expanding and even a tan cat can look very dark in certain lighting. Black panthers/ Jaguars I call bullxxxx on. Everybody who claims to have seen one in Texas, post a pic of the body.


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## Weather Or Knott (Feb 25, 2008)

jimk said:


> I believe the population of jaguarundis is increasing and account for most of the sightings.


I saw one by halls bayou after finishing up a evening duck hunt.


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## portalto (Oct 1, 2004)

I think Bay City has a bunch of black cats!


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

I wanna see a dead one.


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## jimk (May 28, 2004)

This picture is supposed to be from about February of 2006 taken by a mountain lion hunter in New Mexico. If they're spreading through New Mexico, then the possibility of a jaguar encounter in Texas should be increasing. It is possible but unlikely that it'll be a dark jaguar,IMHO.


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## FishSlap (Mar 20, 2009)

michaelbaranowski said:


> I see we are going to start this topic again. In the early '80s growing up north of Van Vleck, I had heard many stories of people seeing a black cats between Bay City and Ashwood. But it wasn't until the late '90 before I was able to see a black on two different accations West of Sweeny. Many people say they are "Black Panthers" but are always told that there is no such thing as a "Black Panther". That is why I have the feeling that the black cats are jaguars and not panthers.


In the late 80's my father and I were driving down one of our ranch roads (near Blessing) and had one run right across the road about 100 yards in front of us. It disappeared into an irrigation canal and I haven't seen one since (although I have heard about a few more sightings over the years since). It was about the size of a black lab and moved extremely quickly. I always thought it was a jaguarundi.


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## WillfishforFood (Apr 28, 2009)

We hunted a ranch in refugio county for almost 20 years and believe we saw some type of black cat...It was quite large and someone on the ranch saw it almost every year...I did some reading and a cat of that size might have a range of several hundred miles..I dont know for sure, but one night during deer season I shot a small pig and was waiting on my dad...His blind was about 700 yards from mine. while waitong on him it was getting quite dark and I saw somthing dark moving where I shot the small pig (about 50lbs good for bbq). I thought it was more pigs. dad got there and we went to get it and it was gone..just some large cat tracks about 4 to 5 inches across...this was before camera phones and stuff so no pics..We also believe we heard it screaming several times while hunting pigs at night...I never went out walking without a bright light and packing heat for sure..


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## jimk (May 28, 2004)

I know folks that have seen jaguarundi and mountain lion in Texas. I don't know anyone that's seen a jaguar in Texas.


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## Hogsticker24 (Oct 7, 2008)




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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

portalto said:


> I think Bay City has a bunch of black cats!


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

jimk said:


> I don't mind a mountain lion sniffing me...but a jaguar in the area would bother me!


_"If you ever see a circus advertise a jaguar tamer show, buy a ticket because it's going to be a one time event"

"Never pet a jaguar unless you intend to feed it your hand"_

- Sharon Matola
Director, Belize Zoo
Biologist and renown expert on jaguars
Former circus Lion and Tiger tamer
Former Air Force Jungle Survival Expert

*
*


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## capt.dru (Oct 24, 2009)

I have seen a black cat before at a ranch i used to work at south of mirando city. i was headed back to the lodge and as i came around a turn, there he was, a black cat about 30yds in front of me. i tried reaching for my gun but he had walked into the brush. I was going to school at TAMUK at the time and had covered melanistic mt. lions in my big game management class. I knew there was mt. lions in the area so i figured it was a melanistic colored mt. lion and not a jaguar.


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## Deep C 915 (Jul 19, 2010)

*Prairie view cat*

One cool cat


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## aggie2013 (May 6, 2010)

Pretty sure we saw a jaguarundi today lol. We were driving around and smack in the middle of a 2000 acre fenced in place we saw a strange cat looking thing, i googled it once you guys posted it and thats exactly what it was. We were near Franklin Tx.


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## deerdude2000 (Feb 17, 2006)

They can be tamed i had a pair i could go in the cage and play with they were black jaguar also had a black panther only way to tell the diff is when the sun hits the black jaguar you can see the spots !!!! we have seen quite a few mountian lions in freer but never a black one or jaguar. seen a couple jagerundis


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## jdusek (Apr 7, 2006)

They said yous were hung and theys were right!



Deep C 915 said:


> One cool cat


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

No pictures.

No video.

No dead body.

Go figure.

TH


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## Fish Doctor (Sep 29, 2010)

Deep C 915 said:


> One cool cat


The sherrif is a NI*dong*!

i have seen one on numerous occasions in freer and know a bunch of people who have. my old history teacher shot one back in the day, he had a picture of it. hes probably long gone now though. i think that a long time ago people killed most of the jaguars, mountain lions or whatever but some melanestic ones were left and started to breed, so now the southern U.S has a very small melanestic lion or jaguar population. just my 2 cents


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## schwingaudiaudi (Aug 29, 2010)

Fish Doctor said:


> The sherrif is a NI*dong*!
> 
> i have seen one on numerous occasions in freer and know a bunch of people who have. my old history teacher shot one back in the day, he had a picture of it. hes probably long gone now though. i think that a long time ago people killed most of the jaguars, mountain lions or whatever but some melanestic ones were left and started to breed, so now the southern U.S has a very small melanestic lion or jaguar population. just my 2 cents


your 2 cents makes a lil bit of sense


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## Bayscout22 (Aug 9, 2007)

I agree with a couple of posters. If we had jaguars in Texas, we would be very clear about it. They aren't as subtle as cougars and jagarundi.

This happened earlier this year in Belize. Check out the video.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/27/belize.killer.jaguar/


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

Have a look @ this link:

http://www.ranchocaracol.com/conservationandcharity/ocelotstudy/

Now yes this is in Mexico, but not that far south!!! 15 different documented Jaguars, although no black ones! Anyway very cool deal they have down there....


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## Kyle 1974 (May 10, 2006)

too bad all those cats on the ranchocaracol have probably been killed by mexican drug lords, so their ho's can have jaguar coats.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

sotx23 said:


> Have a look @ this link:
> 
> http://www.ranchocaracol.com/conservationandcharity/ocelotstudy/
> 
> Now yes this is in Mexico, but not that far south!!! 15 different documented Jaguars, although no black ones! Anyway very cool deal they have down there....


150+ miles can make a big difference in what animals are present. I guarantee you big cats see a ton of pressure up here. Not sure what it is like in Mexico, but I would assume it is less.


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

*???*



aggiemulletboy said:


> 150+ miles can make a big difference in what animals are present. I guarantee you big cats see a ton of pressure up here. Not sure what it is like in Mexico, but I would assume it is less.


Perhaps on the habitat and distance but I am skeptical about the hunting pressure? Are you referring to the lack of pressure on Caracal? 

Just for the sake of argument- We can all agree that we have Jaguarondi, Ocelots, Mountain Lions, and Bob Gatos here in Texas without much debate. Why would one definitively rule out the possibility that we dont have Jaguars? They all seem to share the same habitat on Caracal.....

Just sayin..... 

I do agree with Kyle- Mexican drug lords put most pressure trying to outfit their cars with exotic skis and the girls @ Papagayos with new dresses.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

sotx23 said:


> Perhaps on the habitat and distance but I am skeptical about the hunting pressure? Are you referring to the lack of pressure on Caracal?
> 
> Just for the sake of argument- We can all agree that we have Jaguarondi, Ocelots, Mountain Lions, and Bob Gatos here in Texas without much debate. Why would one definitively rule out the possibility that we dont have Jaguars? They all seem to share the same habitat on Caracal.....
> 
> ...


I don't disagree that they could be here very close to the border. They certainly used to be, all the way to LA. The fact is that their numbers are dropping all over their range, they were pushed out of most of Texas in the past as we were at the edge of the range already, and that it is pretty rare to even hear of one right on the border, much less in the US. If they are catching 15 unique animals 150+ miles to the south of the border, why are people not seeing more, or any, on their game cams on this side of the rio? The chance of an isolated population in the middle of the state, or even the SE US, that just happens to be melanistic is not likely or plausible.

And I didn't mean hunting pressure, or at least not solely hunting pressure. I meant human pressure in general.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

Jaguars are closer to Texas than what we think. I know for a fact that there are some in the mountains south of Falcon Lake. I saw a road kill of a juvenile jaguar east of lake El Chuchillo on Hwy 89 (by the way a superb bass lake) about 6 to 8 years ago. There are healthy populations in the sierra madre in Monterrey and further South. Proof is Rancho Caracol. I bet that it won't be long before we see one arround Falcon lake. One of their favorite prey are javelina/pigs. So with the feral hog population migrating south, I bet they will move from the mountains into areas with more prey.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Bayscout22 said:


> This happened earlier this year in Belize. Check out the video.
> 
> http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/27/belize.killer.jaguar/


It was first thought that it was this one as the Belize Zoo took heavy damage from the hurricane, but no, this one stayed safely in the enclosure the whole time...


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

*Gatos*



KIKO said:


> Jaguars are closer to Texas than what we think. I know for a fact that there are some in the mountains south of Falcon Lake. I saw a road kill of a juvenile jaguar east of lake El Chuchillo on Hwy 89 (by the way a superb bass lake) about 6 to 8 years ago. There are healthy populations in the sierra madre in Monterrey and further South. Proof is Rancho Caracol. I bet that it won't be long before we see one arround Falcon lake. One of their favorite prey are javelina/pigs. So with the feral hog population migrating south, I bet they will move from the mountains into areas with more prey.


Would be very cool if they did. Would bring walking to your stand in the morning a bit more interesting! I would LOVE to get some pics of one.

Any of the boys on 2cool that hunt Mexico often ever see any????

Love seeing those mountains South of Zapata on a clear day.... Never been down there but they sure look neat.


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## deerdude2000 (Feb 17, 2006)

Fishdoctor you live in Freer ??


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

This is the range of the Jaguar...










But it's really more complicated than that. Jaguars range out in specific migration corridors rather than just roam around in block areas. When jungle is bulldozed and converted into farm or ranch land, then a jaguar that normally preys on forest creatures such as paca, gibnut, kinkajou, capybaras, tapirs, peccaries, wild pigs, deer, birds, fish, armadillos, turtles, crocodiles, and iguanas, now finds cattle and other livestock. Naturally, it will kill what is there on land that was once its domain. This usually gets rewarded with a bullet.

These are some of the corridors that have been mapped out...


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## Bayscout22 (Aug 9, 2007)

My wife is from Belize and we visit often. A few years ago the curator of the zoo walked us around with a bucket of chicken feet to give to the cats. The two Jaguars there - Big Boy and Jr - probably realize they had it pretty good there. Not many other places bring you all the chicken feet you want!



AvianQuest said:


> It was first thought that it was this one as the Belize Zoo took heavy damage from the hurricane, but no, this one stayed safely in the enclosure the whole time...


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Bayscout22 said:


> A few years ago the curator of the zoo walked us around with a bucket of chicken feet to give to the cats.


That's Sharon Matola, one the world's most remarkable women.

If you haven't read it yet, get a copy of this book that tells her story...










http://www.amazon.com/Last-Flight-Scarlet-Macaw-Beautiful/dp/1400062934


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## railbird (Jan 2, 2009)

In 1980 I saw a jaguarandi while hunting in San Patricio county, I mentioned it to the rancher, and he said please don't tell anyone where you saw it. I mentioned it to him again recently and he still doesn't want it known that they are present on his ranch. He implied that they are still around.

Saw another jagaurandi at whitepoint (near nueces bay) in 1985, while rabbit hunting at night. I only recognized it because i had seen one before. (possibly the same animal, I doubt it, different location about 17 miles apart)

I saw an ocelot on the king ranch in 2001, that animal was seen almost daily while i took hunters to and from their blinds. The outfitter did not allow any cats to be shot after a hunter shot one the 1st year and they said no more cats.

I hope hunters will control themselves when they see big cats, they are magnificent creatures and I feel fortunate to have seen them in the wild. I hope my grandkids can say they saw one in the future.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Bayscout22 said:


> My wife is from Belize


What part of Belize?


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## slabnabbin (May 25, 2010)

i seen a very alrge lack cat in brownwood last year. he or she crossed the road about 75 yards in font of us and i could not believe what i saw.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

slabnabbin said:


> i seen a very alrge lack cat


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100130211245AAvp1jc


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## Squid94 (Nov 15, 2010)

We Coues deer hunt in Sonora Mexico and the ranches have an estavlised breeding population of jaguars. As of last year, they had identified , by spot pattern, 18 breeding adults. This area is about 10hrs drive from Southern Arizona. One of the fellow hunters, Jack Childs, bayed a jaguar in southern Arizona in 1996, I believe, and it was the first jaguar documnetd in the US in 60yrs??? Jack suspects there might be one or two young males in southern arizona, but the chances of a breeding population is extremely rare! Another note, in Mexico, where these cats exist, you never see them but their sign is every where! They mark trees, kill lions, defecate on roads, etc, and they make it known they are there. I believe if even one cat existed, we would know! Just my thoughts!


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## gordaflatsstalker (Jul 3, 2008)

I saw a show a while back on NatGeo about a few jaguars on the Arizona-Mexico border. I've never seen any kind of big cat but I know that if I did, black or tan, I'd bust a cap quick. There may be big black cats and bigfoot but until I see a dead one or see one myself, I don't think they exist. On another note, I was driving down Hwy. 70 between Turkey, TX and Matador, TX the other evening and I swear that I saw a dang kangaroo run across the road. True story, it was a kangaroo. It stopped in the ditch and looked at me. I reached for my phone and snapped a pic but it bounded off and all I got was a blur.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

gordaflatsstalker said:


> I saw a show a while back on NatGeo about a few jaguars on the Arizona-Mexico border. I've never seen any kind of big cat but I know that if I did, black or tan, I'd bust a cap quick. There may be big black cats and bigfoot but until I see a dead one or see one myself, I don't think they exist. On another note, I was driving down Hwy. 70 between Turkey, TX and Matador, TX the other evening and I swear that I saw a dang kangaroo run across the road. True story, it was a kangaroo. It stopped in the ditch and looked at me. I reached for my phone and snapped a pic but it bounded off and all I got was a blur.


Kangaroos, wallabies, and wallaroos are kept as pets no different than some people have pot bellied pigs or other smaller animals of the sort. Know a few people that have them. I definitely can believe you seeing an escapee from a nearby home or property. Wouldn't be the first time. There used to be a population of escaped snow monkeys I believe out west or south.


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## Bayscout22 (Aug 9, 2007)

AvianQuest said:


> What part of Belize?


Corozal. With family all over the country.


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## Bayscout22 (Aug 9, 2007)

The snow monkeys were down South. Ask Nolan Ryan...


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Bayscout22 said:


> Corozal. With family all over the country.


Cool! I've spent most of my time in the Cayo District, but I want to explore the whole country in future visits.

This is our photo album from our visit this past April...

http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/AvianQuest/Belize 2010/


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