For the first time in 50 years, an endangered wildcat species has been found in Arizona

A rare ocelot was spotted on camera in southern Arizona, the first sighting of this endangered species in the area in 50 years.

Typically about twice the size of a domestic cat, the elusive wild cat resembles a small jaguar or leopard with its orange fur covered in black stripes and spots.

The ocelot was discovered in the Atascosa Highlands as part of a field research project run by the Phoenix Zoo. Researchers announced the discovery in a post to X.

According to a statement from the zoo, project manager Kinley Ragan and volunteer Ali Lofti hiked through the Atascosa Highlands in extreme heat to check 23 of the 50 cameras placed in the area, making sure the cameras were working properly, changing batteries and SD cards.

While checking the SD cards, they made the exciting discovery of the ocelot.

“The ocelot video was one of the last videos I watched, and I got goosebumps of excitement and pride at what we had captured,” Ragan said in the statement. “At first I couldn’t believe it as I watched the video over and over, but soon a big smile spread across my face as I realized the full impact of this discovery for this important region.”

Ocelots have been considered endangered since 1972 and are rarely seen in Arizona.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, there are fewer than 100 of them left in the United States. Habitat loss, largely due to human activities, has drastically reduced their numbers.

According to the Arizona Republic, this is only the seventh confirmed sighting of an ocelot in the state in the last 20 years.

Tracy McCarthey, a regional non-wildlife specialist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, performed a fur spot analysis and confirmed that this ocelot had not been observed before.

“We’re curious to see if this was an isolated incident and what it means for the area,” Ragan told the Arizona Republic. “Is there more? Now that we’re officially doing a survey, what else might we discover in this beautiful landscape?”