Loss of historical range of jaguars in southern Brazil

Loss of jaguar range in one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world is reported herein. Records of the last individuals shot reveal that the jaguar has suffered a loss of historical range at an estimated rate of one latitudinal degree every 10 years in its southern range in the Atlantic Rain Forest of Brazil. The chronological order of the records show a definitive pattern of range loss from south to north, extending over three latitudinal degrees. Results stress that direct hunting may be a decisive factor acting behind local extinctions of jaguars when populations are severely reduced.