Jaguar and puma cannibalism in its northern distribution range in Mexico

Abstract

Abstract: Cannibalism is defined as an intraspecific predation and play a key role in the dynamics of natural populations. Although this behavior has been found in a wide variety of species, including large carnivores, records of cannibalism in jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) are to some extent scarce. We documented the first records in Mexico of cannibalism in a free-ranging populations of jaguars and pumas. Encounters among territorial jaguars and pumas in its northern peripherical distribution range in Mexico may have elicited social stress and antagonistic interactions, a behavior reported in other free-ranging carnivores.