Rare Black Jaguar Sits for Trail-Cam Portrait in the Amazon

A trail cam managed by The Mamirauá Institute captured a stunning portrait of a black jaguar, and it really gives you an up-close look at the rare cat’s melanistic coloring. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) U.K. shared the trail-cam photo in an Instagram post alongside a trail-cam photo of a jaguar with typical coloration, so the community can easily see the difference.

Melanism causes an increased amount of black or nearly black pigmentation in the skin, feathers, or hair of an animal. Therefore, a black jaguar is not a species or subspecies, it’s just a rare form of jaguar. Trail cameras allow scientists to glimpse the secret lives of these elusive predators in the Amazon.

“A melanistic jaguar captured on camera traps in Mamirauá, Central Amazonia!” wrote WWF UK in its Instagram post sharing the photo. “For over 15 years, researchers used camera traps to study jaguar populations in the Amazon. Their findings revealed that the 22 protected areas considered in the study are home to more than 6,000 individuals!”

[RELATED: Surprise Attack: Jaguar Eats Caiman That’s Eating a Fish]

See the black jaguar on a trail cam here:

A trail cam managed by The Mamirauá Institute captured a stunning portrait of a black jaguar, and it really gives you an up-close look at the rare cat’s melanistic coloring. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) U.K. shared the trail-cam photo in an Instagram post alongside a trail-cam photo of a jaguar with typical coloration, so the community can easily see the difference.

Melanism causes an increased amount of black or nearly black pigmentation in the skin, feathers, or hair of an animal. Therefore, a black jaguar is not a species or subspecies, it’s just a rare form of jaguar. Trail cameras allow scientists to glimpse the secret lives of these elusive predators in the Amazon.

“A melanistic jaguar captured on camera traps in Mamirauá, Central Amazonia!” wrote WWF UK in its Instagram post sharing the photo. “For over 15 years, researchers used camera traps to study jaguar populations in the Amazon. Their findings revealed that the 22 protected areas considered in the study are home to more than 6,000 individuals!”

[RELATED: Surprise Attack: Jaguar Eats Caiman That’s Eating a Fish]

See the black jaguar on a trail cam here: