Using occupancy models to investigate space partitioning between two sympatric large predators, the jaguar and puma in central Brazil

Coexistence of sympatric species is mediated by resource partitioning. Pumas occur sympatrically with jaguars throughout most of the jaguar's range but few studies have investigated space partitioning between both species. Here, camera trapping and occupancy models accounting for imperfect detection were employed in a Bayesian framework to investigate space partitioning between the jaguar and puma in Emas National Park (ENP), central Brazil. Jaguars were estimated to occupy 54.1% and pumas 39.3% of the sample sites. Jaguar occupancy was negatively correlated with distance to water and positively correlated with the amount of dense habitat surrounding the camera trap. Puma occupancy only showed a weak negative correlation with distance to water and with jaguar presence. Both species were less often present at the same site than expected under independent distributions. Jaguars had a significantly higher detection probability at cameras on roads than at off-road locations. For pumas, detection was similar on and off-road. Results indicate that both differences in habitat use and active avoidance shape space partitioning between jaguars and pumas in ENP. Considering its size, the jaguar is likely the competitively dominant of the two species. Owing to its habitat preferences, suitable jaguar habitat outside the park is probably sparse. Consequently, the jaguar population is likely largely confined to the park, while the puma population is known to extend into ENP's surroundings.     

Differential impact of landscape transformation on pumas (Puma concolor) and jaguars (Panthera onca) in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest

Aim Jaguars and pumas, being similar in size and behaviour, are the largest felids of the Neotropics. However, pumas appear to be more resistant to human impacts. Our objective was to compare the response of both species with human impacts at a regional scale in a highly modified region where both species had continuous distribution in the past. Location The Upper Parana Atlantic Forest (UPAF). Methods Pumas and jaguars presence‐only data were used in an Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA). From the total number of records, we resampled 95 records of each species 10 times to characterize and compare their habitat requirements, built habitat‐suitability maps and examined interspecific differences in niche parameters related to present landscape characteristics. Results Both species showed high dependence on native forest and habitat protection, and low tolerance to anthropogenic environments. However, jaguars showed higher differences between their optimal habitat and the available landscape (mean ± SD; marginality M = 2.290 ± 0.072) and lower tolerance to deviations from their optimal habitat (tolerance T = 0.596 ± 0.013) than pumas (M = 1.358 ± 0.067, P < 0.001; T = 0.742 ± 0.022, P < 0.001). Although their niches highly overlapped (Pianka’s O = 0.746 ± 0.069), pumas’ higher tolerance resulted in a larger area covered by suitable patches of habitat with higher connectivity. All jaguar‐suitable areas were also suitable for pumas; however, 44 ± 8% of puma‐suitable areas were unsuitable or marginal for jaguars. Main conclusions Pumas showed more tolerance than jaguars to human impacts at a regional scale in the UPAF, a pattern also observed at local and continental scales. Although the proximate factors responsible for the differential response of pumas to human‐altered environments seem to be similar at all spatial scales (e.g. broader trophic niche than jaguars), the resultant spatial configuration of suitable habitat at a regional scale might be another important factor determining puma persistence and higher jaguar demands on conservation efforts.     

Jaguar and Puma Activity Patterns and Predator‐Prey Interactions in Four Brazilian Biomes

Jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) coexist throughout the Neotropics. Using camera trapping in four Brazilian biomes, we compare the daily activity patterns of the jaguar and puma, and their relationships with their main prey species. We used a kernel density method to quantify daily activity patterns and to investigate overlap between these predators and their main prey. Both cats showed intensive nocturnal and crepuscular activity (0.69 and 0.14 kernel density, respectively, for jaguars; 0.68 and 0.19 kernel density, respectively, for pumas). Only in the Pantanal did we observe a pattern of concentrated diurnal activity for both species. We found little temporal segregation between jaguars and pumas, as they showed similar activity patterns with high coefficients of overlapping (average ?₁ = 0.86; SE = 0.15). We also observed a significant overlap between the activity patterns of the predators and their main prey species, suggesting that both predators adjust their activity to reduce their foraging energy expenditure. Our findings suggest that temporal partitioning is probably not a generalized mechanism of coexistence between jaguars and pumas; instead, the partitioning of habitat/space use and food resources may play a larger role in mediating top predator coexistence. Knowledge about these behavior aspects is crucial to elucidating the factors that enable coexistence of jaguars and pumas. Furthermore, an understanding of their respective activity periods is relevant to management and associated research efforts.     

Spatial requirements of jaguars and pumas in Southern Mexico

Understanding how large felids use space is essential for the design of conservation plans that are required for their survival. Jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) are the largest felids in the Neotropics, and they are sympatric throughout the entire range of the jaguar. However, there is very little information about the spatial requirements of these two species in the tropical rainforests of Central America. Using satellite GPS collars, we compared the spatial ecology of jaguars and pumas in a tropical rainforest in southern Mexico. We found that jaguars had home ranges that were 2–6 times larger than those of pumas. The mean annual home range was 181.4 ± 4.0 km² for female jaguars and 431.6 ± 152.6 km² for males. Annual home range for the only female puma tracked was 34.3 km², and 72.0 ± 85.2 km² for males. Jaguars and pumas with overlapping home ranges showed little overlap of core areas and avoided using the same sites at the same time, which suggested that territoriality and avoidance were in play. Further evidence of avoidance was derived from our observation that pumas exhibited greater movement during the lightest periods of the day and jaguars moved most during the darkest. This temporal separation probably facilitates coexistence. Our data suggest that habitat destruction and fragmentation has more severe effects on jaguars than on pumas. According to our estimates, patches of at least 180 km² of primary forest are required to meet the annual spatial requirements of female jaguars. Thus, to conserve jaguars in this region, large tracts of primary forest should be preserved. Importantly, this population of jaguars depends on the adequate preservation of connectivity between natural reserves in Mexico and Guatemala.     

Jaguar (Panthera onca) feeding ecology: distribution of predator and prey through time and space

Jaguars Panthera onca inhabiting tropical or subtropical evergreen moist forest have often been classified as opportunistic predators because they consume prey relative to its availability. However, these studies failed to address simultaneously the distribution of predator and prey through time and space, which may lead to an incomplete or erroneous understanding of jaguar foraging strategies. In this study, we reconstructed jaguar diet from scat, and used camera traps to investigate jaguar prey availability and the distribution of jaguar and its prey through space and time. We focused our examination of predator–prey temporal and spatial relations on forest infrastructure comprising man-made paths, small mammal trails, tapir Tapirus bairdi trail and trail-less, forested areas as they represent distinct habitats for prey selection. Overall, we observed high overlap between the prey used and available, suggestive of opportunistic foraging. However, jaguars exhibited selective tendencies in discriminating between larger prey. Jaguars used collared peccary Tayassu tajacu greater than its availability, while preying upon the equally abundant and similarly distributed white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari and tapir less than predicted based upon availability. Armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus and paca Agouti paca , 56.6% of total consumption, were consumed relative to availability but exhibited low spatial overlap with jaguar. Armadillo and paca used trail-less, forested areas and small mammal trails not used by jaguar and were photographed more frequently at greater distances from man-made paths, major thoroughfares for jaguars. This study suggests that although forest jaguars use prey relative to its abundance, jaguars may rely on foraging strategies other than chance encounters for exploiting prey.     

Evaluation of Potential Factors Predisposing Livestock to Predation by Jaguars

ABSTRACT Depredation of livestock by large carnivores is an important but poorly understood source of human-carnivore conflict. We examined patterns of livestock depredation by jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) on a ranch-wildlife reserve in western Brazil to assess factors contributing to prey mortality. We predicted jaguars would kill a greater proportion of calves than yearling and adult cattle and that proximity to suitable habitat would increase mortality risk. We further speculated that exposure to predation risk would promote livestock grouping and increased movement distance. We recorded 169 cattle mortality incidents during 2003–2004, of which 19% were due to predation by jaguars and pumas. This level of mortality represented 0.2–0.3% of the total livestock holdings on the ranch. Jaguars caused most (69%) cattle predation events, and survival in allotments was lower for calves than for other age classes. Forest proximity was the only variable we found to explain patterns of livestock mortality, with predation risk increasing as distance to forest cover declined. Due to low predation risk, cattle movement patterns and grouping behavior did not vary relative to level of spatial overlap with radiocollared jaguars. The overall effect of predation on cattle was low and livestock likely constituted an alternative prey for large cats in our study area. However, selection of calves over other age cohorts and higher predation risk among cattle in proximity to forest cover is suggestive of selection of substandard individuals. Cattle ranchers in the Pantanal region may reduce cattle mortality rates by concentrating on losses due to nonpredation causes that could be more easily controlled.     

A non-invasive faecal survey for the study of spatial ecology and kinship of solitary felids in the Viruá National Park,Amazon Basin

Jaguars and pumas are the largest felids in the Americas. Information about these two species is scarce, especially where both species are sympatric. We studied the use and selection of macrohabitats, spatial segregation and kinship in jaguars and pumas in the Viruá National Park (Amazonian lowlands) by non-invasive genetic analyses of faecal samples. Seven different jaguars (six males and one female) and nine different pumas (five males and four females) were identified. We found space use segregation between the two species, with pumas using mostly forested habitats and jaguars using open habitats slightly more than the forested ones. This result is unexpected, since previous studies have found that pumas favour more open habitats than jaguars. The results suggest that jaguars use the areas in a more random manner, corresponding to the habits of a dominant generalist species, whereas pumas use the area to reduce encounter rates with jaguars. Nevertheless, both species mainly used areas near upland forest-flooding habitats. Some kinship categories were supported with a p < 0.05 in 57 and 83% of the pair comparisons between the identified jaguars and the identified pumas, respectively. Non-invasive genetic analysis of faeces was useful to study the spatial ecology of solitary, rare and cryptic species in the Amazon.     

Food Habits and Livestock Depredation of Sympatric Jaguars and Pumas in the Iguaçu National Park Area, South Brazil

Understanding coexistence between sympatric felines with similar body sizes, such as jaguars Panthera onca and pumas Puma concolor , requires knowledge of the way these predators consume and partition food resources. Yet the importance of livestock predation on jaguar and puma coexistence is poorly known. I investigated food habits and patterns of livestock depredation of jaguar and pumas in the Iguaçu National Park (INP) in southern Brazil. From 1997 to 2001, I collected scats opportunistically on trails and roads in INP and visited ranches on the border of INP. I found that jaguars relied mostly on large and medium-sized wild prey species, while pumas concentrated on medium-sized prey species. Livestock was the fifth most frequent prey found in jaguar scats but the most important one in terms of biomass consumed. Jaguar and puma diets differed significantly when all prey items were compared and also when livestock was excluded from the jaguar diet. Jaguar predation on livestock was considerably higher than predation by pumas. However, predation was not substantial relative to availability of livestock, and cattle likely constitute an alternative source of prey for jaguars. Degree of diet overlap between jaguar and puma in INP suggests that coexistence was likely driven by exploitative competition through some degree of food partitioning. My results highlight the importance of more actions toward increasing numbers of large ungulates to preserve the population of jaguars in INP.     

Ocelot Population Status in Protected Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Forest fragmentation and habitat loss are detrimental to top carnivores, such as jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor), but effects on mesocarnivores, such as ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), are less clear. Ocelots need native forests, but also might benefit from the local extirpation of larger cats such as pumas and jaguars through mesopredator release. We used a standardized camera trap protocol to assess ocelot populations in six protected areas of the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil where over 80% of forest remnants are < 50 ha. We tested whether variation in ocelot abundance could be explained by reserve size, forest cover, number of free-ranging domestic dogs and presence of top predators. Ocelot abundance was positively correlated with reserve size and the presence of top predators (jaguar and pumas) and negatively correlated with the number of dogs. We also found higher detection probabilities in less forested areas as compared to larger, intact forests. We suspect that smaller home ranges and higher movement rates in smaller, more degraded areas increased detection. Our data do not support the hypothesis of mesopredator release. Rather, our findings indicate that ocelots respond negatively to habitat loss, and thrive in large protected areas inhabited by top predators.     

Jaguar spacing, activity and habitat use in a seasonally flooded environment in Brazil

Between July 1980 and February 1984, six jaguars (two males, four females) were fitted with radio-collars and monitored for a cumulative total of 105 months, in the Pantanal region of southwestern Brazil. Mean home range size (minimum convex polygon) for five of them (one male, four females) was 142- 1 km². Mean home range size during the dry season was 54·3 km², whereas in the wet season it was significantly smaller, 12·8 km². Mean home range overlap of the four females was 42%. Use of gallery forest and forest patches exceeded the availability of these habitat types in the animals' home ranges, whereas open forest and grassland were used less than expected on the basis of their availability. Mean distance moved between locations on consecutive days was 2·4 km (0.2-10·4 km). The mean one-day movement of the male jaguar was significantly (P<0·001) larger than that of the females. Mean distance travelled by all animals during one-day intervals in the dry season was significantly greater (P<0·001) than that travelled in other months. Jaguars were more active during daytime than night-time (P<0·001). Overall level of activity for the wet season did not differ from that of the dry season. With their larger body size, jaguars in the Pantanal may require more food than jaguars in other areas of the species' range. This, in addition to differences in prey availability and the annual availability of dry land, appear to influence the difference in home range size between jaguar populations.     

Neo-tropical felid activity patterns in relation to potential prey and intraguild competitors in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve,Mexico

Predator behaviors influence, and are influenced by, prey and competitor behaviors. Jaguars (Panthera onca), pumas (Puma concolor), and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) coexist throughout their geographic range as the three largest predators in a multi-predator community across diverse environments. This study tested for non-random segregation and overlap in the activity patterns of these felids and their shared prey in the southern buffer zone of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, in southern Mexico, using camera traps during February to August 2019. We detected little temporal segregation between the nocturnal activities of jaguars, pumas, and ocelots, although pumas were more active closer to dawn. Jaguars had low activity overlap with species likely to be common prey, whereas ocelots had high overlap with their potential prey. Pumas displayed finer-scale similarities in activity with species likely to be common prey. In an understudied area of conservation importance, this study shows that temporal segregation is an unlikely mechanism of coexistence. Further research should incorporate spatio-temporal avoidance and dietary differences to improve our understanding of the mechanisms that drive coexistence between generalist species in a diverse assemblage of threatened felids. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.     

Drivers of jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor) predation on endangered primates within a transformed landscape in southern Mexico

Human pressures have increasingly placed keystone species, such as large cats, under threat. Together with forest loss, prey depletion is one of the main threats to the survival of jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) throughout the Neotropics. Generally, primates are not considered main prey for jaguar and puma, and their inclusion in the diet could be indicative of ongoing prey species decline. Here, we investigate the effect of habitat type and disturbance on primate predation by large cats. Surveys took place during the dry seasons (March to June) of 2010 and 2011, covering a total of 608.5 km across 24 localities in the Uxpanapa Valley, Mexico. We found 65 felid scat samples with the aid of a wildlife scat detection dog, and then examined them to identify predator species and classify the prey remains they contained. Primates represented the most frequent prey (35%) for both jaguar and puma in our study site and constituted approximately half of the biomass consumed by these felines in the area. Primate remains were more likely to be found in scats surrounded by the lowest percentage of conserved forest or in areas surrounded by more villages, showing the potential effects of human activities on these species' populations. The high proportion of primates found in scats within our study site could be an early indication that populations of ungulates and other “typical” prey are beginning to collapse, and urgent conservation interventions are needed for both large cats and primates before they become locally extinct. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.     

Resource selection and its implications for wide-ranging mammals of the brazilian cerrado

Conserving animals beyond protected areas is critical because even the largest reserves may be too small to maintain viable populations for many wide-ranging species. Identification of landscape features that will promote persistence of a diverse array of species is a high priority, particularly, for protected areas that reside in regions of otherwise extensive habitat loss. This is the case for Emas National Park, a small but important protected area located in the Brazilian Cerrado, the world's most biologically diverse savanna. Emas Park is a large-mammal global conservation priority area but is too small to protect wide-ranging mammals for the long-term and conserving these populations will depend on the landscape surrounding the park. We employed novel, noninvasive methods to determine the relative importance of resources found within the park, as well as identify landscape features that promote persistence of wide-ranging mammals outside reserve borders. We used scat detection dogs to survey for five large mammals of conservation concern: giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), jaguar (Panthera onca), and puma (Puma concolor). We estimated resource selection probability functions for each species from 1,572 scat locations and 434 giant armadillo burrow locations. Results indicate that giant armadillos and jaguars are highly selective of natural habitats, which makes both species sensitive to landscape change from agricultural development. Due to the high amount of such development outside of the Emas Park boundary, the park provides rare resource conditions that are particularly important for these two species. We also reveal that both woodland and forest vegetation remnants enable use of the agricultural landscape as a whole for maned wolves, pumas, and giant anteaters. We identify those features and their landscape compositions that should be prioritized for conservation, arguing that a multi-faceted approach is required to protect these species.     

Phylogeography, population history and conservation genetics of jaguars (Panthera onca, Mammalia, Felidae)

The jaguar (Panthera onca), the largest felid in the American Continent, is currently threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation and human persecution. We have investigated the genetic diversity, population structure and demographic history of jaguars across their geographical range by analysing 715 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and 29 microsatellite loci in approximately 40 individuals sampled from Mexico to southern Brazil. Jaguars display low to moderate levels of mtDNA diversity and medium to high levels of microsatellite size variation, and show evidence of a recent demographic expansion. We estimate that extant jaguar mtDNA lineages arose 280 000-510 000 years ago (95% CI 137 000-830 000 years ago), a younger date than suggested by available fossil data. No strong geographical structure was observed, in contrast to previously proposed subspecific partitions. However, major geographical barriers such as the Amazon river and the Darien straits between northern South America and Central America appear to have restricted historical gene flow in this species, producing measurable genetic differentiation. Jaguars could be divided into four incompletely isolated phylogeographic groups, and further sampling may reveal a finer pattern of subdivision or isolation by distance on a regional level. Operational conservation units for this species can be defined on a biome or ecosystem scale, but should take into account the historical barriers to dispersal identified here. Conservation strategies for jaguars should aim to maintain high levels of gene flow over broad geographical areas, possibly through active management of disconnected populations on a regional scale.     

First Evidence of Canine Distemper in Brazilian Free-Ranging Felids

Serum samples from 19 jaguars (Panthera onca), nine pumas (Puma concolor), and two ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) were collected between January 1999 and March of 2005 and tested for presence of canine distemper virus (CDV). All cats were free-ranging animals living in two protected areas in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. In addition, 111 domestic dogs from nearby areas were sampled for CDV. Our results show the first evidence of CDV exposure in Brazilian free-ranging felids. From the 30 samples analyzed, six jaguars and one puma were tested seropositive for CDV. All seropositive large felids were from Ivinhema State Park, resulting in 31.5% of the sampled jaguars or 60% of the total jaguar population in Ivinhema State Park, and 11.28% of the sampled pumas. From the total 111 domestic dogs sampled, 45 were tested seropositive for CDV. At Morro do Diabo State Park, 34.6% of the dogs sampled were positive for CDV, and 100% at Ivinhema State Park. Canine distemper virus in wild felids seems to be related with home range use and in close association with domestic dogs living in nearby areas.     

High Proportion of Male Faeces in Jaguar Populations

Faeces provide relevant biological information which includes, with the application of genetic techniques, the sex and identity of individuals that defecated, thus providing potentially useful data on the behaviour and ecology of individuals, as well as the dynamics and structure of populations. This paper presents estimates of the sex ratio of different felid species (jaguar, Panthera onca; puma, Puma concolor; and ocelot/margay, Leopardus pardalis/Leopardus wiedi) as observed in field collected faeces, and proposes several hypotheses that could explain the strikingly high proportion of faeces from male jaguars. The proportion of male and female faeces was estimated using a non-invasive faecal sampling method in 14 study areas in Mexico and Brazil. Faecal samples were genetically analysed to identify the species, the sex and the individual (the latter only for samples identified as belonging to jaguars). Considering the three species, 72.6% of faeces (n = 493) were from males; however, there were significant differences among them, with the proportion from males being higher for jaguars than for pumas and ocelots/margays. A male-bias was consistently observed in all study areas for jaguar faeces, but not for the other species. For jaguars the trend was the same when considering the number of individuals identified (n = 68), with an average of 4.2±0.56 faeces per male and 2.0±0.36 per female. The observed faecal marking patterns might be related to the behaviour of female jaguars directed toward protecting litters from males, and in both male and female pumas, to prevent interspecific aggressions from male jaguars. The hypothesis that there are effectively more males than females in jaguar populations cannot be discarded, which could be due to the fact that females are territorial and males are not, or a tendency for males to disperse into suboptimal areas for the species.     

Differential Use of Trails by Forest Mammals and the Implications for Camera-Trap Studies: A Case Study from Belize

Relative abundance indices are often used to compare species abundance between sites. The indices assume that species have similar detection probabilities, or that differences between detection probabilities are known and can be corrected for. Indices often consist of encounter frequencies of footprints, burrows, markings or photo captures along trails or transect lines, but the assumption of equal detection probabilities is rarely validated. This study analyzes detection probabilities of a range of Neotropical mammals on trails in dense secondary forests, using camera-trap and track data. Photo captures of the two large cats, jaguars ( Panthera onca ) and pumas ( Puma concolor ), were correlated solely with trail variables, while photo captures of their potential prey species had no correlation or negative correlation with trail variables. The Neotropical mammals varied greatly in their tendency to follow or cross trails based on footprints surveys. This indicates that camera locations on trails will have varying detection probability for these Neotropical mammals. Even the two similar-sized jaguars and pumas, occupying relatively similar niches, differed subtly in their use of trails. Pumas followed trails more completely while jaguars were more likely to deviate from trails. The ecological significance of these findings is that jaguars seem to be more willing to use the forest matrix away from trails than do pumas. We conclude that trail-based indices, such as photographic captures or tracks along trails, are not appropriate for comparison between Neotropical species, and not even between relatively similar species like jaguars and pumas.     

Cell population indexes of spermatogenic yield and testicular sperm reserves in adult jaguars (Panthera onca)

The intrinsic yield of spermatogenesis and supporting capacity of Sertoli cells are the desirable indicators of sperm production in a species. The objective of the present study was to quantify intrinsic yield and the Sertoli cell index in the spermatogenic process and estimate testicular sperm reserves by histological assessment of fragments obtained by testicular biopsy of five adult jaguars in captivity. The testicular fragments were fixed in 4% glutaric aldehyde, dehydrated at increasing alcohol concentrations, included into hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and were cut into 4 μm thickness. In the seminiferous epithelium of the jaguar, 9.2 primary spermatocytes in pre-leptotene were produced by “A” spermatogonia. During the meiotic divisions only 3.2 spermatids were produced by a primary spermatocyte. The general spermatogenic yield of the jaguar was about 23.4 cells and each Sertoli cell was able to maintain about 19.2 germ cells, 11 of them were round spermatids. In each seminiferous epithelium cycle about 166 million spermatozoa were produced by each gram of testicular tissue. In adult jaguars, the general spermatogenic yield was similar to the yield observed in pumas, greater than that observed for the domestic cat, but less compared to most domestic animals.     

Predation of wild spider monkeys at La Macarena,Colombia

The killing of an adult male spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth ) by a jaguar (Panthera onca) and a predation attempt by a puma (Felis concolor) on an adult female spider monkey have been observed at the CIEM (Centro de Investigaciones Ecológicas La Macarena), La Macarena, Colombia. These incidents occurred directly in front of an observer, even though it is said that predation under direct observation on any type of primate rarely occurs. On the basis of a review of the literature, and the observations reported here, we suggest that jaguars and pumas are likely to be the only significant potential predators on adult spider monkeys, probably because of their large body size.     

A Comparative Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Structure in Jaguars (Panthera onca), Pumas (Puma concolor), and Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) in Fragmented Landscapes of a Critical Mesoamerican Linkage Zone

With increasing anthropogenic impact and landscape change, terrestrial carnivore populations are becoming more fragmented. Thus, it is crucial to genetically monitor wild carnivores and quantify changes in genetic diversity and gene flow in response to these threats. This study combined the use of scat detector dogs and molecular scatology to conduct the first genetic study on wild populations of multiple Neotropical felids coexisting across a fragmented landscape in Belize, Central America. We analyzed data from 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci in 1053 scat samples collected from wild jaguars (Panthera onca), pumas (Puma concolor), and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis). We assessed levels of genetic diversity, defined potential genetic clusters, and examined gene flow for the three target species on a countrywide scale using a combination of individual- and population-based analyses. Wild felids in Belize showed moderate levels of genetic variation, with jaguars having the lowest diversity estimates (H_E = 0.57 ± 0.02; A_R = 3.36 ± 0.09), followed by pumas (H_E = 0.57 ± 0.08; A_R = 4.20 ± 0.16), and ocelots (H_E = 0.63 ± 0.03; A_R = 4.16 ± 0.08). We observed low to moderate levels of genetic differentiation for all three target species, with jaguars showing the lowest degree of genetic subdivision across the country, followed by ocelots and pumas. Although levels of genetic diversity and gene flow were still fairly high, we detected evidence of fine-scale genetic subdivision, indicating that levels of genetic connectivity for wild felids in Belize are likely to decrease if habitat loss and fragmentation continue at the current rate. Our study demonstrates the value of understanding fine-scale patterns of gene flow in multiple co-occurring felid species of conservation concern, which is vital for wildlife movement corridor planning and prioritizing future conservation and management efforts within human-impacted landscapes.