Data from: Jaguar Movement Database: a GPS-based movement dataset of an apex predator in the Neotropics

The field of movement ecology has rapidly grown during the last decade,
with important advancements in tracking devices and analytical tools that
have provided unprecedented insights into where, when, and why species
move across a landscape. Although there has been an increasing emphasis on
making animal movement data publicly available, there has also been a
conspicuous dearth in the availability of such data on large carnivores.
Globally, large predators are of conservation concern. However, due to
their secretive behavior and low densities, obtaining movement data on
apex predators is expensive and logistically challenging. Consequently,
the relatively small sample sizes typical of large carnivore movement
studies may limit insights into the ecology and behavior of these elusive
predators. The aim of this initiative is to make available to the
conservation-scientific community a dataset of 134,690 locations of
jaguars (Panthera onca) collected from 117 individuals (54 males and 63
females) tracked by GPS technology. Individual jaguars were monitored in
five different range countries representing a large portion of the
species’ distribution. This dataset may be used to answer a variety of
ecological questions including but not limited to: improved models of
connectivity from local to continental scales; the use of natural or
human-modified landscapes by jaguars; movement behavior of jaguars in
regions not represented in this dataset; intraspecific interactions; and
predator-prey interactions. In making our dataset publicly available, we
hope to motivate other research groups to do the same in the near future.
Specifically, we aim to help inform a better understanding of jaguar
movement ecology with applications towards effective decision making and
maximizing long-term conservation efforts for this ecologically important
species.