The jaguar is one of the most mysterious and least-known big cats of the world. The largest cat in the Americas, it has survived an onslaught of environmental and human threats partly because of an evolutionary history unique among wild felines, but also because of a power and indomitable spirit so strong, the jaguar has shaped indigenous cultures and the beliefs of early civilizations on two continents.
In An Indomitable Beast: The Remarkable Journey of the Jaguar, big-cat expert Alan Rabinowitz shares his own personal journey to conserve a species that, despite its past resilience, is now on a slide toward extinction if something is not done to preserve the pathways it prowls through an ever-changing, ever-shifting landscape dominated by humans. Rabinowitz reveals how he learned from newly available genetic data that the jaguar was a single species connected genetically throughout its entire range from Mexico to Argentina, making it unique among all other large carnivores in the world. In a mix of personal discovery and scientific inquiry, he sweeps his readers deep into the realm of the jaguar, offering fascinating accounts from the field. Enhanced with maps, tables, and color plates, An Indomitable Beast brings important new research to life for scientists, anthropologists, and animal lovers alike.
This book is not only about jaguars, but also about tenacity and survival. From the jaguar we can learn better strategies for saving other species and also how to save ourselves when faced with immediate and long-term catastrophic changes to our environment.
"In An Indomitable Beast, Mr. Rabinowitz, the author of several books on his conservation work and travels, revisits the first big cats of his career. Questions of "jaguarness"-how jaguars think and the unique anatomical and behavioral features that affect their prospects for long-term survival-still intrigue him after three decades, and this book is a welcome retrospective of what he and others have learned about jaguars so far, and what's being done for them now." "This book does so many things well. It is full of adventure and cool biology and human history, but it also succeeds as a scientific memoir and journey of intellectual growth…I read everything Rabinowitz writes-he is a gifted storyteller and accomplished researcher. I recommend all his books. This is his best. It's hard to read this book and not reach the conclusion that the jaguar is flat-out one of the coolest animals to walk this planet. And there's no one better to tell its story than Alan Rabinowitz." "Combines his account of field research on jaguars in the wilds of Belize and Brazil and advocacy for conservation strategies with anthropology, zoology, and paleontology to tell the tale of an endangered species that has persisted despite very long odds." "Rabinowitz is the world's leading authority on the jaguar... He now presents a fascinating book that explores the human-jaguar link...The modern-day interaction of these two corridors will absorb all lovers of the wild." "...An Indomitable Beast is an extraordinary examination of these dangerous yet magnificent creatures. A bibliography, an index, and a handful of color plates enhance this absolute "must-read" for fans of big cats in general, and jaguars in particular. Highly recommended!" "A riveting tale of environmental success...An Indomitable Beast begins with an exhaustively researched natural history of the jaguar from palaeo to present. And in telling the cat's story, Rabinowitz takes the reader on a personal quest, from ancient Mayan ruins to London Zoo, as he seeks to uncover the unique 'jaguarness' of the animal he seeks to protect." "The book stands at the intersection between biology, ecology, politics, social science, and economics. Its author has been one of a small group of people who have fought tirelessly for jaguars and other big cats. Naturalists, aspiring conservationists, students, seasoned scientists and
