Research overview: jaguar-puma coexistence and prey partitioning

A survey of how jaguars and pumas, the two large cats of the Neotropics, coexist across much of their shared range by partitioning prey, space and time. Jaguars generally take larger prey, including peccaries and caiman, while pumas rely more on smaller and medium prey such as brocket deer and pacas, with the degree of separation varying by region and prey availability. This overview synthesizes diet and camera-trap studies on niche partitioning, how human disturbance and prey depletion alter the balance, and the conditions under which competition or coexistence prevails. It connects to broader theory on sympatric large-carnivore coexistence and to conservation in landscapes where both cats occur. The topic clarifies how two ecologically similar predators divide resources to persist together.