Jaguarundi

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The Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi or Puma yaguarondi, Felis yaguarondi according to older sources) is a medium-sized Central and South American wild cat: length 65 cm (30 inches) with 45 cm (20 in) of tail. It has short legs and an appearance somewhat like an otter; the ears are short and rounded. The fur is a uniform chestnut brown, but can range from grey to dark brown. Their coats have no markings except for spots at birth. These cats are closely related to puma as evident by their similar genetic structure and chromosome count.

Habitat is comprised of a lowland brush area close to a running water source where they have been known to fish successfully from streams and rivers. They will occasionally inhabit dense tropical areas as well. They are known to be crepuscular and nocturnal depending on location. These cats are comfortable in trees, but prefer to hunt on the ground. They prey upon fish, small mammals, reptiles and birds.

The litter consists of one to four kittens. They are raised socially after a 70 day gestation. The kittens become mature at approximately 2 years of age.

These cats are not particularly sought after for their fur, but they are suffering decline and extinction due to loss of habitat.

Subspecies:

Herpailurus yaguarondi armeghinoi, Western Argentina
Herpailurus yaguarondi carcomitli, South Texas and Mexico
Herpailurus yaguarondi eyra, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina
Herpailurus yaguarondi fossata, Mexico and Honduras
Herpailurus yaguarondi melantho, Peru and Brazil
Herpailurus yaguarondi panamensis, Nicaragua to Ecuador
Herpailurus yaguarondi tolteca, Arizona and Mexico
Herpailurus yaguarondi yagouaroundi, Guyana and Amazon Rainforest

Some jaguarundi has been sighted around the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana [link].

References

Cat Specialist Group (2002). [Herpailurus yaguarondi]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

External links

[Jaguarundi page and photos at bigcatrescue.org]
http://ds.dial.pipex.com/agarman/bco/jundi.htm
http://ds.dial.pipex.com/agarman/jundi.htm
http://lynx.uio.no/catfolk/yaguar01.htm

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