Jaguarundi

Jaguarundi

The jaguarundi is a medium-sized Mexican, Central and South American wild cat. Two of the eight subspecies are found in Brazil.

The jaguarundi has an average length 30 inches, a 20 inch tail and weighs about 13.2 pounds. Due to short legs and ears that are short and rounded the jaguarundi is sometimes said to have the appearance of an otter.

The coat of the jaguarundi is unspotted, uniform in color, and varying from blackish to brownish gray or from foxy red to chestnut.

The two color phases were once thought to represent two distinct species; the gray one called jaguarundi, and the red one called eyra. However, studies have proven these are the same species and both color phases may be found in the same litter. Its coat has no markings except for spots at birth.

The jaguarundi prefers a habitat of lowland brush areas close to a source of running water. As in the case of the Brazilian subspecies, the jaguarundi occasionally inhabits dense tropical areas as well. This cat is comfortable in trees, but prefers to hunt on the ground. It preys upon fish, small mammals, reptiles and birds.

This cat is not particularly sought after for its fur, but it is suffering decline due to loss of habitat

More in the next edition.