The jaguarundi may appear a bit odd among the cat species. At first glance, it looks more like a large weasel. Its long body, small rounded ears, small head, honey-brown eyes, and uniform fur distinguish it from other neotropical cats like the spotted ocelot. Weighing around 11 pounds, the jaguarundi is smaller than the ocelot and sometimes becomes its prey. Avoiding the nocturnal ocelot may be part of the reason the jaguarundi is most active during the day. The jaguarundi may also emerge at night, especially when the moon is full. These cats spend most of their time on the ground, but can be agile climbers when inspired, such as when they are pursued. Adult jaguarundis have a wide range of vocalizations, many of which are used for friendly contact, courtship, mating, or communication between mothers and kittens. They have at least 13 distinct calls.
Features Of The Jagaurundi
- Coat Color – The coat is without spots, uniform in color, with, at most, a few faint markings on the face and underside. The coat can be either blackish to brownish-grey (grey morph) or foxy red to chestnut (red morph); individuals of both morphs can be born in the same litter.
- Body Structure – The jaguarundi has short legs, an elongated body, and a long tail. The ears are short and rounded.
- Length & Weight – It has a length of 53 to 77 centimetres (21 to 30 inches) with a 31-to-60 cm-long tail (12-to-24 in), and weighs 3.5 to 9.1 kilograms (7.7 to 20.1 lb).
Did You Know? The two-color morphs were once thought to represent two distinct species: the grey one was called the jaguarundi and the red one was called the eyra.
Scientific Classification Of The Jaguarundi
Jaguarundi – Herpailurus yagouaroundi [Scientific name]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Suborder: Feliformia
- Family: Felidae
- Subfamily: Felinae
- Genus: Herpailurus
- Species: H. yagouaroundi
Habitat Of The Jaguarundi
The jaguarundi occurs from southern Texas and coastal Mexico in the north, through Central and South America (Guyana) east of the Andes, and as far south as northern Argentina. In 2015, it has also been recorded in Cerro Largo, Uruguay. Its habitat is lowland brush areas close to a source of running water, including dry thorn forest to wet grassland. While commonly inhabiting lowlands, it has been reported at elevations as high as 3,200 m (10,500 ft). Occasionally it also occurs in dense tropical areas.
Diet Of The Jaguarundi
They are comfortable in trees, but prefer to hunt on the ground. They will eat almost any small animal they can catch, typically catching a mixture of rodents, small reptiles, and ground-feeding birds. They have also been observed to kill larger prey, such as rabbits, and opossums; relatively unusual prey include fish and even marmosets. Like many other cats, they also include a small amount of vegetation and arthropods in their diets.
Reproduction Of The Jaguarundi
The timing of the breeding season among jaguarundis is unclear; they breed all year round. Oestrus lasts three to five days, marked by the female regularly rolling onto her back and spraying urine. After a gestation period of 70 to 75 days, the female gives birth to a litter of one to four kittens in a den constructed in a dense thicket, hollow tree, or similar cover.
Kittens: The kittens are born with spots on their undersides, which disappear as they age. The young are capable of taking solid food at around six weeks, although they begin to play with their mother’s food as early as three weeks. Jaguarundis become sexually mature at about two years of age, and have lived for up to 10 years in captivity
10 Facts About Jaguarundis
- Although they seem to be somewhat more gregarious than many other cats, willing to tolerate the close presence of other members of their species, in the wild, they are generally encountered alone, suggesting a solitary lifestyle.
- Their home range is widely variable, depending on the local environment; individuals have been reported as ranging over territories from 6.8 to 100 km2 (2.6 to 38.6 sq mi).
- Like other cats, they scent mark their territory by scratching the ground or nearby branches, head-rubbing, urination, and leaving their faeces uncovered. They are shy and reclusive, and evidently very cautious of traps.
- Jaguarundis make an unusually wide range of vocalisations, including purrs, whistles, yaps, chattering sounds, and even a bird-like chirp.
- The jaguarundi is a very usual cat, with a long slender body, shorter legs and a small flattened head with short rounded ears, the cat is often described as having a weasel-like appearance.
- Sometimes referred to as the ‘otter-cat’, the jaguarundi is closely related to the puma.
- One of the smaller New World cat species, they are about twice the size of a small house cat. Jaguarundis are unusual as they do not have spots, unlike most other South American small cats.
- They have some of the most variable colourations of wildcats with two main groups: a dark morph which ranges from black, brownish and greys and a paler red morph ranging from tawny yellow to a bright chestnut red.
- For many years, it was thought the two morphs were separate species but it is now known both colours can occur from the same litter.
- Jaguarundis are very vocal cats, with at least 13 distinct calls, ranging from a chirp, purr, whistle or even a scream.
Jaguarundis In Guyana
As you would have read, jaguarundis are slightly larger than a house cat and is a wild cat found throughout the Americas. The jaguarundi has a long and slender body with a flat, triangular head and small rounded ears. Its spotless coat may be gray, black, dark brown, red, tawny yellow, or chestnut. Jaguarundis with darker coats tend to live in the rainforest, where their dark coat helps them blend into the vegetation, while those with lighter coats often live in drier habitats, where their coloring provides better camouflage. Jaguarundis can be seen in the Guyana Zoo as well as in the Iwokrama Rainforest.
Article References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguarundi
- https://onekindplanet.org/animal/jaguarundi/
- https://wildearthguardians.org/wildlife-conservation/endangered-species-list/mammals/jaguarundi/
- https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/species/jaguarundi
- https://iwokrama.org/mammals/
