The Jaguarundi
Felis (Herpailurus) yaguaroundi Lacépède

The jaguarundi has been called the weasel cat, because it does not look like a typical cat. In parts of Mexico they are known as otter cats. They appear to be rather like a mustelid, with short legs, a slender elongate body, and a very long tail. The head is small and flattened, and the nasal region looks particularly compressed. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, the jaguarundi has an identical jaw size to that of the margay. The anterior upper premolar is present in both species. A jaguarundi’s pupils are round, as are those of the Panthera or big cats.
Uniformly coloured, the jaguarundi is the only cat which does not have contrasting colour on the backs of the ears. There are two colour phases which were once thought to be separate species: a foxy reddish/chestnut phase, the Eyra; and the so-called normal or Grey phase, which is blackish/browny-grey.
The jaguarundi is not closely related to the other small South American cats, which have 36 chromosomes. It has 38, and is believed to have entered North America across the Bering Strait with the ancestor of the puma. This occurred much later than the other Latin American felines. The cats originated in the Old World and entered the Americas via the land bridges.
Although very distinctive in appearance, the jaguarundi has often been classified in the Felis genus. Wozencraft (1993) recognised its differences by allocating a separate genus in the latest taxonomic review of the cats.
Eight subspecies of jaguarundi have been described:

Jaguarundi are found in lowland forests, second growth woodland, swampy areas, and dense thorny thickets of mesquite, and acacia, i.e. chaparral. They avoid very open country, but are often found near rivers. Geographically, they are distributed from Arizona and the lower Rio Grande of south Texas, to the Chaco of Argentina, in Jujuy and Mendoza provinces. They were introduced into Florida in the 1940’s and the feral population is now well established.
The map shows the distribution of Jaguarundis in grey.
The map is based on information in the Wild Cats Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan published by the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group in 1996. See our Books page for more details.

Primarily terrestrial foragers, jaguarundis are known to eat rabbits, rodents, reptiles, birds (including domestic fowl), armadillos, fruit and arthropods.

Behaviour patterns of jaguarundis are very flexible; they are agile climbers and good swimmers. Said to be more diurnal than most cats, they are crepuscular, which is in keeping with their plain, unmarked coloration. Thought to be solitary in the wild, there is evidence that they form groups in captivity. Fathers are allowed contact with their young from when they are about three days old. An extensive repertoire of vocalisations suggests a certain degree of socialisation. Adults will accept different generations of their offspring. They pair in well-defined territories which overlap/are shared with others.

The two colour phases will mate with each other and will also appear in the same litters. Courtship and mating takes place in September and November when fighting and screaming can be heard. A receptive female rolls on her back, deposits urine in various places and calls faintly. Copulation is accompanied by loud screaming and terminates as the male bites his partner’s neck.
Possibly two litters will be born in one year. The period of gestation varies between 63 and 75 days, when two, three or four kittens are born. Born well-haired they are capable of some self locomotion.
At six weeks the young are able to take solid food, and are weaned by 30 days. By three years they are fully mature.
Jaguarundi kittens are spotted at birth, and lose their markings as they grow up, in the same manner as lions.
Jaguarundis will live for more than fifteen years in captivity.

Scientific documents on the jaguarundi are extremely scarce. Few studies have been done on them and consequently, population numbers are practically unknown. Rabinowitz (1984) states that they are relatively common in Belize and are often sighted. They are reputed to be frequent killers of chickens, a fact which brings them into conflict with humans. Fortunately for the jaguarundi they are not easily trapped and are extremely difficult to shoot.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) list this species as Indeterminate. It is known that is threatened with extinction, but not by how much. The Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have restricted international commerce under Appendix II (Conservation and Legal Status of Wild Cats. Cat News, 12, 1990, p.26). It is very rare in the north of its range.