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The jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) is a medium-sized wild cat
Felidae

Felidae is the family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the most strictly Carnivore of the sixteen mammal families in the order Carnivora....
 that ranges from southern Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
 in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 south to South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. The average length is 65 cm (30 inches) with 45 cm (20 in) of tail and a weight of about 6 kg (13.2 lbs). It has short legs and an appearance somewhat like an otter
Otter

Otters are semi-aquatic fish-eating mammals. The otter Rank Lutrinae forms part of the Family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, as well as others....
; the ears are short and rounded. The coat is unspotted, uniform in color, and varying from blackish to brownish gray (gray phase) or from foxy red to chestnut (red phase).

two color phases were once thought to represent two distinct species; the gray one called jaguarundi, and the red one called eyra.






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The jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) is a medium-sized wild cat
Felidae

Felidae is the family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the most strictly Carnivore of the sixteen mammal families in the order Carnivora....
 that ranges from southern Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
 in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 south to South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. The average length is 65 cm (30 inches) with 45 cm (20 in) of tail and a weight of about 6 kg (13.2 lbs). It has short legs and an appearance somewhat like an otter
Otter

Otters are semi-aquatic fish-eating mammals. The otter Rank Lutrinae forms part of the Family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, as well as others....
; the ears are short and rounded. The coat is unspotted, uniform in color, and varying from blackish to brownish gray (gray phase) or from foxy red to chestnut (red phase).

Etymology and naming

The two color phases were once thought to represent two distinct species; the gray one called jaguarundi, and the red one called eyra. However, 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. In some Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
 speaking countries, the jaguarundi is also called leoncillo, which means little lion
Lion

The lion is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. With exceptionally large males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger....
. Other Spanish common names for the jaguarundi include: "gato colorado", "gato moro", "león brenero", "onza
Onza

The Onza is a species of wild cat reputed to exist in Mesoamerica at the time of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The Aztecs named this animal cuitlamiztli in Nahuatl....
", and "tigrillo".

Taxonomy and evolution

This cat is closely related to the much larger and heavier cougar as evident by its similar genetic structure and chromosome
Chromosome

A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein that is found in Cell . A chromosome is a single piece of DNA that contains many genes, regulatory sequence and other genetic sequence....
 count; both species are in the genus Puma
Puma (genus)

Puma is a Felidae genus that contains the Cougar and the Jaguarundi.References...
 although it is sometimes classified under a separate genus, Herpailurus and until recently, both cats were classified under the genus Felis
Felis

Felis is a genus of cats in the family Felidae.The genus is composed of these species:*Chinese Mountain Cat, Felis bieti*Jungle Cat, Felis chaus...
.

According to a 2006 genomic
Genomics

Genomics is the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts....
 study of Felidae, an ancestor of today's Leopardus
Leopardus

The genus Leopardus consists of small spotted Felidaes mostly native to Central and South America. Very few range into the southern United States....
, Lynx
Lynx

A lynx is any of four medium-sized wild Felidae. All are members of the genus Lynx, but there is considerable confusion about the best way to classify felids at present, and some authorities classify them as part of the genus Felis....
, Puma
Puma (genus)

Puma is a Felidae genus that contains the Cougar and the Jaguarundi.References...
, Prionailurus
Prionailurus

Prionailurus is a genus comprising a number of species of Asian small cats. Cats usually considered to be members of this genus are:* Leopard Cat, Prionailurus bengalensis...
, and Felis
Felis

Felis is a genus of cats in the family Felidae.The genus is composed of these species:*Chinese Mountain Cat, Felis bieti*Jungle Cat, Felis chaus...
 lineages migrated across the Bering land bridge into the Americas
Americas

The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
 approximately 8 to 8.5 million years ago. The lineages subsequently diverged in that order.

Studies have indicated that the cougar and jaguarundi are next most closely related to the modern cheetah
Cheetah

The cheetah is an atypical member of the cat family that is unique in its speed, while lacking climbing abilities. Therefore it is placed in its own genus, Acinonyx....
 of Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
 and western Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, but the relationship is unresolved. It has been suggested that ancestors of the cheetah diverged from the Puma lineage in the Americas and migrated back to Asia and Africa, while other research suggests the cheetah diverged in the Old World
Old World

The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans in the 15th century....
 itself. The outline of small feline
Felinae

Felinae is a subfamily of the Family Felidae which includes the genera and species listed below. Most are small to medium-sized cats, although the group does include some larger animals, such as the Cougar and Cheetah....
 migration to the Americas is thus unclear (see also American cheetah).

Ecology

Its habitat is lowland brush areas close to a source of running water. It occasionally inhabits dense tropical areas as well. It is crepuscular
Crepuscular

Crepuscular is a term used to describe some animals that are primarily active during twilight, that is at dawn and at dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight"....
 and nocturnal depending on location. This cat is comfortable in trees, but prefers to hunt on the ground. It preys upon fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
, small mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s, reptile
Reptile

Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scale as opposed to hair or feathers....
s and bird
Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s.

Reproduction

The litter consists of one to four kittens. They are raised socially after a 70-day gestation
Gestation

Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during mammalian pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
. The kittens become mature at approximately 2 years of age.

Conservation

This cat is not particularly sought after for its fur
Fur

Fur is a Hair of any non-human mammal, also known as the pelage. It may consist of short ground hair, long guard hair, and, in some cases, medium awn hair....
, but it is suffering decline due to loss of habitat.

The jaguarundi has been sighted around the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana
French Guiana

French Guiana is an overseas department of France, located on the northern coast of South America. Like the other Overseas departments, French Guiana is also an overseas region of France, one of the 26 regions of France, and is an integral part of the French Republic....
.

Subspecies

  • Puma yagouaroundi armeghinoi, Western Argentina
    Argentina

    Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
    , Far-Eastern Chile
    Chile

    Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
  • Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
    Gulf Coast Jaguarundi

    The Gulf Coast Jaguarundi is a subspecies of Jaguarundi that ranges from southern Texas in the United States south to Veracruz and San Luis Potosi in eastern Mexico....
    , Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli, southern Texas
    Texas

    Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
     and eastern Mexico
    Mexico

    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
  • Puma yagouaroundi eyra, Brazil
    Brazil

    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
    , Paraguay
    Paraguay

    Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay , is one of the only two landlocked countries in South America . It lies on both banks of the Paraguay River and is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest....
     and Argentina
  • Puma yagouaroundi fossata, southern Mexico to Honduras
    Honduras

    Honduras is a democratic republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras ....
  • Puma yagouaroundi melantho, Peru
    Peru

    Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
     and Brazil
  • Puma yagouaroundi panamensis, Nicaragua
    Nicaragua

    Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democracy republic. It is the largest state in Central America with an area of 130,000 km2, about the size of the state of New York....
     to Ecuador
    Ecuador

    Ecuador , officially the , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west....
  • Sinaloan Jauguarundi, Puma yagouaroundi tolteca, western Mexico (unconfirmed sightings have been reported in Arizona
    Arizona

    The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
     and Sonora
    Sonora

    Sonora is one of the 31 States of Mexico and is located in the northwest of the country....
    )
  • Puma yagouaroundi yagouaroundi, Guyana
    Guyana

    Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is the only state of the Commonwealth of Nations on mainland South America....
     and the Amazon Rainforest
    Amazon Rainforest

    The Amazon rainforest , also known as Amazonia, or the Amazon jungle, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America....


External links