This cat is characterized by a slender, elongated body and a small, slim head; small, and round ears.
Jaguarundi has a long, thick tail, which it uses to steady itself when it is running or jumping to catch prey.
The jaguarundi differs from all other types of cat due to the form of some of its chromosomes and by the number of chromosomes – there are 36 instead of the 38 found in other cats.
There is a suggestion that jaguarundi is more closely related to the cheetah and puma than to the other South American cats. German scientists gave the jaguarundi its name in 1803. Jaguarundi means ‘weasel cat’ in German.
The jaguarundi’s range extends from southern Texas through the coastal lowlands of Mexico, southward throughout Central; America and into South America east of the Andes to northern Argentina.
The habitat requirements of the jaguarundi are not well known, but it normally thought to be a lowland species.
It appears to inhabit areas of thick undergrowth, preferably near water and is reputedly a good swimmer.
Extremely agile and an excellent hunter, the jaguarundi hunts primarily on the ground. It eats quail, wood quail, tinamous, small rodents, armadillos, lizards, and insects.
Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi)
