Puma yagouaroundi (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Felidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 54-168 : 156

26.

Jaguarundi

Puma yagouaroundi

French: Jaguarondi / German: Jaguarundi / Spanish: Yaguarundi

Taxonomy. Felis yagouaroundi Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803 ,

Cayenne, French Guiana.

Genus sometimes merged into Herpailurus . Mitochondrial DNA sequences show present species and P. concolor in a monophyletic group with an ancestral association with Acinonyxjubatus. Eight subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.y. yagouaroundi Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803 — the Guianas highlands S to Amazon Basin of Brazil.

P. y. ameghinoi Holmberg, 1898 — W Argentina (from Jujuy S to N Patagonia).

P. y. cacomitli Berlandier, 1859 — NE Mexico, possibly extinct in S USA (Texas).

P. y. eyra Fischer, 1814 — S Brazil through Paraguay to N Argentina.

P.y. fossata Mearns, 1901 — S Mexico to Honduras.

P.y. melantho Thomas, 1914 — Andean valleys of Peru and W Brazil (upper Amazonia).

P.y. panamensis J. A. Allen, 1904 — Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, W Colombia to Ecuador.

P.y. tolteca Thomas, 1898 — NW Mexico (Sinaloa), extinct in SW USA ( Arizona ).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 48.8-83. 2 cm,tail 27.5-59 cm; weight 3.7-6 kg. Adult males are larger and heavier than adult females. Except for a few faint markings on the face and belly, the Jaguarundi’s fur is uniform in color. There are two main color phases: iron gray and red-brown. Kittens of both color phases can be born in the same litter. Jaguarundi can be distinguished from other small and medium-sized Neotropical felids by its unspotted pelage, short legs, elongate body, and relatively long tail. The small, slim head has short rounded ears and the backs of the ears lack the characteristic white spot found in many other felids. The Jaguarundi has an almost weasel or mustelid-like appearance and is occasionally mistaken for the Tayra.

Habitat. Found in a wide variety of habitats, including semi-arid thorn forest, pastures, brushland, scrub, chaparrel, swampy grasslands, tropical thorn forest, tropical deciduous forest, semi-deciduous forest, and humid premontane forest. They are most often seen in areas of dense cover mixed with openings and edges. In Belize, radio-collared Jaguarundi were most frequently associated with riparian and old field habitats. In Paraguay, it is found in thickets, along forest edges, and in hedge-like strips of scrub intermingled with spiny bromeliads. Radio-tagged Jaguarundi in Mexico spent 53% of their time in forested habitats and 47% in grasslands.

Food and Feeding. Dietary information is largely anectodal. Jaguarundi are thought to feed primarily on animals weighing less than one kg, but they occasionally take larger prey. In Belize, an examination of 46 Jaguarundi scats revealed that small mammals, principally rats and mice ( Muridae , Heteromyidae ), were the dominant prey. Birds ranked second in frequency of occurrence, followed by opossums and fruit. Arthropod remains were found in 72% of scats. In Venezuela, cotton rats, rice rats, cane mice, and rabbits occurred in about half the stomachs of 23 road-killedJaguarundi; reptiles ( Teiidae , Iguanidae ) and birds occurred in about half the stomachs. The stomachs of two Jaguarundi in Brazil contained the remains of a cavy, a teiid lizard, and several birds ( Tinamidae , Columbidae ). Jaguarundi has also been observed feeding on characid fish that were trapped in small pools. Most prey is taken on the ground, and many of the birds identified in scats are species that spend considerable time foraging on the ground.

Activity patterns. Based on radio-tracking data from Belize and Mexico, Jaguarundi is mainly diurnal. In Belize, Jaguarundi began moving just before dawn and remained active throughout the day until sunset. In Mexico, 85% of the cat’s activity occurred during the daytime and 15% occurred at night.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Belize radio-collared cats traveled about 6-6 km per day and there was little backtracking or criss-crossing during these daytime movements. Home ranges of females vary from 8-3 km? in Mexico to 20 km? in Belize. The home ranges of two males in Belize were much larger (88 and 99 km?) than the female’s range, but male ranges in Mexico were roughly the same size (8-9 km?) as female ranges. Most observations ofJaguarundi in the wild are ofsolitary individuals; however, in captivity family members are quite gregarious.

Breeding. Most of the information on breeding is from captive animals. Estrusis short, about 3-5 days, and the estrous cycle lasts for about 53 days. Females in estrus vocalize while urine-marking about their enclosures. After a gestation period of 70-75 days the female gives birth to 1-4 kittens. Averagelitter size for twelve litters was 1-83. In the wild, birth dens have been located in thickets, hollow trees, and thick clumps of grass. Kittens have plain coats and spotted bellies. In captivity, young reach sexual maturity from 1-4 years to 2-2 years.

Status and Conservation. Central and North American subspecies are listed on CITES Appendix I. Considered relatively common in South America,listed on CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Jaguarundi is not subject to the same levels of hunting pressure as the small spotted cats. The speciesis not tied to primary forest and can live in human-modified habitats. As long as it is not persecuted, this cat will likely survive alongside humans.

Bibliography. Armstrong et al. (1972), Bisbal (1986), Davis & Schmidly (1994), Hall & Dalquest (1963), Hulley (1976), Johnson & O'Brien (1997), Konecny (1989), Leopold (1959), Manzani & Monteiro (1989), McCarthy (1992), Mellen (1993), Mondolfi (1986), Nowell & Jackson (1996), Sunquist & Sunquist (2002), Tewes & Schmidly (1987), Ximenez (1982).

Figures

25. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), 26. Jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi), 27. Puma (Puma concolor)

Subspecies and Distribution. P.y. yagouaroundi Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803 — the Guianas highlands S to Amazon Basin of Brazil . P. y. ameghinoi Holmberg, 1898 — W Argentina (from Jujuy S to N Patagonia). P. y. cacomitli Berlandier, 1859 — NE Mexico, possibly extinct in S USA (Texas). P. y. eyra Fischer, 1814 — S Brazil through Paraguay to N Argentina . P.y. fossata Mearns, 1901 — S Mexico to Honduras . P.y. melantho Thomas, 1914 — Andean valleys of Peru and W Brazil (upper Amazonia). P.y. panamensis J. A. Allen, 1904 — Nicaragua , Costa Rica , Panama , W Colombia to Ecuador . P.y. tolteca Thomas, 1898 — NW Mexico (Sinaloa), extinct in SW USA ( Arizona ).