2005: Received Southern Cryptozoology Conference Award
Field Research Trip near Chiefland - Setting the non-capture physical evidence trap
The jaguarundi is a small feral cat, slightly larger than the domesticated cat.It is otter-like in appearance and mannerism, creating some confusion in its identity upon sighting.Unlike the Florida panther and bobcat, which are solitary but nocturnal, the jaguarundi is diurnal (day-hunting), making it unique and interesting.It is characteristically solitary, and secretive making it difficult to spot, track, or trap.
What sparked the start of this project was a 2005 newspaper article reporting some sightings in Florida of a small wild cat called the Jaguarundi.Its home territory ranges from Brazil and Central America up through parts of Mexico and rarely up to the U.S. border areas of Arizona to Texas.In searching further on the Internet, it was found that there were many reported sightings of cats fitting the description of the jaguarundi, or the so-called “black panther” ranging from Texas through Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and up to the Illinois and Ohio area.This research supports the existence of this unusual cat outside of its normal range, investigates several theories of how the cats came to exist in Florida, and will discuss a reported legend that describes the reason for the jaguarundi’s existence in the state.
Government wildlife agencies in Florida do not publicly acknowledge that the jaguarundi inhabits the state.They explain that the lack of physical evidence (road kill, tracks, and photos) precludes the existence of the animal, despite many anecdotal accounts of sightings.
Besides the jaguarundi, the jaguar and leopard are thwo other wild cats that commonly occur with a dark solid color coat.The Florida panther(Felis concolor) and the bobcat (Lynx rufus) have a light tawny color coat and patterned coat. The bobcat can have a solid dark coat in its melanistic form. This is a rare genetic anomaly that does occur in Florida. However, the black bobcat does retain its other distinguishing features, such as a short tail, to distinguish it from the jaguarundi. The other cats are much larger and taller than the jaguarundi.The problem to be investigated is the identity of the animal cited in the numerous reports of the elusive, so-called “black panther” that are reported to public agencies and newspapers. RESEARCH SUMMARY
Note: The following information was gathered and consolidated from various sources detailed in the references following the conclusion of the written report.
The jaguarundi, sometimes spelled jaguarondi, (Felidae Herpailurus yaguarondi) is a small wild cat, native to South and Central America, specifically Brazil to southern Mexico.It also ranges northward through parts of Mexico up along the Sonoran Desert to the Arizona border and the southern Rio Grande Valley up to the Texas border.They can live in a variety of habitats from rainforests to prairies, deciduous forests, and marshlands.
In summary, the adult jaguarundi is slightly larger in size than the domestic cat, averaging up to twenty pounds and up to five feet in length, including the tail.Jaguarundis are known to hunt both day and night, but is generally thought to be diurnal (day hunting), which contrasts with other wild cats found in Florida such as the Florida panther (Felis concolor) and the bobcat (Lynx rufus), which are nocturnal (night) hunters.The main prey of this cat are birds, but they also hunt other small game and sometimes catch fish in shallow water. Jaguarundi are generally not hydrophobic (do not dislike water) and are sometimes seen swimming.
The jaguarundi's appearance and mannerisms are somewhat otter or weasel-like, giving it the nickname "otter cat".It walks in a low, slinking manner, sometimes with its back hunched in the middle.It has rather short legs in proportion to its body in comparison with other cats.Its tail is the same length as the body and rather thick and heavy looking, which it carries low to the ground.The jaguarundi’s head seen in profile is flattened.It has a large nose leather, short snout, and short rounded ears all of which distinguish it from the domesticated cat and contribute to its otter-like appearance.
Detailed Description of the "Otter Cat"
Most people have a difficult time believing these are actually cats.In appearance, the jaguarundi is unlike any other cat and has been likened to a large weasel or otter, hence, it is known by its English common name of ‘Otter Cat'.The jaguarundi’s distinctly weasel-like body proportions are long and low, consisting of an elongated slender body, measuring up to some 30 inches with an additional tail of about 20 inches, short legs, exceptionally long, thick tail, and sleek un-patterned fur.
The jaguarundi differs from the other small cats of Latin America by its elongated and flattened, rather than rounded, head that is small in proportion to its body size and sports short weasel-like ears and narrow brown eyes.Jaguarundis move in a quick weasel-like manner.The small ears and long body and a way of walking with their backs hunched up in the middle, the jaguarundi is very unique.Slightly larger than a domestic cat, its adult weight range is 3 to 9 kilograms (6-20 lbs.).
There are three different color forms, which may sometimes occur in the same area or even the same litter – charcoal (grizzled blackish), brownish gray (chocolate), and rusty red.In common with other species of wildcat, the darker colors are most commonly associated with inhabitants of rainforest habitats or dense forest cover, while the paler color is found most frequently in drier or arid environments.One source suggests that the jaguarundi may possibly be considered dimorphic, the males are more frequently of the darker coat color ranging from chocolate brown to slate gray, and the females are slightly more often the lighter rusty-reddish coat color.Sources examined did not all appear to agree with that, and both sexes have been known to have either coat color.The red form was previously, and some sources still consider it a separate species, Felis eyra.Research suggests that the solid coat of the jaguarundi is associated with the fact that these cats hunt more diurnally or terrestrially than spotted felids.
Although the cat can climb well and often rests in the branches of trees, it is mostly terrestrial in its hunting.The jaguarundi prefers to hunt ground-dwelling birds rather than mammals, but rodents, rabbits, reptiles, and arthropods are also typical prey.They have been seen springing into the air to capture prey.They have also been observed to prey upon fish as well.The jaguarundi is often to be found close to running water and is an expert catcher of fish, which are caught with its probing front paws.Historical accounts from Mexico suggest that Jaguarundis are also good swimmers and enter the water freely.Mostly terrestrial and diurnal (ground and day hunters), nocturnal activity and arboreal foraging, is occasionally observed.
The jaguarundi is often more social in the rearing of young.They are solitary (live alone) except during the mating season. Jaguarundis usually hunt alone, but during mating season and in the raising of young they have been frequently observed traveling or foraging in pairs. Jaguarundi Biology Mating season generally occurs in November and December.Estrus is on average 3 days and gestation ranges from 70 to 75 days.Litter Size is 1 to 4 kittens and age at sexual maturity is 2-3 years.The jaguarundi is spotted at birth but these are lost at around three-four months old.The longevity (life span) is approximately 15 years in the wild and 16 to 22 years in captivity. Genetically, of all the wildcat species to be found in South America, the jaguarundi can perhaps be more closely associated with the larger felids. It has a chromosome count of 38; as do both the puma and jaguar, where as the remaining small felids in South America have only 36.There is some evidence to suggest that the jaguarundi is perhaps a descendant of the ancestral puma, which is believed to have emigrated from Asia via the Bering Land Bridge (Big Cats Online, A. Garman). Habitat and Distribution
Jaguarundis are cats of the lowlands and not generally found above 2,000 meters.The jaguarundi otherwise occupies a broad range of both open and closed habitats -- from dry scrub, swamp and savanna woodland to primary forest.In Venezuela, it has been most frequently seen in tropical dry forest. Jaguarundis are more rare and thinly distributed in moist forest types, especially deep rainforest. Jaguarundis have been reported to prefer forest edges and secondary brush, but this may be because it is in such areas that these primarily diurnal cats are most frequently seen.In Belize’s Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, jaguarundis are most frequently associated with riparian and old-field habitats.Access to dense ground vegetation appears to determine habitat suitability for the jaguarundi, but of all the small New World felids, it is most flexible in its ability to occupy diverse.
Subspecies of Herpailurus yaguarondi are found in the following locations:
H.y. armeghinoi - Western Argentina H.y. carcomitli - Southern Texas, Mexico H.y. eyra - Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina H.y. fossata - Mexico, Honduras H.y. melantho - Peru, Brazil H.y. panamensis - Nicaragua to Ecuador H.y. tolteca - Arizona, Mexico H.y. yagouaroundi - Guiana, Amazon
Globally, the jaguarundi appears to be relatively common over much of its normally range.These cats are found in North, Central and South America.While present throughout the Amazon basin rainforest, it is more rare in that type of habitat.The jaguarundi may now be extinct in Uruguay.
In the United States, where sightings of the cat are very rare, it is classified as an endangered species.The population in North America is thought to be very small.In North America, they would be found around the border states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas near the Rio Grande River Basin and in the Northern Sonoran Desert. Jaguarundis are proven to still exist in Mexico where people in the Lower Rio Grande Valley are working to plant native shrubs and restore the habitat for them and the Ocelot.
In the Belizean rainforest, the home range for male jaguarundis is much larger than those for jaguars, ranging from 80 to 100 kilometers.The female’s range is much smaller, between 13 to 20 kilometers. Both sexes exhibited a pattern of using different, widely spaced portions of their ranges for irregular periods of time, rather than making regular boundary.
Not much study has been done on these cats, as is the case with most wild small cats.The total population number is unknown.
Protected over much of its range, hunting is prohibited in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, United States, and Venezuela.Hunting is regulated in Peru and there is no legal protection in Brazil, Nicaragua, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guyana.
Jaguarundis are protected under Endangered Species regulations in the United States (at the federal level). The date of its endangered listing is 1976.However, they are currently not officially recognized at the state level in Florida due to lack of physical evidence.
Generally not exploited for commercial trade.Some jaguarundis are doubtless caught in traps set for commercially valuable species.Although the fur of the jaguarundi is not highly sought after by fur traders, the cat is at risk through general deforestation and loss of its natural habitat.
Jaguarundis are endangered because the dense brush that provides habitat has been cleared for farming or for the growth of cities.They are also notorious for predation on domestic poultry, so they may also be subject to low intensity hunting pressure around settled areas where they are not protected.