The jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) is a wild cat found in the Americas. It lives in areas from central Argentina in the south and much of South America east of the Andes, through Central America, and into northern Mexico. It was once found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in south Texas as recently as the early 1990s, but it is now believed to no longer live in the United States. The jaguarundi is a medium-sized cat with a thin body. It has two main color types: gray and red. It has a long body, short legs, a small and narrow head, small round ears, a short snout, and a long tail. These features make it look similar to mustelids, such as weasels. It is about twice the size of a domestic cat (Felis catus), standing nearly 360 mm (14 inches) tall at the shoulder, and weighs between 3.5 and 7 kg (7.7 to 15.4 pounds).

The jaguarundi is shy and alert. It usually lives alone or with a partner in the wild, but cats in captivity are more social. Unlike other cats that live in the same area, such as the ocelot, the jaguarundi is more active during the day and hunts mainly during the day and evening. It lives in large areas and is spread out within a region. The jaguarundi can climb well but prefers to hunt on the ground. It eats many types of prey, especially birds, reptiles, rodents, and small mammals. It mates throughout the year, with breeding times varying by location. After about 70 to 75 days of pregnancy, a mother gives birth to one to four kittens. Jaguars in captivity can live up to 15 years.

The jaguarundi lives in many different environments, including tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, deserts, and thorn scrublands. It is common in Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela but may no longer live in the United States. It is listed as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not in immediate danger of extinction. However, its populations are decreasing in many areas due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and being hunted for killing poultry.

Etymology

The common name "jaguarundi" comes from the Old Guarani word yaguarundi, similar to the Old Tupi word yawaum'di, which means "dark jaguar." The name is pronounced /ˌʒæɡwəˈrʌndi/ or /ˌdʒæɡwəˈrʌndi/. In some Spanish-speaking countries, the jaguarundi is also called gato colorado, gato moro, león breñero, leoncillo, and tigrillo. It is also called eyra, gato-mourisco, gato-preto, gato-vermelho, and maracajá-preto in Brazilian Portuguese.

Taxonomy

In 1803, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire described two jaguarundi skins and skulls from unknown locations in Central America and gave the scientific name Felis yagouarundi. During the 19th and 20th centuries, more jaguarundi specimens were studied and named:

• Felis eyra, named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim in 1814, came from a reddish-brown skin found in Paraguay.
• F. cacomitli, named by Jean-Louis Berlandier in 1859, included a skull and a gray skin from a female jaguarundi in the Rio Grande area of Mexico.
• F. yagouaroundi tolteca, named by Oldfield Thomas in 1898, was based on a skull and a reddish skin from Sinaloa, Mexico.
• F. Ameghinoi, named by Eduardo Ladislao Holmberg in 1898, was for fossil bones found near San Luis, Argentina, likely from a jaguarundi.
• F. fossata, named by Edgar Alexander Mearns in 1901, was a large jaguarundi skull from Yucatán.
• F. panamensis, named by Joel Asaph Allen in 1904, was a dusky gray skin from a young female jaguarundi in Panama’s Chiriquí Province.
• F. yagouaroundi melantho, named by Oldfield Thomas in 1914, was based on skulls and blackish-brown skins from a male and female in Pozuzo District, Peru.

The name Herpailurus was first used by Nikolai Severtzov in 1858 for the jaguarundi. Later, scientists grouped the jaguarundi with the cougar (Puma concolor) in the genus Puma. Studies of genetic material from jaguarundi populations across their range found no evidence of subspecies. In 2017, the IUCN Cat Specialist Group updated the classification and recognized the jaguarundi as the only species in the genus Herpailurus.

The jaguarundi is closely related to the cougar. Together, the jaguarundi, cougar, and cheetah form a group called the Puma lineage, which is one of eight groups within the cat family (Felidae). This lineage split from other cats about 6.7 million years ago. The Puma lineage is closely related to a group of smaller Old World cats, including species in the genera Felis, Otocolobus, and Prionailurus.

The three species in the Puma lineage may have shared a common ancestor during the Miocene period, about 8.25 million years ago. Some scientists suggest that the cheetah (Acinonyx) split from this lineage in the Americas, while others think it split in the Old World.

The Puma lineage likely moved from Asia to North America by crossing the Bering Strait and reached South America through the Isthmus of Panama during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene. Around 4 to 3 million years ago, during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene, the lineage split into the cougar and Herpailurus (represented by H. pumoides). H. pumoides became extinct during the Middle Pleistocene, about the same time the modern jaguarundi appeared. The oldest known fossils of the modern jaguarundi are from the Late Pleistocene in Brazil, about 500,000 years ago.

During the Pleistocene extinctions, which occurred around 10,000 years ago, the original North American cougars disappeared. After this, cougars and jaguarundis from South America moved back into North America between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago. The extinct North American genus Miracinonyx is also part of this group.

Characteristics

The jaguarundi is a medium-sized cat with a slender body and a uniform color that looks very different from other neotropical cats, such as the small, spotted cats in the Leopardus genus. These differences in appearance are linked to the jaguarundi’s chromosome count. Unlike other small South American cats, which have 36 chromosomes, the jaguarundi has 38 chromosomes. These chromosomes are similar to those of Old World cats, like the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). The jaguarundi also shares physical traits with mustelids, such as otters and weasels. It has a long body, short legs, a small head, round ears, a short snout, and a long tail. The head and body measure between 53 and 77 cm (21 to 30 inches), and the strong, muscular tail is 31–52 cm (12–20 inches) long. The jaguarundi is about twice the size of a domestic cat, reaching a shoulder height of nearly 36 cm (14 inches) and weighing between 3.5 and 7 kg (7.7 to 15.4 pounds). Some individuals may weigh up to 9 kg (20 pounds). Males are slightly larger than females.

The jaguarundi’s coat is usually one solid color, with only a few faint markings on the face and belly. Kittens are spotted briefly, but most adults have little to no pattern. Some young jaguarundis and adults have black and white marks on their lips and snout, similar to those of the cougar. Two main coat colors are known—gray (blackish to brownish-gray with a grizzled look from light and dark hair rings) and red (foxy red to chestnut). These color forms were once thought to be separate species. Both colors can appear in the same litter. Blackish brown jaguarundis look similar to the tayra (Eira barbara), but the tayra has a yellowish throat patch. The red color is more common in dry, open areas. Some jaguarundis are dark-colored, but their heads and throats are lighter than the rest of their bodies. The jaguarundi’s ears are 2.5–4 cm (0.98–1.57 inches) long and lack spots. It has 30 teeth, with the dental formula 3.1.3.1 3.1.2.1.

Among cats, the jaguarundi is most similar to the flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps), but it has a longer body, longer legs, and is heavier. It also lacks the dark cheek markings of the flat-headed cat. Tawny jaguarundis have a coat color similar to the larger cougar. The jaguarundi has a diploid chromosome number of 2n=38.

Distribution and habitat

The jaguarundi lives in many different environments, including tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, deserts, and thorn scrubs. It can also be found in cloud forests, mangroves, and savannas. Unlike the margay, ocelot, and oncilla, which also live in the same areas, the jaguarundi can survive in open spaces. In open habitats, the jaguarundi prefers places with thick vegetation, such as cacti, which are hard for predators to enter. These areas may have small open spaces near the edges. Jaguarundis usually stay near a source of running water. They are known for their ability to live in areas that have been disturbed, such as reforested land. While they commonly live at elevations from lowlands up to 2,000 meters (6,600 feet), they have been seen as high as 3,200 meters (10,500 feet) in Colombia.

The jaguarundi’s range stretches from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, covering parts of Central and South America east of the Andes. It has the second-largest range of any cat in terms of how far north and south it lives, after the cougar. However, not all parts of its range have been studied thoroughly. The jaguarundi is common in Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela. It may no longer live in the United States. A study in 1999 showed that claims of jaguarundis in Arizona were not true. The last jaguarundi found in the U.S. was a roadkill near Brownsville, Texas, in 1986. In 1994, it was thought that fewer than 15 jaguarundis lived in the lower Rio Grande Valley, and their survival there was uncertain. The species was declared extinct in Texas in 2025, but it may still exist in Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

Jaguarundis have been seen in Florida since the early 1900s. Their presence there is believed to be due to a writer who brought them from their natural habitat and released them near his hometown and other places in the state. Although no physical evidence has been found, many credible sightings were reported starting in 1907. In 1977, W. T. Neill noted that sightings had become less frequent and suggested the population had declined. Jaguarundis have also been reported in coastal Alabama since the 1980s, which might indicate the Florida population is moving north. The jaguarundi has also been recorded in Cerro Largo, Uruguay, though its presence there was questioned.

Behavior and ecology

The jaguarundi is a shy and reclusive animal that seems very careful around traps. Only a few studies using radio tracking have been done on jaguarundis in Belize, Brazil, and Mexico. They are active during the day and night, but they mostly hunt during the day and evening. A study in Belize found that jaguarundis began moving before sunrise and stayed active until sunset, with the most hunting happening between late morning and noon. Compared to other cats, jaguarundis are more active during the day. They can swim across medium-sized rivers, such as the Tuichi River in Bolivia. They are also good climbers but mostly hunt on the ground. Their coat color helps them blend in with the ground. They can jump up to 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) to catch birds. Predators that have been recorded attacking jaguarundis include Mexican west coast boa constrictors, cougars, and domestic dogs. Parasites like hookworms, tapeworms, and lung flukes have been found in jaguarundis.

Most observations of jaguarundis show them alone or in pairs, which may be a mother with her older kittens or a male and female during mating season. Jaguarundis in captivity are more social than those in the wild. Their home ranges are large. A study in Brazil found female jaguarundi home ranges measured 1.4 to 18 kilometers (0.54 to 6.95 square miles), while male ranges measured 8.5 to 25.3 kilometers (3.3 to 9.8 square miles). In Belize, two male jaguarundis had home ranges as large as 88 kilometers (34 square miles) and 100 kilometers (39 square miles), while a female’s range measured 13 to 20 kilometers (5.0 to 7.7 square miles). Population densities are usually low, with about 0.01 to 0.05 jaguarundis per square kilometer (0.026 to 0.129 per square mile) in Brazil. However, areas like Tamaulipas (Mexico) and the Llanos in Costa Rica and Venezuela have higher densities, up to 0.2 jaguarundis per square kilometer (0.52 per square mile).

Jaguarundis use marking behaviors, such as scraping the ground with their feet, clawing logs, rubbing objects, and leaving feces uncovered, to communicate. Social behaviors like grooming, growling, and sniffing have also been observed. They have a wide range of vocalizations, including chattering, purring, screaming, a "wah-wah" call, whistling, yapping, and a bird-like chirp. In captivity, females in heat have been seen making soft sounds while marking their enclosures.

Jaguarundis typically hunt small prey weighing less than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds), such as ground-feeding birds, reptiles, frogs, arthropods, rodents, and small mammals. They may also hunt larger prey like domestic poultry, fish, marmosets, rabbits, opossums, and opossums. A study found small deer (possibly carrion) in their diet. Grasses have also been recorded as part of their diet. On average, jaguarundis consume about 400 grams (14 ounces) of vertebrate prey daily. Mammals make up most of their diet, with nearly two-thirds of their food being small mammals. Rodents from the genera Oryzomys, Sigmodon, and Zygodontomys are the most common prey in many regions. Mice from the genera Reithrodontomys, Peromyscus, and Liomys are the second most common prey. Occasionally, jaguarundis eat larger mammals like the common opossum and common tapeti. Their varied diet suggests they hunt the most common and easiest prey in their area.

Jaguarundis mate year-round, with breeding peaks at different times in different regions. In Mexico, breeding peaks in January and March. Estrus lasts three to five days, during which the female rolls onto her back and sprays urine. Males pursue the female and do not react to her aggression. During mating, the male bites the female’s neck fur, and the female screams when the male mounts her.

After a 70- to 75-day gestation, a litter of one to four kittens is born in a den made in dense vegetation, hollow trees, or similar cover. Kittens are born with thick fur and spots on their undersides, which fade as they grow. Their coat color changes as they age. The mother begins feeding the kittens solid food at about three weeks old, but the kittens play with the food until the mother eats it. By six weeks, kittens can eat solid food like birds and guinea pigs. Jaguarundis reach sexual maturity at one to three years old. In captivity, they can live up to 15 years.

Threats and conservation

The jaguarundi is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2002. In Mexico, populations outside the northeast seem stable. Large protected areas in the Amazon Basin are likely the only places that can support healthy jaguarundi populations for the long term. IUCN Red List experts suggested the jaguarundi might be Near Threatened, but there was not enough data to confirm this across its entire range. The jaguarundi is not commonly hunted for its fur because the fur is of poor quality and not valuable. However, its population is declining due to loss of habitat.

Other threats include habitat fragmentation and being hunted because they kill poultry. Jaguarundi populations in North and Central America are listed in CITES Appendix I, while other populations are in CITES Appendix II. In the United States, jaguarundi are protected under the Endangered Species Act. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is worried that jaguarundi in South Texas may be in danger due to the loss of their natural habitat. In Mexico, jaguarundi are protected under the Mexican Official Norm NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010.

Hunting jaguarundi is limited in Peru and banned in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, the United States, and Venezuela.