The jaguarundi has a distinctly weasel-like appearance, with its elongated slender body, short legs,
and sleek unpatterned fur. The jaguarundi also differs from the other small cats of Latin America by
its elongated rather than rounded head. Reported adult weights range from 2-9 kg. There are three different
color forms, which may sometimes occur in the same area or even the same litter-- black, brownish gray,
and red. In general, however, the darker colors are most commonly associated with inhabitants of rainforest
habitats, while the paler color is found most frequently in drier environments. The red form was once
considered a separate species F. eyra.
Jaguarundis give birth after about 75 days
of pregnancy to an average litter of 2 kits. The kits' eyes are tightly closed at birth and will open
in about 2 weeks. They are nursed until about 4 months of age. They will generally stay with their
mother until they are about 18 months and will reach sexual maturity sometime between ages 2 and 3.
In the wild, jaguarundis live to be 12 years of age. In captivity, up to 15 years of age is common.
The jaguarundi seems prefers to hunt ground- dwelling birds rather than mammals, though
they often do catch and eat rodents and rabbits. They have also been seen preying upon reptiles and
fish. The jaguarundi hunts more diurnally than nocturnally. They also occasionally forage arboreally.
Jaguarundis have frequently been seen foraging and traveling in pairs.
A cat of the lowlands
not generally found above 2,000 m, the jaguarundi otherwise occupies a broad range of both open and closed
habitats -- from dry scrub, swamp and savanna woodland to primary 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 communities, but this may be because it is in such areas that
these primarily diurnal cats are most frequently seen. 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 environments.
The jaguarundi appears to be relatively
common over much of its range although, while present throughout the Amazon basin rainforest, it is more
rare in this habitat type. The jaguarundi may now be extinct in Uruguay , and is very rare in the south-western
United States near the Rio Grande. Generally not exploited for commercial trade, although
jaguarundis are probably caught in traps set for commercially valuable species. They may also be subject
to low intensity hunting pressure around settled areas as they are notorious for preying on domestic
poultry.
