Jaguarundi

Herpailurus yagouarondi

The jaguarundi lives over a large area, from southern Texas and coastal Mexico to northern Argentina. Its main habitat is lowland brush areas close to a source of running water.

Unlike many other cats, jaguarundis are primarily active during the day, where they hunt and eat mainly small animals: rodents, small reptiles, small birds. They are also very good hunters of fish. A second difference between jaguarundis and other cats is that it is common for jaguarundis to travel and hunt in pairs, rather than alone.

Jaguarundis are easy to trap and tame, so Central American natives have kept them as pets for rodent control.

The above picture was taken at the Berlin zoo, in August 2010.

Family Felidae
Superfamily Feloidea
Order Carnivora
Subclass Eutheria
Class Mammalia
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
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