Jaguarundi

The jaguarundi is a slender, medium-sized cat about twice the size of a domestic cat, with an elongated body, relatively short legs, a small narrow head, small round ears, a short snout and a long tail, giving it a mustelid-like look (Wikipedia, general species account). Its coat is almost uniform, with at most faint markings on the face and belly, and kittens are spotted only briefly. Two colour forms exist, grey and red, and both can appear in the same litter. Blackish-brown individuals can resemble the tayra, but the tayra has a clear yellowish patch on its throat, while the jaguarundi has black and white marks on its lips and snout (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is secretive and alert, usually solitary or in pairs in the wild, and it keeps large home ranges across a sparsely distributed population (Wikipedia, general species account). Unlike the ocelot, which shares parts of its range, it is mainly active by day and also hunts in the evening. It is an efficient climber but prefers hunting on the ground, mostly taking small prey (Handbook of the Mammals of the World). Mating happens year-round, and after a gestation of 70–75 days a litter of one to four kittens is born; birth dens have been found in thickets, hollow trees and thick grass (Handbook of the Mammals of the World). Captive individuals have lived up to about 15 years (Wikipedia, general species account). In Bolivia one jaguarundi was recorded swimming across the Tuichi River, and hunting the species is banned there (Wikipedia, general species account).