The Gulf Coast Jaguarundi

The Diminishing, Unknown, Medium-Sized Big Cat

By Cassie Heminway

Jaguarundi eating some vegetation
Source: BigCatRescue.org

Ecology

Is it a weasel? A cat? A puma? An otter? The rare Gulf Coast Jaguarundi is often confused for many different species due to its strange appearance resembles its cousins. The jaguarundi cat, ranging from Southern Texas to Eastern Mexico, is quite unknown due the small amount of research done on it. For this reason, people are unaware of the fact that the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi is endangered.

 Appearance

Classified under the Puma genus, the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi is closely related to the cougar and the jaguar, however, only 10% of their size. Their long, slender, weasel-like bodies hold a small yet flat head as well as round ears. Coming in at around 15 pounds, their bodies reach up to thirty inches while the tails themselves get up to twenty three! A theory about how these small cats evolved from the Puma lineage is that an isolated population of them began to feed on smaller prey to avoid competition with the large cats like saber-toothed tigers or lions. The diet of a carnivorous Gulf Coast Jaguarundi now consists of small mammals, birds, frogs, and fish.

Life of a Gulf Coast Jaguarundi

Their coats range from reddish-brown to brownish-gray to black depending on where they reside, darker coats being found in darker places and lighter coats in more light infested areas. These cute cats mate in the winter months of November and December. They have either one or two kittens with pregnancies lasting around seventy to seventy five days. The kittens come out with spots that end up fading within four months. They don’t leave their mothers until they reach sexual maturity at around two to three years. These K-selected animals then live anywhere from ten to twenty years old. 

Geographic & Population Changes

The range of the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi is primarily from southern Texas, all the way down through Mexico, and through parts of South America. In the Texas range, the jaguarundis are mainly found in the Tamaulipan Biotic Province, . However, this province type has been declining throughout the twentieth century, therefore causing a decline of Gulf Coast Jaguarundis in the United States. The last known jaguarundi died in the United States in 1986, when a roadkill specimen was collected on the side of the road. Since then, only unconfirmed sightings have been documented. Now, Gulf Coast Jaguarundis can only be found in Mexico and Brazil, where 40% of them are documented to be found mainly in the tall dense grasses, and the other 60% prefer the natural undisturbed forest. Because of how little is known about the jaguarundi, the current population size is unknown. There are not enough resources nor authorities taking over to coordinate research on the subspecies. 

Geographic distribution of subspecies in Mexico (2007).

Geographic Distribution of subspecies in South America (2007).

Listing & Threats

Listing

The Gulf Coast Jaguarundi was listed as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act (or ESA) on June 14, 1976, months after the last American jaguarundi was killed. The jaguarundis were listed because of how fast their population was decreasing, especially in the United States, because of habitat loss. It finally received a recovery plan from the Department of Fish and Wildlife in the summer of 2014. The Gulf Coast Jaguarundi is set to recover by the year 2050. 

Threats

The primary threats to the jaguarundi are habitat fragmentation, degradation, and destruction. All of these factors are mainly associated with agriculture, urbanization, border security activities, and vehicle collisions. Like previous competition hundreds of years ago, jaguarundis are now competing with bobcats in their northern range, limiting their supply of food. Increased precipitation and decreased temperature from climate change is also affecting the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi, causing them to change their habitats. 

Recovery Plan

Strategy

Like previously said, the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi did not receive a recovery plan until 2014. This is because the jaguarundi is highly unknown and not well funded. The plan wants to first identify the previous habitat of the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi in southern Texas. This area needs to be protected and restored to be able to fully take in this endangered subspecies. It also needs to be connected to its habitat in Mexico. The habitat needs to be monitored in order to determine how the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi will exist in the US. This includes making sure that the area is not affected by human population growth and that the area will be viable for a long time. This is done by reaching out to local partners in the jaguarundi's future community such as partnerships, landowners, schools, and city regulations. The use of reintroducing the jaguarundis needs to be reevaluated as well, and when a suitable habitat is found and is feasible, an adaptive management technique is going to be used. This is where recovery is monitored and revised as new information becomes available. As well as recovery in the United States, this recovery plan stresses supporting the conservation of the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi in Mexico and South America.  

Jaguarundi kittens.

Goals & Criteria

Ultimately, the goal of the recovery plan is to recover and delist the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi. If that's not possible, an intermediate goal is to move the subspecies from endangered to threatened. The goal will be considered met when at least three or more populations are sustained in the southern Texas region and when threats from habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation have been reduced, as well as the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi no longer being in danger of extinction. 

Personal Action

The main thing you can do to help the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi is to get the word out there. Right now, few people even know the animal exists and that is leading to the decrease in the jaguarundi populations. We are going to lose a species many did not even know existed. If you are in the southern Texas area, you can help by reaching out and talking about the jaguarundi. You can reach out to the Texas state government and try to express the importance of conserving the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi.  Stay informed on the recovery of this wonderful animal!

For more information the Recovery Plan of the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi can be found here.

Works Cited:

• "Jaguarundi Facts" http://bigcatrescue.org/jaguarundi-facts/
• "Gulf Coast Jaguarundi Recovery Plan" http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/Documents/R2ES/GulfCoastJaguarundi_FinalRecoveryPlan_Dec2013.pdf
• "Gulf Coast Jaguarundi" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Coast_jaguarundi
• "Gulf Coast Jaguarundi & Sinaloan Jaguarundi" http://research.biology.arizona.edu/mosquito/willott/323/project/endcats/Jagundi.html
• "US Jaguarundi Receives Recovery Roadmap" http://www.wildcatconservation.org/us-jaguarundi-receives-recovery-roadmap/