In Texas, animal or plant species of conservation concern may be listed as threatened or endangered under the authority of state law and/or under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Species may be listed as state threatened or endangered and not federally listed. The state list deals only with the status of the species within Texas. A federal listing means that an animal is in decline throughout its entire range which may encompass several other states or nations. This series includes wildlife which may be close to extinction and is comprised of birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals, plants, amphibians and reptiles.
Jaguarandi(Herpailurus yaguarondi)
Texas Status: Endangered
U.S. Status: Endangered, Listed 6/14/1976
Description: Jaguarundis is slightly larger than a domestic cat, weighing 8 - 16 pounds. Their coat is a solid color; either rusty-brown or charcoal gray.
Life History: Jaguarundis move in a quick weasel-like manner. They eat birds, rabbits, and small rodents, hunting during early morning and evening. Although Jaguarundis hunt mostly on the ground, they also climb trees easily and have been seen springing into the air to capture prey. Historical accounts from Mexico suggest that Jaguarundis are also good swimmers and enter the water freely. They are solitary (live alone) except during the mating season of November and December. Jaguarundis are active mainly at night, but also move around during the day, often going to water to drink at midday. They live 16 to 22 years in captivity.
Jaguarundis are endangered because the dense brush that provides habitat has been cleared for farming or for the growth of cities. Jaguarundis still exist in Mexico, but they are now very rare in Texas. People in the Lower Rio Grande Valley are working together to plant native shrubs and restore habitat for the Jaguarundi, Ocelot, migrating songbirds, and other animals.
Habitat: Like the Ocelot, the Jaguarundi is found in dense, thorny shrublands.
Distribution: It is found in the south Texas brush country and lower Rio Grande valley. Jaguarundis are also found in northern Mexico and central and south America.
Other: The Jaguarundi is so elusive that researchers have been unable to estimate how many are left in the wild.
Because this series is quite a distance from my house, maintenance is rather difficult. Log's get wet, containers break, and sometimes caches just flat go missing. If you dont find the cache, and believe it to be gone, or it needs maintenance, please feel free to make it whole again. As a thank you, you may add a second log to any that you do maintenance on. And thanks for the help.