Along with the Jaguar, the Jaguarundi is the most threatened of the "cat" species calling the lower 48 home..........It is truly unbelievable that it has taken the USFW Service 40 years to develop a Recovery Plan for the Jaguarundi, a small wildcat that based on most evidence was historically limited to south Texas.............I say "was", because it has been 30 years since the last verified sighting of this diminutive "Jag"..........A viable population exists 95 miles south of the border in Mexico and the hope of Conservationists(against long odds) is to find a way to create enough connective "scrub" habitat to rewild the Jaguarundi in Texas.........The jaguarundi has been a second thought in terms of conservation efforts, pushed to the appendices by the larger ocelot which historically was sympatric with the Jaguarundi................. The ocelot is also endangered and similarly inhabits the dense thorn scrub that covered much of this part of Texas and northeast Mexico............. But unlike the jaguarundi, it still has a small breeding population in South Texas............ State, federal and private groups have worked in recent years to expand a string of wildlife refuges and establish corridors that could connect them................ The plan noted that while the jaguarundi hasn't been the focus of conservation efforts, it would have likely benefited from efforts aimed at the ocelot

Plan developed for endangered South Texas cat - By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT  RECOVERY PLAN FOR  THE JAGUARUNDI The federal government has established a  recovery plan for the jaguarundi, nearly  four decades since the small wildcat was  listed as an endangered species and  nearly three decades since one was confirmed in the U.S. But don't expect to see the reddish brown  or grey feline returning to what remains  of the thick brush in South Texas anytime soon. The plan recently approved by the  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is heavy on  additional research and habitat restoration  but is not especially optimistic about its prospects for success. The jaguarundi, a bit bigger than the average  house cat, had much of its preferred  thorn scrub habitat cleared long ago in Texas  for agriculture and more recently for  development in the rapidly growing border region. The cats still prowl in northeast  Mexico, where much of the research would take place. "There's just not a whole lot of information on  the jaguarundi," said Taylor Jones of  the nonprofit WildEarth Guardians, which sued  and reached a settlement with the  government that called for the recovery plan.  She hopes the plan will spark new research, and in the near term contribute to additional efforts to conserve and  restore the cat's habitat. "You certainly couldn't bring them back if they didn't have any place to live." The federal wildlife agency expects the recovery will require decades of research  and planning and have to overcome some  major obstacles, including not having any known jaguarundi populations left in the  U.S. and little information of the status  of the species in Mexico. The recovery plan notes that the nearest population of jaguarundis is 95 miles  south of the Texas border, but it's unlikely  enough connected habitat exists for  the cat to return to the U.S. Even if the  habitat was restored, it's possible the  felines would not be motivated to move north. That would leave researchers with the complicated and difficult option of moving a jaguarundi population from  Mexico to the U.S. "I don't think anyone's even sure if  jaguarundis would take well to being  reintroduced," Jones said. "Re-introduction is pretty hard on the  animals. It's often a last-ditch method  when there's really no other way to get  them re-established." It's not clear how many jaguarundis existed when the species was first listed as endangered in 1976, but it was determined they were in decline due to  habitat destruction. The last confirmed  sighting of a jaguarundi in the U.S. was a dead one on a road outside  Brownsville in South Texas in 1986. Before that, the last was seen in 1969. Lesli Gray, a spokeswoman for the federal wildlife agency, said there is no guarantee funding will exist to meet the agency's goals, but  at least a plan has been developed  that outlines what is needed to delist  the species or at least improve its  population. The recovery plan calls for collecting  all that's known about the jaguarundi  and its range, doing additional research  and outlining the steps needed for  its conservation. The agency would likely  have to partner with other government entities and work with  scientists in Mexico. The plan calls for spending more than $7 million in each of the first two years. Under a fully funded plan the  jaguarundi could be downlisted by 2040 if three or more established  populations are found with a total of  at least 250 cats. The species could  be delisted 10 years later. For years, the jaguarundi has been  a second thought in terms of conservation efforts, pushed to the  appendices by the larger and spotted  ocelot. The ocelot is also endangered  and similarly inhabits the dense  thorn scrub that covered much of this  part of Texas and northeast Mexico.  But unlike the jaguarundi, it still has a small breeding population in South Texas. State, federal and private groups  have worked in recent years to  expand a string of wildlife refuges and  establish corridors that could  connect them. The plan noted that  while the jaguarundi hasn't been  the focus of conservation efforts,  it would have likely benefited from  efforts aimed at the ocelot, which  inhabits similar habitat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jaguarundi Facts Common Name: Jaguarundi Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata) Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felinae (Felis) Species: yaguarondi Sub Species: (herpailurus  yaguarondi fossata) Guatemalan  Jaguarundi(H.y. cacomitli)  gulf coast jaguarundi  (H.y.  panamensis) Panamanian jaguarundi (H.y.  toleteca) Sinaloan jaguarundi Misc.: While Jaguarundis are  not native to the south-eastern  United  States, it is believed that a feral  population exists in Florida, established  from an introduced populationof escaped pets in the 1940’s. They were  reported to be quite easy to “tame” by early Central American natives,  and were used to control rodent  populations around villages. Today,  it is not recommended to keep these  or any other wild animal, as pets. Jaguarundis are one of the only felines to not have contrasting colors on the  backs of their ears. Size and Appearance: this cat is unique in its appearance among the felids in that it more closely resembles a weasel. They have slender,  elongated bodies, short legs, a  small flattened head, long “otter-like” tail,  and a sleek, unmarked coat. Adults can weigh as little as 6 pounds or  as much as 20. They stand 10-14 inches  at the shoulder, and reach  a length of 35-55 inches. Coats occur  in 3 main color variations: black , brownish-grey, or red. Any or all  colors can occur in a single litter, but  generally the darker colors are usually  found in the rain forest, while the paler color is found in the drier  environments. The red color was  once considered a separate species  – F. eyra. Habitat: A cat  of the lowlands,  not generally found above 6500 ft.,  Jaguarundis occupy  a wide range of both open and closed habitats –  from dry scrub, swamp  and savannah woodland to primary forest. The factor used to determine habitat  suitability is access to dense ground  vegetation. Of all of the New World  felines, Jaguarundis are the most  adaptable in its ability to occupy diverse  environments. Distribution: Northern Mexico, Central  and South America, Texas  and possibly Florida. Reproduction and Offspring: After a  gestation of approximately 70-75 days, females produce a  litter of 1-4 kittens. Like cougars and  lions, newborns are spotted, and the spots soon disappear. They begin to take  solid foods around the age of 6 weeks, and attain sexual maturity  between 24-36 months. In captivity, Jaguarundis have lived  up to 15 years. Social System and Communication:  Jaguarundis are known to  be solitary or travel and forage in pairs.  They have a wide variety of vocalizations, with 13 distinct calls  having been documented. Hunting and Diet: Their primary diet is quite varied and is comprised of small rodents, rabbits , armadillos, opossums, quail, wild turkey, reptiles, frogs, fish  and domestic poultry. They have also been recorded eating fish stranded  in puddles. Principal Threats: Generally not  exploited for trade, they  are still caught by traps that were  intended  for commercially valuable species.  They are notorious for raiding domestic poultry and have  become nuisance animals  and threatened by farmers because  of it. Their biggest threat is habitat destruction and human encroachment. Status: CITES: Appendix II, Central  and North American populations Appendix I. IUCN: Not listed. Felid TAG recommendation:  Jaguarundi (Herpailurus  jaguarondi). Jaguarundis are  uncommon in zoos, and the founder size of  most zoo-held populations  is only two individuals. Unless a significant number of founders are obtained from range  countries, the captive population is probably not viable. Therefore, the TAG  recommends this species for Phase-Out in North America. At the Annual AZA Conference  (September 1999), the  following four species were recommended by the Felid TAG to be ‘down-graded’ to  a Phase-Out populations.  For the jaguarundi, tigrina,  and Geoffroy’s cat, these  recommendations were made  because of limited space  available, the limited number of founders in these populations, and limited  potential for acquiring  additional founders.