Gulf Coast jaguarundi
| Gulf Coast jaguarundi | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Puma |
| Species: | P. yagouaroundi |
| Subspecies: | P. y. cacomitli |
| Trinomial name | |
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Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli (Berlandier, 1859) |
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The Gulf Coast jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli) is one of four subspecies of jaguarundi. Two of these subspecies—the Gulf Coast jaguarundi and the Sinaloan jaguarundi—are considered endangered and were put on the endangered list on June 14, 1976. These cats are placed under the family Felidae and the subfamily Felinae because of their small size.
This cat is larger than a normal domestic cat, but smaller than a puma. It has been compared to a weasel and otter. Their fur is of a dark-brown or grayish color because they reside in low-light areas such as forests and thick shrubs. Their otter-like appearance is shown in their short legs and long, flat tails. The weasel-like appearance stems from having a small, flat head, short, round ears and a long slender body. Their body size can reach up to 77 centimeters and their tail up to 60 centimeters in length. Their average weight is about 6 kilograms.
The Gulf Coast jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli) is a subspecies of jaguarundi that ranges from southern Texas in the United States south to Veracruz and San Luis Potosí in eastern Mexico. This cat looks like a large weasel or otter with a coat in one of three color phases: black, reddish-brown or brownish-gray. Darker varieties tend to be found in darker places, like forests, than those who are lighter in hue, which prefer more open areas.
The Gulf Coast jaguarundi can be found in the Western Gulf coastal grasslands, Tamaulipan mezquital, and Tamaulipan matorral. Its preferred habitat are regions of dense, thorny scrub, especially near water, composed of plants such as Spiny Hackberry (Celtis pallida]]), Brazilian Bluewood (Condalia hookeri), Desert Yaupon (Schaefferia cuneifolia), Berlandier's Wolfberry (Lycium berlandieri), Lotebush (Ziziphus obtusifolia), Texas Goatbush (Castela texana), Whitebrush (Aloysia gratissima), Catclaw Acacia (Senegalia greggii), Blackbrush Acacia (Vachellia rigidula), Velvetleaf Lantana (Lantana velutina), Texas Lignum-vitae (Guaiacum angustifolium), Cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens), Elbowbush (Forestiera angustifolia), and Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana).
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Wikipedia