The Jaguarundi Another Wild Cat

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

7 comments on “The Jaguarundi Another Wild Cat”

  1. Interesting little cat. Facially, they bear some resemblance to mountain lions. That would be cool to see; a compact-sized mountain lion. The best news; there are indications that they are repopulating the US, in fact, not far from where I live. No confirmation, yet, but there have been sightings in the same mountains where jaguars occasionally visit.

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    2. I’m all for it.

      There is a range of mountains about 35 miles east of Tucson which runs north an south. There are a lot of interesting trail cam sightings there, as well as some ancient archaeological discoveries. Mountains form their own microclimates and provide a degree of relief from the desert heat, so they can be a haven. These ranges extend dow to Mexico, and the there is a wildlife preserve in Mexico where they believe the breeding population of the Jaguars we see from time to time exists.

      There are other small mountain ranges spanning westward, and this forms a pathway, of sorts for various wildlife. To the West of Tucson are the Tucson mountains, a range of extinct volcanoes which runs north to south along the Tucson metro area, and this is full of wildlife, including mountain lions. The Desert Museum is located in that area, and while I haven’t been there in many years, they at least used to have a mountain lion exhibit where you could watch mountain lions cleaning their paws and grooming themselves, like a house cat. When they don’t feel threatened and are accustomed to seeing humans, they can be fairly docile, and even friendly to their keepers.

      So this is a great place for wildlife, and the truly dangerous species tend to stay in the mountains. There is a (mostly) dry river on the east side of Tucson that wildlife use as a conduit, and mountain lions frequently traverse there at night. The smaller cats tend to concentrate further south, but anything is possible. I’ve heard of ocelots to the south, and if there are any Jaguarundi, they would probably be in that same area.

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