With its long, slender body and short legs, the jaguarundi looks more like a weasel or otter than a member of the cat family.

Subspecies
H.y.armeghinoi, H.y.carcomitli, H.y.eyra, H.y.fossata, H.y.melantho, H.y.panamensis, H.y.tolteca, H.y.yagouaroundi.

Life span
Jaguarundis live for up to 15 years.

Statistics
Body length: 55-77cm, Tail length: 33-61cm, Shoulder height: about 35cm, Weight: male: 5.9kg, female: 4.4kg.

Physical description
Jaguarundis are uniform in colour with a paler underside. They have three colour forms: black, brownish-grey and russet red/chestnut, although they are spotted at birth.

They have a long, slender body with short legs; a long tail and a slim head with small round ears.

Distribution
Jaguarundis range from Arizona to North Argentina.

Habitat
They inhabit forest, savannah and scrub.

Diet
Jaguarundis have a varied diet including small mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and fish.

Behaviour
Jaguarundis are solitary but may sometimes live in pairs when territories overlap. They are active in the morning and evening and are much less nocturnal than other small cats. They are terrestrial but are agile climbers.

Reproduction
Females give birth to 1-4 kittens after a gestation period of 70-75 days.

Conservation status
Jaguarundis are not listed by the IUCN. North and Central American populations are on CITES Appendix I and other populations are on Appendix II. Their pelt is of poor quality and so they are not at risk from hunting, but they are doubtless caught in traps set for other species. They are notorious for predation on domestic poultry.