Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
Encyclopedia
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 one 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..
, 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 (Acacia greggii
), Blackbrush Acacia (Acacia rigidula
), Velvetleaf Lantana (Lantana
velutina), Texas Lignum-vitae (Guaiacum angustifolium
), Cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens
), Elbowbush (Forestiera
angustifolia), and Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana
).
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Jaguarundi
Jaguarundi
The jaguarundi is a small-sized wild cat native to Central and South America. In 2002, the IUCN classified the jaguarundi as Least Concern as it is likely that no conservation units, with the probable exception of the mega-reserves of the Amazon basin could sustain long-term viable populations. It...
that ranges from southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
south to Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
and San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
in eastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. This cat
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
looks like a large weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
or otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
with a coat in one one 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..
Habitat
The Gulf Coast Jaguarundi can be found in the Western Gulf coastal grasslandsWestern Gulf coastal grasslands
The Western Gulf coastal grasslands are a subtropical grassland ecoregion of the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It is known in Texas as "Coastal Prairie" and as the Tamaulipan pastizal in Mexico.-Setting:...
, Tamaulipan mezquital
Tamaulipan mezquital
The Tamaulipan mezquital ecoregion, in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, is located in the southern United States and northeastern Mexico...
, and Tamaulipan matorral
Tamaulipan matorral
The Tamaulipan matorral ecoregion, in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, is of northern Mexico.-Setting:The Tamaulipan matorral extends along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental range in northeastern Mexico, extending from central Tamaulipas state across central Nuevo León. The...
. Its preferred habitat are regions of dense, thorny scrub, especially near water, composed of plants such as Spiny Hackberry (Celtis pallida), Brazilian Bluewood (Condalia
Condalia
Condalia is a genus of spiny shrubs in the tribe Rhamneae of the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It was named for Antonio Condal, an 18th Spanish physician. Members of the genus are native to tropical and subtropical deserts and xeric shrublands in North and South America...
hookeri), Desert Yaupon (Schaefferia
Schaefferia
Schaefferia is a genus of flowering shrubs and small trees in the staff vine family, Celastraceae. The generic name honours German mycologist and clergyman Jacob Christian Schäffer . Members of the genus are found in the Neotropics. The plants are dioecious, with flowers that are unisexual by...
cuneifolia), Berlandier's Wolfberry (Lycium
Boxthorn
Boxthorn is a genus of the nightshade family , containing about 90 species of plants native throughout much of the temperate and subtropical zones of the world...
berlandieri), Lotebush (Ziziphus obtusifolia
Ziziphus obtusifolia
Ziziphus obtusifolia is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by several common names, incluging lotebush, graythorn, gumdrop tree, and Texas buckthorn. It is native to the southwestern United States and much of Mexico, where it grows in shrubby and scrubby desert habitat,...
), Texas Goatbush (Castela
Castela
Castela is a genus of thorny shrubs and small trees in the family Simaroubaceae. Members of the genus are native to the Americas, especially the tropical regions. The generic name honours the French naturalist René Richard Louis Castel.-Selected species:...
texana), Whitebrush (Aloysia
Aloysia
Aloysia is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. The roughly 35 species of aromatic shrubs it contains are generally known as beebrushes, with the most well-known being Lemon Verbena...
gratissima), Catclaw Acacia (Acacia greggii
Acacia greggii
Acacia greggii is a species of Acacia native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, from the extreme south of Utah south through southern Nevada, southeast California, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas to Baja California, Sinaloa and Nuevo León in...
), Blackbrush Acacia (Acacia rigidula
Acacia rigidula
Acacia rigidula, commonly known as Blackbrush Acacia or Chaparro Prieto, is a species of shrub or small tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. Its native range stretches from Texas in the United States south to central Mexico. This perennial is closely related to A. berlandieri and is not listed as...
), Velvetleaf Lantana (Lantana
Lantana
Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region. The genus includes both...
velutina), Texas Lignum-vitae (Guaiacum angustifolium
Guaiacum angustifolium
Guaiacum angustifolium is a species of flowering plant in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae. Common names include Texas Guaiacum, Texas Lignum-vitae, Soapbush and Guayacán. It is native to southern and western Texas in the United States and northern Mexico...
), Cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens
Leucophyllum frutescens
Leucophyllum frutescens is an evergreen shrub in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the state of Texas in the southwestern United States and the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northern Mexico. Although commonly known as Texas Sage, it is not a true sage and is...
), Elbowbush (Forestiera
Forestiera
Forestiera is a genus of about 20 species of flowering plants in the olive family, Oleaceae. Members of the genus are often called swampprivets. Most are shrubs.-Selected species:...
angustifolia), and Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana
Diospyros texana
Diospyros texana is a species of persimmon that is native to central and west Texas and southwest Oklahoma in the United States, and eastern Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. Common names include Texas Persimmon, Mexican Persimmon and the more ambiguous "black...
).