The Jaguarundi (Puma yaguarondi, Lacépède 1809) at Parc Merveilleux,
Bettembourg, Luxembourg.*

By: Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa.

Website:
http://www.geocities.com/jaffacity/Jaguarundi_Merveilleux.html

*Note: This article was published in "Gazelle: The Palestinian
Biological Bulletin". Number 79, July 2008, pp. 1-3.


On Friday 20.06.2008, I visited the Parc Merveilleux in Bettembourg,
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and was accompanied by my wife Ola Khalaf
and my daughter Nora Khalaf. The weather was cloudy, with
temperature around 23° Celsius.

The Parc Merveilleux was created in 1956 in Bettembourg, Grand Duchy
of Luxembourg. It's the only Myth and Leisure Park in Luxembourg. It
functions also as the only Zoo in Luxembourg. It covers an area of
25 ha. Entrance Fee is 7 Euro for adults, and 4 Euro for children.

The Parc Merveilleux exhibit only one Felid species: The Jaguarundi
or Weasel Cat / Wieselkatze [in German] Puma yaguarondi or
Herpailurus yaguarondi (Lacépède, 1809). It lives in a small
enclosure, with an inside and outside part.

The Jaguarundi:

The Jaguarundi Puma yaguarondi or Herpailurus yaguarondi (Lacépède,
1809) is a medium-sized Mexican, Central and South American wild
cat: average length 65 cm (30 inches) with 45 cm (20 in) of tail and
a weight of about 6 kg (13.2 lbs). It has short legs and an
appearance somewhat like an otter; the ears are short and rounded.
The coat is unspotted, uniform in color, and varying from blackish
to brownish gray (gray phase) or from foxy red to chestnut (red
phase).

Etymology and Naming:

The two color phases were once thought to represent two distinct
species; the gray one called "Jaguarundi", and the red one
called "Eyra". However, these are the same species and both color
phases may be found in the same litter. Its coat has no markings
except for spots at birth. In some Spanish speaking countries, the
jaguarundi is also called "Leoncillo", which means "Little Lion".

Taxonomy and Evolution:

This cat is closely related to the much larger and heavier cougar as
evident by its similar genetic structure and chromosome count; both
species are in the genus Puma although it is sometimes classified
under a separate genus, Herpailurus and until recently, both cats
were classified under the genus Felis.
According to a 2006 genomic study of Felidae, an ancestor of today's
Leopardus, Lynx, Puma, Prionailurus, and Felis lineages migrated
across the Bering land bridge into the Americas approximately 8 to
8.5 million years ago. The lineages subsequently diverged in that
order.
Studies have indicated that the cougar and jaguarundi are next most
closely related to the modern cheetah of Africa and western Asia,
but the relationship is unresolved. It has been suggested that
ancestors of the cheetah diverged from the Puma lineage in the
Americas and migrated back to Asia and Africa, while other research
suggests the cheetah diverged in the Old World itself. The outline
of small feline migration to the Americas is thus unclear.

Ecology:

Its habitat is lowland brush areas close to a source of running
water. It occasionally inhabits dense tropical areas as well, and it
has been sighted around the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. It
is crepuscular and nocturnal depending on location. This cat is
comfortable in trees, but prefers to hunt on the ground. It preys
upon fish, small mammals, reptiles and birds.

Reproduction:

The litter consists of one to four kittens. They are raised socially
after a 70-day gestation. The kittens become mature at approximately
2 years of age.

Conservation:

This cat is not particularly sought after for its fur, but it is
suffering decline due to loss of habitat.

Subspecies:

Puma yaguarondi armeghinoi, Western Argentina, Far-Eastern Chile.

Puma yaguarondi cacomitli, South Texas and eastern Mexico.

Puma yaguarondi eyra, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

Puma yaguarondi fossata, southern Mexico to Honduras.

Puma yaguarondi melantho, Peru and Brazil.

Puma yaguarondi panamensis, Nicaragua to Ecuador.

Puma yaguarondi tolteca, Arizona and western Mexico.

Puma yaguarondi yagouaroundi, Guyana and Amazon Rainforest.


References:

Der Jaguarundi Herpailurus yaguarondi (Lacépède, 1809).
http://www.big-cats.de/jaguarundi.htm
Herpailurus yaguarondi. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/9948/all
Jaguarundi. Wikipedia. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguarundi
Jaguarundi. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguarundi
Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi). http://www.welt-der-
katzen.de/wildekatze/kleinkatzenamerika/jaguarundi/jaguarundi.html
Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher
(2008). The Jaguarundi (Puma yaguarondi, Lacépède 1809) at Parc
Merveilleux, Bettembourg, Luxembourg. Gazelle: The Palestinian
Biological Bulletin. Number 79, July 2008. pp. 1-3. Sharjah, United
Arab Emirates.
http://www.geocities.com/jaffacity/Jaguarundi_Merveilleux.html
Parc Merveilleux. http://www.parc-merveilleux.lu/