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     - Photo via NATUWA Wildlife Sanctuary -
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Published on Monday, February 12, 2024
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
In Costa
Rica, the jaguarundi (Herpailurus
yagouaroundi), known
in Costa Rica as "León
breñero," is a
lion that lives in the undergrowth in
the English language. The
wildcat name "jaguarundi" is derived
from the term yaguarundi, from the Old
Guarani language spoken by South
American indigenous peoples, which
means "dark jaguar." This is
one of Costa Rica's five wild cat
species, with the jaguar (Panthera
onca), puma (Concolor
couguar), ocelot
(Leopardus
pardalis), margay
(Leopardus
wiedii), and
oncilla (Leopardus
tigrinus). This
beautiful cat is endemic to the
Americas, from the southern United
States to the east of the Andes
Mountain Range, which includes
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Experts
from Costa Rica's National System of
Conservation Areas (Sinac), the
governmental institution in charge of
managing the country's national parks
and wildlife reserves, have found
specimens of this species throughout
the majority of the national parks. The
prevalence of wildcats may be found
in the
Carara National Park, which
is located in Puntarenas Province, as
well as the
Palo Verde National Park in
Guanacaste Province. According
to Sinac, the jaguarundi is at risk of
extinction and is protected by Law No.
7317 Wildlife Conservation, which
prohibits hunting, capturing,
trafficking, and keeping in captivity
of this species. 
The NATUWA
Wildlife Sanctuary is
home to two of these rarely-seen wild
cats. Both female felines, Misti and
Lola, were found abandoned in Carara
National Park. They are now under the
care of an expert team in the refuge
located in Puntarenas Province.
The wild cat weighs between 7 to 15 pounds. The head and body lengths range from 21 to 30 inches, with a tail measuring 12 to 20 inches long. Males are slightly larger than females. It is almost twice as large as the domestic cat.
The coat is consistently pigmented, with only a few small markings on the face and belly; nevertheless, kittens are spotted for a brief time. Black and white markings on the lips and nose, similar to those found on cougars, can be visible in youngsters and certain adults. Adults' fur color combinations are gray and red. The coat color serves as effective camouflage for hunting.
The jaguarundi is shy, reclusive and extremely cautious. They can swim in medium-sized rivers.
They appear to favor hunting throughout nighttime hours. The cat also has climbing abilities but prefers to hunt on the ground.
The jaguarundi feeds on tiny prey such as ground-feeding birds, reptiles, frogs, rodents, fish, and small mammals, among others.
Jaguarundi is one of many captivating animals that has been spotted in Costa Rica. Recently, scientists of the Schmidt Ocean Institute and the University of Costa Rica discovered at least four new deep-sea octopus species in a 100-square-mile-sized area off Costa Rica.
The Wild Costa Rica page is a space for readers to discover more about the fascinating species that make the "Pura Vida" land one of the world's countries with the richest natural diversity. ---------------
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