Lisa Wojcik of Pangea Institute (Floridian Cryptologic Group)does research on Jaguarundi in Florida.All Hunters with evidence/information can report these at there website. Link-Pangea Insitute-click on Cryptid Sightings Tab @ top of Home Page also a link to a report by Lisa's research Link-Florida Jaguarundi.She would appreciate reports-thanks.
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Attention Florida Hunters-Jaguarundi sightings
- Thread starter spitfire
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They can be solid base color Gray,Black,Brown,Redish and Tan variants.The Coat has a "speckled" pattern with different hairs.The Litter can have different solid base colored kittens.
.The Jaguarundi is also called "Weasel Cat" and "Otter Cat"-swims and climbs trees.
bigbore442001
50 Cal.
Where did these little putty tats come from? Did they migrate? Did some one decide that the Sunshine State needed them and some intrepid soul stocked them?
Several theories- Link-Jaguarundi florida Cryptid Report :winking:bigbore442001 said:
They are kept as pets in South America. Like many pets, they probably aren't as much fun as the original owner thought (spraying, eating children, etc.) so they dump them to fend for themselves once they outgrow the cute phase.
They're probably not doing the native fauna of FL any favors.
They're probably not doing the native fauna of FL any favors.
I've seen one of these cats for sure,and possibly a second but I won't claim two because the second sighting was too fast and sudden for me to be totally sure. The one I saw was in the headwaters of the Aucilla River in Madison County,Florida. The other possible sighting was in a similar habitat in Gadsden County,Florida. Since I work daily in forest and wildlife management I have a strong interest in what's out there making a living in the woods...animals, meth labs, pot growers :shocked2: etc :haha:.
Having no idea whatsoever of what I had seen over on the Aucilla, the next day I went down to the state game commission office (State Headquarters) and looked up the "cat specialist". I described the cat...he showed me photos...and that was it.A jaguarundi without question. He showed me map locations where these cats have been confirmed either by knowledgable sightings and/or road kills. They are very widespread from Central Florida out into the middle/western Panhandle.
According to him the cats were introduced into Florida by Ross Allen down at Silver Springs/Ocala. For those who don't know,Ross was a local good-ole-boy who made an excellent living fooling Yankee Tourists with his rattlesnake and alligator handling at Silver Springs back in the 1940's-60's.
The first release was about 1948-1950 with around 32-35 cats trapped in British Honduras (present day Belize) being released in the Silver Springs-Oklawaha River area. The second release was with a like number from the same source being released in the Gulf Hammock area near Chiefland,Florida in Levy County in the mid 1950's.
From these two locations the Jags have spread out to the Atlantic Coast on the east and almost to Pensacola on the west...some say even beyond this,and I don't doubt it. Preferred habitat seems to be deep swampy areas,riverbottoms,major creekbottoms,etc. I don't think you'll see very many in the highlands or on Florida sandridges,but I may be wrong. As far as causing a major-or even minor-problem to any species of native wildlife,I'm not aware of it.As a rule introducing ANY exotic species will cause problems to the local native populations,but in the case of Jags I think they've found an unfilled ecological nitch and have moved in without major upheavels to the locals.
That's what little I know about Jags.Just wish leg hold traps weren't illegal in Florida.I think I could get a few on my place in the Econfina Springs north of Panama City.I know I see tracks about anytime I look in certain places,and I bet Jags would be as easy as bobcats to catch...but I may be wrong.
Having no idea whatsoever of what I had seen over on the Aucilla, the next day I went down to the state game commission office (State Headquarters) and looked up the "cat specialist". I described the cat...he showed me photos...and that was it.A jaguarundi without question. He showed me map locations where these cats have been confirmed either by knowledgable sightings and/or road kills. They are very widespread from Central Florida out into the middle/western Panhandle.
According to him the cats were introduced into Florida by Ross Allen down at Silver Springs/Ocala. For those who don't know,Ross was a local good-ole-boy who made an excellent living fooling Yankee Tourists with his rattlesnake and alligator handling at Silver Springs back in the 1940's-60's.
The first release was about 1948-1950 with around 32-35 cats trapped in British Honduras (present day Belize) being released in the Silver Springs-Oklawaha River area. The second release was with a like number from the same source being released in the Gulf Hammock area near Chiefland,Florida in Levy County in the mid 1950's.
From these two locations the Jags have spread out to the Atlantic Coast on the east and almost to Pensacola on the west...some say even beyond this,and I don't doubt it. Preferred habitat seems to be deep swampy areas,riverbottoms,major creekbottoms,etc. I don't think you'll see very many in the highlands or on Florida sandridges,but I may be wrong. As far as causing a major-or even minor-problem to any species of native wildlife,I'm not aware of it.As a rule introducing ANY exotic species will cause problems to the local native populations,but in the case of Jags I think they've found an unfilled ecological nitch and have moved in without major upheavels to the locals.
That's what little I know about Jags.Just wish leg hold traps weren't illegal in Florida.I think I could get a few on my place in the Econfina Springs north of Panama City.I know I see tracks about anytime I look in certain places,and I bet Jags would be as easy as bobcats to catch...but I may be wrong.
SavageArcher
40 Cal.
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I wouldn't recommend trying to trap those cats as they are still considered an endangered species by the Feds in Texas and probably Florida as well. I figure those jags are even spookier than bobcats. I just hope they're fast enough to avoid those pythons ya'll got slithering around. :grin:
In Florida Jags,as well as Pythons,are considered exotic species and are not protected by law! In fact,the more you shoot,the better! So are feral hogs,armadillos,coyotes. Yankees would be too,except those things bring "greenbacks" to the State :haha:.
Edit-forgot to say-Some years ago (25 plus) We had a wildlife inventory contract at Kingsville Naval Air Station up near[url] Corpus.Jags[/url] were one of the species that we looked for.We found none,if my memory is correct.
Edit-forgot to say-Some years ago (25 plus) We had a wildlife inventory contract at Kingsville Naval Air Station up near[url] Corpus.Jags[/url] were one of the species that we looked for.We found none,if my memory is correct.
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Here's Alabama's DNR take on "Black Panthers" Link-DNR-note mention of Jaguarundi and Link-Alabama DNR Carnivore List-Look at Bottom of the page-Jaguarundi .I live along the Little Choctawhatchee River in Dale county,Alabama the Locals have had sightings going back 50 years!
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