jaguarundi

[ jah-gwuh-ruhn-dee, -gyoo-uh-, jag-wuh-, -yoo-uh- ]

noun

, plural ja·gua·run·dis.

1. a long-bodied and long-tailed tropical wildcat, Felis yagouaroundi, having a brownish-gray coat and a second color phase of reddish-brown: now reduced in number and endangered in some areas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of jaguarundi¹

1880–85; < Portuguese < Guarani jaguarundy wildcat

Example Sentences

The region is vital to not only bird species such as piping plovers and northern aplomado falcons but also Gulf Coast jaguarundi, ocelots, and critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles.

From Salon

Primates like the spider monkeys are among the most frequent arrivals, but the center also receives cat species such as ocelots and jaguarundi, and birds including toucans and owls.

From Seattle Times

Others have snouts and rounded ears, resembling in coloration and features the jaguarundi,” or “black spots and streaks of an ocelot.”

From New York Times

Ocelots too are rebounding in force, as are jaguarundis, another small cat.

From National Geographic

In Ecuador and Peru, community-led programmes, forest purchases and monitoring schemes are helping protect spectacled bears, as well as ocelot, jaguarundi and mountain tapir.

From The Guardian