Herpailurus

Herpailurus is a genus of the cat family Felidae, monotypic, with the jaguarundi, Herpailurus yagouaroundi, as its sole species. Native to the Americas, ranging from central Argentina through South America east of the Andes, through Central America and into northern Mexico, the jaguarundi was recently present in south Texas but is now considered extirpated from the United States. A medium-sized cat with an elongated body, relatively short legs, a small narrow head and small round ears, it displays two color morphs, gray and red, weighs 3.5 to 7 kilograms and stands nearly 36 centimeters at the shoulder; it is called jaguarundi in English, gato colorado, gato moro or tigrillo in Spanish, and eyra or gato-vermelho in Brazilian Portuguese. Listed as Near Threatened, the jaguarundi is more diurnal than most cats, hunting small prey including birds, reptiles and rodents during the day and evening, with a gestation of 70 to 75 days producing one to four kittens.