Jaguarondi Sighting, Probably

woodsrunner

Won't say so for sure because I didn't get more than about a 2 second look at the cat, but about 90%+ sure that I saw a Jaguarondi several mornings ago a mile or so from my place here in "Nawth Fladah". We have them in Florida, releases from British Honduras back in the late 50's-early 60's, but these are a very secretive cat and are very rarely seen. People who swear up one side and down the other that they've seen a BLACK PANTHER possibly did see a Jaguarondi which is dark pencil grey (usually), has a long tail and is roughly about 1/3rd the size of a panther. I had a long, good look at one years ago while cruising timber not far away.

Six-Gun

Neat to hear that they still survive. I spent years hunting in the NV high country and never saw so much as one cougar, let alone something as rare as this.

Wild Turkey

neat looking critter!

bisley

I saw some kind of large, long-tailed cat from a deer blind, a couple of years ago. Like you said, it was gone so quick I couldn't identify it, but I didn't see another living thing, all morning, so I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it. It was at low light dawn, so I couldn't discern color.

woodsrunner

These cats are most probably in much of eastern and southern Texas. I bid (and lost) on an inventory of Jags at the Kingsville Naval Air Station. Many years ago....back in the early 80's.

Teach

In the late 80's or maybe early 90's I was returning home from a late night wrecker call when something long, slinky, and definitely feline-looking crossed the road in my headlights, headed into one of my pastures. It definitely was NOT a bobcat- - - -the tail was almost as long as the body. Big cats are not commonly seen in south central Tennessee, so this one was probably channeling "Mr. Natural".



Jerry

Diver43

That is really neat. We got a glimpse of a Florida Panther on the Loxahatchee refuge while fishing a couple years ago, but a Jaguarondi is so rare, I had not met anyone that claims to have seen one before. And that includes several of the biologists that work the Florida refuges.

tennmike

Diver43 wrote: »

That is really neat. We got a glimpse of a Florida Panther on the Loxahatchee refuge while fishing a couple years ago, but a Jaguarondi is so rare, I had not met anyone that claims to have seen one before. And that includes several of the biologists that work the Florida refuges.

Unless it's a California mountain lion that sees bipeds as a food source, seeing any cat in the wild is sort of rare in the states. Then tend to see you first and stay hidden, and leave when you aren't looking. Bobcats being more numerous is the reason they are seen so often. But in the woods where you KNOW they are around sighting one isn't easy at all. They're quiet critters.

Teach

I hear that quite a few cougars have been spotted around Florida retirement communities. They have a tendency to spend their late husbands' retirement nest eggs and prey on younger males of the species!
Jerry

jaywapti

A year or so ago Jen and I saw one while fishing in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, we reported it to the rangers and thought they would think I'm nuts, instead they asked where and told us that there are a few living on the refuge.

Woods, I think they were released earlier than that, cause I saw one that a hunter shot about 1953-54, It was hanging at Monroe Station. The GW told us what it was, since them I have heard of sightings around S. and Central Fla.

JAY

tennmike

Teach wrote: »

I hear that quite a few cougars have been spotted around Florida retirement communities. They have a tendency to spend their late husbands' retirement nest eggs and prey on younger males of the species!
Jerry

And a few have been caught mating at night in the bushes around those retirement communities. :rotflmao:

Buffco

tennmike wrote: »

And a few have been caught mating at night in the bushes around those retirement communities. :rotflmao:

Got to be careful around Wildwood FL. One of my salesmen was propositioned at a local bar there one night.

I was asked to dance by a not so old cougar myself down there, once. And I would have definitely danced, but you know.... Wife. If I was single however, forget the club scene with young ditzy dumb broke college girls. Give me a 60 year old with a retirement account and a Mercedes in the garage.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

breamfisher

You might get something Ajax won't take off...

Buffco

breamfisher wrote: »

You might get something Ajax won't take off...

Worth it, as long as I can work myself into the will.

snake284

Texas is full of cats, bob cats, panthers, cougars, both fur and smooth skin. I've heard tell of more than a couple guys being eaten by smooth skin cougars.

jaywapti

SoBe is cougar central.

JAY

Six-Gun

Teach wrote: »

I hear that quite a few cougars have been spotted around Florida retirement communities. They have a tendency to spend their late husbands' retirement nest eggs and prey on younger males of the species!
Jerry

That particular variety runs thick along the Las Vegas Strip.

woodsrunner

Could have been released well back before the late 50's, because back then game laws weren't enforced or probably weren't any laws against releasing them. Look at the monkeys released in the Silver Springs area when Tarzan movies were filmed there back in the late 30's. Also at Wakulla Springs just below Tallahassee. These, however, were extirpated from the area by Ed Ball's direction (Du Pont Foundation Chair.).

But the major releases that are known to the Game Commission (I've read the archived reports) were by Ross Allen of Silver Springs fame. He had 30-32 captured alive in British Honduras (present day Belize, C.A.) in 1959 and released these along the Silver Springs area near Ocala. Then in 1961 or 62 he had an additional 30-32 trapped in B.H. and released these in the Gulf Hammock area just below Chiefland. It's from these releases that the Jags we have are credited.

I've worked a good bit in the Maya Mountains of Belize, C.A. helping to set up the "Thousand Foot Falls Natural Area". Belize has the highest Jaguar and Jaguarondi populations in the world. I never saw either of these cats, but did very frequently hear Jaguars sounding off just before dawn in the mornings. Some would be very close, like a hundred yards! The Mayan Indians that worked with me had no fear at all of them!