Condor Valley Welcomes Jaguarundi to the Neighborhood

We are happy to announce that Condor Valley has added Jaguarundi to the list of cat species found on the property!

A Jaguarundi on the prowl, captured by one of the camera traps.

With the recent spotting of two jaguarundi, Condor Valley has officially documented 5 species of cat (6 if you count our house cats) on the property – a significant marker in biodiversity. Also known as “Otter cats” for their otter-like appearance, the jaguarundi inhabit the valley alongside their not-so-distant relatives: the puma, ocelot, Geoffroy’s cat, and Pampas cat.

One of our beloved house cats, Niguini looks up from one of his favorite napping spots nearby The Loft.

It is not very common to have so many species of cat all residing in the same area. So - what makes it possible to have one property hosting all five of these species within the feline family?

For starters – the fact that the space is privately owned and largely undeveloped creates ample space and opportunity for mammals to live happily here.

But beyond human influence in the valley, elevation and the size of cat are key to making these feline friends able to carve out their own space.

Biodiversity has been shown to increase alongside a wider range of elevation in a given area since seemingly similar species can coexist in their preferred altitude with less overlap and competition of resources. So, while the Pampas - another near threatened species - likes to live in high-altitude areas, the ocelot are only found in lower elevations. And while the puma and Geoffrey’s cats live in similar altitude ranges, because of their different sizes – they don’t compete for the same food sources. The larger size pumas often choose to hunt larger prey than the Geoffrey’s cat are able to catch as small cats.

While these four have been spotted over the years since the Global Wildlife Conservation first set up trap cameras all around the property in 2013/2014 – the Jaguarundi is an exciting addition to the neighborhood!

A second Jaguarundi is snapped crossing in front of one of the Global Wildlife Conservation Camera Traps set up throughout Condor Valley.

The jaguarundi were placed on the Federal Endangered Species list in 1976 and while moved to be listed as “least concerned” on the IUCN Red list in 2002, their known population has still been decreasing and so ensuring they have access to habitats such as Condor Valley is vital to their continued survival on this planet.

You can learn more about them at https://bigcatrescue.org/jaguarundi-facts/.