Quote:
Red&Yellow,
I think you solved the mystery. Don't know if anyone else figured it out, because I haven't read all the coments about this. Here is a quote from an online article:
"
Florida has a resident population of jaguarundis that were imported into that state in the 1940s. Since the cats are so secretive it's difficult to gauge their population status, but it is generally believed to be healthy.
This begs the question of how far those transplanted cats have spread? Are they now in Georgia and Alabama, two states that have frequent "black panther" sightings?"
The article is about "black panther" sightings, but also points out, of the jaguarundi that: "Most specimens are about 20 centimeters tall and sport a dark gray color while others are chocolate brown or blonde."
For the full article see:
http://www.anomalist.com/features/jag.html
The thought of it being a Jaguarundi is interesting. I think that this scenerio is pretty unlikely based on several data points.
-The Jaguarundi is diurinal (day hunter), whereas the OP's photos are of night activity
-In none of the Jaguarundi photos I could find was tha dark dorsal tail strip present that is clearly visible in the OP's photos
-The time stamps of the photos show activity that is more compatable with canine behavior, rather than feline behavior
I would really like for the article you quoted to give a reference regarding the resident population of Jaguarundis in Florida. I could find no other statement nor evidence in any of the articles I read regarding the Jaguarundi about this population established in the 1940's. Most of the evidence I have seen shows the animal to be extremely rare in Texas let alone outside of its normal range, so although I think it is valid to look at this species, it would be a very unlikely candidate since the color is not right, the behavior in the photo series is not going along with a cat, the nocturnal time of the photo and the unliklihood that such a rare animal in its traditional northern range would have rambled so far and happened to be caught on a game cam considering there are much more likley suspects such as the Grey Fox. If you could find more information about this Florida population, I would love to read about it.
The lighter phases o jaguarundi have darker tail tips, exactly like the one in question. Regarding the diurnal habits of the jaguarundi vs. the time stamp... The photos are time stamped: 08/28/2011 from 21:40-21:42... On 08/28/2011 in Milledgeville GA, the sun would have set at approximately 20:10... This is approximately one and a half hours after sunset. It is normal for diurnal animals to be active within two hours before sunrise, and two hours after sunset (just ask your roosters)... So this is well within normal parameters. Regarding the Florida population of feral jaguarundis, I too would like to know more. As a Florida resident, I can tell you that the history of roadside zoos, combined with a history of direct hits by hurricanes, and typical human ineptitude, Florida is home to a number of exotic invasive species of various origins... So it is not a stretch to imagine that secretive cat like the jaguarundi, if given the chance, could easily establish itself in a state with a similar climate to it's native habitat. Combine that with the overall warming of the climate, it's easy to see how they could spread north into the other gulf states from both their native range in Texas, and any introduced population from Florida. This is also consistent, with the large number of reports of jaguarundis across the gulf states. If such reports are simply hoaxes, then they would be coming from all over the country, not just the region that one would expect the jaguarundi to naturally expand into under the favorable conditions that exist. As far as the idea that we are dealing with a canine, I think a jaguarundi is much more likely than a dog that looks like a jaguarundi.
