IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Tewes, M.E.; Caso, A.; Portreras, G. | |
| Management and conservation of wild cats in northeast Mexico | |
| 1111 Manuscript | |
Wild cats represent some of the most highly evolved predators on Earth. Their body parts, senses, and ecology have developed to exploit their environment and maximize their predation and survival. Of the 37 species of wild cats, six felids inhabit northeastern Mexico: ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), margay (Leopardus wiedii), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarundi), bobcat (Lynx rufus), jaguar (Panthera onca), and cougar (Puma concolor). Four cats-the ocelot, margay, jaguarundi, jaguar--are considered rare and occur in various endangered species classifications. In contrast, the bobcat and cougar are widespread and not threatened with extinction. These two cats can be found in many locations in northeast Mexico where there is appropriate habitat. The six cats of northeastern Mexico share many behaviors and some ecological characteristics. These cats typically stalk or ambush their prey, often while traveling in different parts of their territory. All six cats are solitary carnivores, usually intolerant of conspecifics unless its during mating season or while the mother raises kittens. However, an important difference among these cats is the amount of area required and the types of habitat preferred by each species. Consequently, the management and conservation of these six cats varies considerably because of these differences in ecology and natural history. Following is a discussion of the ecology of each cat and information about their management and conservation. |
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