Adaptability of the threatened jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi Schereber, 1777) to human-altered environments in San Luis Potosí, Mexico

Abstract

Persistence and recovery of rare species in developing regions with limited protected areas depends upon their adaptability to human-altered habitats. The jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) is classed as threatened in Mexico, and knowledge of its distribution and environmental correlates is necessary for informed recovery efforts. However, little is known of jaguarundi habitat or distribution in interior Mexico, including the state of San Luis Potosí (SLP). We conducted 96 semi-structured interviews around communities, ejidos, and ranches throughout SLP to obtain records of jaguarundi presence and identify environmental correlates and site attributes associated with its occurrence. We evaluated interviews using analytical criteria of credibility, and collected habitat information from 50 reliable occurrences from three of the four geographic regions of SLP. Compared to the SLP landscape, jaguarundi occurrences were located closer to water, closer to roads, at lower elevation, marginally closer to communities, and in areas with greater total edge, edge density, and number of landscape patches. Jaguarundi showed preference for mosaics of tropical forest, agricultural, grassland, and urban (i.e., any community) cover types. Relatively dense hiding or ambush cover was usually present at occurrence sites. Collectively, maximum entropy modeling and logistic regression modeling predicted similar and high likelihood of jaguarundi presence in regions characterized by mosaics of tropical forest, agriculture, grassland, or urban cover types <500 m in elevation and <2 km from roads. These mosaic landscapes tended to be relatively close to communities of moderate population densities and water, and typically support higher small prey densities than less fragmented areas. Jaguarundi were adaptable to at least light–moderate human-related disturbance, and may be benefitted by it because of increased edge and habitat mosaics.

Status and distribution of jaguarundi in Texas and Northeastern México: Making the case for extirpation and initiation of recovery in the United States

“…Unlike the Puma, and other small cats (e.g., ocelot [ Leopardus pardalis ] and bobcat [ Lynx rufus ]) in North to South America, empirical data on current jaguarundi distribution and ecology is poorly known (Giordano, 2015 ; Hunter, 2015 ). Recent research has derived data from larger camera trapping and ecological niche modeling studies (Coronado‐Quibrera et al, 2019 ; Di Bitetti et al, 2010 ; Pereira et al, 2011 ; Sanchez‐Cordero et al, 2008 ; Santos et al, 2019 ). Furthermore, the most cited sources of jaguarundi ecology are derived from verified museum and citizen science occurrence data (GBIF, 2021 ) and gray literature including popular articles (Grassman & Tewes, 2004 ), ecological books, and field guides (Hunter, 2015 , 2019 ; Schmidly & Bradley, 2016 ), theses and dissertations (Caso, 1994 , 2013 ; Goodwyn, 1970 ), and unpublished technical reports (Bailey, 1905 ).…”

“…Endangered Species Act (USFWS, 2013 ). Threats to jaguarundi include the harvest of individuals for hunting (Giordano, 2015 ), poultry depredation (Coronado‐Quibrera et al, 2019 ; Giordano, 2015 ), road mortality (Cerqueira et al, 2021 ; USFWS, 2013 ), and habitat loss and fragmentation associated with agriculture and urbanization (De Almeida et al, 2013 ; Grassman & Tewes, 2004 ; Tewes & Everett, 1986 ; USFWS, 2013 ).…”

“…Jaguarundis occur in a diverse composition of vegetation communities such as tropical and subtropical deciduous forest, swamp and savanna woodland, semi‐arid thorn forest, pine‐oak forest, and human‐altered areas such as cattle pastures (Caso, 2013 ; Coronado‐Quibrera et al, 2019 ; Giordano, 2015 ; Sallinas‐Camarena et al, 2016 ). Jaguarundis may occur in open areas with thick vegetation communities with dense herbaceous, or woody understories (de Oliveira, 1998 ; Giordano, 2015 ).…”

“…In the United States and northern México, jaguarundis were and have been documented in Tamaulipan thornshrub communities, montane pine‐oak forests, tropical and subtropical deciduous forests, and mixed agricultural areas (Bailey, 1905 ; Caso, 2013 ; Caso & Domínguez, 2018 ; Salinas‐Camarena et al, 2016 ; Tewes & Everett, 1986 ). Jaguarundis appear to be adaptable to human‐altered environments and low to moderate levels of human disturbance (Caso et al, 2015 ), often occurring within 500 m of human settlements in San Luis Potosi, México (Coronado‐Quibrera et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Unlike the Puma, and other small cats (e.g., ocelot [Leopardus pardalis] and bobcat [Lynx rufus]) in North to South America, empirical data on current jaguarundi distribution and ecology is poorly known (Giordano, 2015;Hunter, 2015). Recent research has derived data from larger camera trapping and ecological niche modeling studies (Coronado-Quibrera et al, 2019;Di Bitetti et al, 2010;Pereira et al, 2011;Sanchez-Cordero et al, 2008;Santos et al, 2019).…”