DANIEL HEUCLIN / BIOSPHOTO (PROWLING); ARCO IMAGES GMBH / ALAMY (PERCHED ON BRANCH); CTK PHOTO / IGOR SEFR / ALAMY (STICKING OUT TONGUE); NICK GORDON / ARDEA (MOUTH OPEN); MARVIN RECINOS / AFP / GETTY IMAGES (PLAY-WRESTLING); MARTIN WALZ (MAP)GET
MORE!natgeokids.com/september
WILD CATS
Jaguarundi
litters contain
one to four
kittens.These
cats make
at least 13
distinct
calls.Some
jaguarundi
kittens have spots
on their bellies,
which disappear
as they get
older.Kitten Sittin’
With food in their bellies, the family
heads back to their den located
inside a hollow log. The kittens are
growing strong and feisty. But
when they were born, the cats
weighed less than a baseball and
spent most of their time sleeping.
Their mom barely left their side.
After about three weeks, the
mom began making quick trips
from the den to search for snacks
such as rodents, birds, and reptiles.
Upon returning, she’d usually chew
up the food to make it easier for her
babies to eat. Occasionally she’d drop
a small rodent next to the kittens and
let them play with it. This gave them early
exposure to their prey. At around six weeks,
the kittens’ mom began taking them on
field trips to watch her hunt.Watch and Learn
The jaguarundi family emerges from its
dark den into the daylight. Most wild cats
in the Amazon hunt at night. Not the jagua-
rundi. “By hunting during the day, these
animals avoid direct competition for food
with other wild cats such as ocelots and
margays,” Giordano says. The mom and kit-
tens chirp and whistle to each other as
they trot among the trees. Suddenly theA PAIR OF
KITTENS
PLAY-
WRESTLE.mom spots birds fluttering several feet
away. Hunting school’s in session! Her
kittens watch as she goes after the
feathered prey.
To keep from being seen, the
cat creeps along the ground,
hiding under plants. Unlike
desert- or grassland-
dwelling jaguarundis
that have light fur,
those in the Amazon
jungle often sport a
darker coat. This may
help them stay camou-
flaged on the shadowy for-
est floor. Closing in on the
birds, the female sprints forward.
Then she leaps six feet in the air and swats
one with a paw. The mom returns to her
young, carrying the prey in her mouth.
During another outing, the family comes
across a pool of water. The babies stand at
the edge as their mother wades in. When a
fish darts by, the female quickly dunks her
paws in the water and captures the swim-
ming snack. The curious kittens observe
their furry teacher. One day they’ll become
copycats, using the same techniques as
their mom does to snag food.Hunting Tryouts
Over the next months, the kittens follow
their mom into the forest. They see her
digging for rodents and doing her hunting
high jump. The kittens practice their own
moves, mimicking their mom’s. They chase
small mammals and leap at birds. Soon
they’re catching their own dinners.
When the offspring are a year old, they
leave their mother. Wandering into the
woods, they peer back at her. But neither
the youngsters nor the mom has to worry.
Thanks to their mother’s help, these high-
jumping cats have hunting down!NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 31