tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34580141659232675612024-03-05T20:44:23.085-08:00Project JaguarundiSearch for the Jaguarundi in Alabama and the Florida PanhandleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-40420342825727282282018-02-12T14:06:00.004-08:002018-02-12T14:21:48.808-08:00AL.COM's Trail Camera GalleryWe've had a long hiatus in posts here, and some folks have emailed in reports that deserve responses. Nothing conclusive, however.<br />
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There's <a href="http://www.al.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2018/02/over_85_amazing_wildlife_photo.html">a photo gallery/article</a> by Joe Songer at Al.com that uncritically purports to show a "jaguarundi" in north Alabama (Cleburne County). It is not difficult to tell it's actually a blurry photo of a bobcat. This is unfortunate in that it only perpetuates the public's belief that there are jaguarundis in places where they are not.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEa85XEqOeVOiuvNjMqpzHo4RsbhZ4T7_oy7oomc2OcIA15xRX3RqEYlniKe2NgxuMM436IUVmNZglyLJoK5R1qTaRlWWLXpwwsIlKf_jwtdYSlCX_S1RYetPteKlLn6E8WfayeqBde5A/s1600/Clipboard01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="755" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEa85XEqOeVOiuvNjMqpzHo4RsbhZ4T7_oy7oomc2OcIA15xRX3RqEYlniKe2NgxuMM436IUVmNZglyLJoK5R1qTaRlWWLXpwwsIlKf_jwtdYSlCX_S1RYetPteKlLn6E8WfayeqBde5A/s320/Clipboard01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-56361149718112371502016-06-13T17:38:00.002-07:002016-06-13T17:38:52.156-07:00Huuge announcement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At long last we are proud to announce --no, wait. Trail camera was set up on an apparent fox den today when this black kitty cat passed by. False alarm, folks. Probably should have waited to put this out on April 1.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZY-uNcnJg7fyyOro6Ty6Uy221p4xpArCHxJwSBDmmZMeWF3sBHY1YhLnEPTnsxdk8_cpPUelfEtdJvCQmTkisMDbbuiUwS3W6U3IPdULDR-rtJDtocQr_o6D6aDCf5gUnftc41BP9fO1/s1600/MFDC3697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZY-uNcnJg7fyyOro6Ty6Uy221p4xpArCHxJwSBDmmZMeWF3sBHY1YhLnEPTnsxdk8_cpPUelfEtdJvCQmTkisMDbbuiUwS3W6U3IPdULDR-rtJDtocQr_o6D6aDCf5gUnftc41BP9fO1/s400/MFDC3697.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-17832510177572186212016-06-13T17:34:00.001-07:002016-06-13T17:34:32.827-07:00Misidentified house cat makes the evening news in CaliforniaIt is far easier to understand a house cat being be mistaken for a jaguarundi than for a mountain lion. And yet <a href="http://m.keyt.com/news/mountain-lion-cub-captured-on-home-surveillance-camera/39766810"><b>this </b></a>happened in California recently. And the supposed "expert" (actually a public relations staffer) does not help matters <i>at all</i>. Normally, don't read the comments on news stories. This time, read the comments!Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-88209775525450967442015-12-30T15:35:00.000-08:002015-12-30T15:37:35.470-08:00Jaguarundi VideoThanks to <a href="https://plus.google.com/117592281046542595203/posts">Ocho Verde</a> for sharing this amazing video of jaguarundis walking past a trail camera in Costa Rica. An excellent reference video for folks who think they might have seen one.<br />
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<br />Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-68053180123256281472015-12-30T15:25:00.000-08:002015-12-30T15:25:03.841-08:00Cougars in Alabama? Don't hold your breath...<a href="http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/12/cougars_possibly_living_in_ala.html">This news item</a> just came out about the possibility of <i>Puma concolor </i>in Alabama. The reporting leaves something to be desired and the comments section, as expected, is interesting. Apparently everyone has seen one and it's a government conspiracy that the state won't admit they are here. No, the truth is there are no confirmed sightings of a known wild cougar (panther, etc.) in the state for a half century. It is <i>possible </i>that they are in the state, of course. At least one seems to be in Tennessee. Over time it seems to be increasingly likely that the cats will be in Alabama, but probably coming from the west/northwest as the western population is clearly expanding eastward. Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-85100838730531805162015-03-05T14:48:00.001-08:002018-02-12T14:10:12.377-08:00Black Housecat in the News!A lady in north Alabama posted this trail cam photo of a house cat on Facebook and it turned into a <a href="http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2015/03/madison_county_mountain_lion_f.html">story </a>on AL.com. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtQTGygtz8TGK5LV5BpcaMiVOp3kmD_cGF_laDvYLOUgk3fDz02w7NjDvbjNw1KzptRWQQIqHUFLiifnyny7v-fRVKZUQzXPQ6UyCsM_q420SaiXw1-LuZ8QvOQIM39774bNsG7_81-Dg/s1600/new-market-mountain-lion-f93b7982adf8a502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtQTGygtz8TGK5LV5BpcaMiVOp3kmD_cGF_laDvYLOUgk3fDz02w7NjDvbjNw1KzptRWQQIqHUFLiifnyny7v-fRVKZUQzXPQ6UyCsM_q420SaiXw1-LuZ8QvOQIM39774bNsG7_81-Dg/s1600/new-market-mountain-lion-f93b7982adf8a502.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-72021409099050082452013-04-10T06:58:00.000-07:002013-04-10T07:18:39.133-07:00Wakulla WMA Photo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5eVVTGI3Jo6XGrnIDzgDDu52gnYtr7tNiIxh0OKFhhGMwxGg07GYF0FJN99gTG29tndq0_v_w7SlFZYWhiJ4TLQwkjdKmaKgc4f2ozenFEvmQJcSbm3BDcQ7xabIp2GPlObCd7LDL6ll/s1600/Mike+Morgan+Wakulla+March+29+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5eVVTGI3Jo6XGrnIDzgDDu52gnYtr7tNiIxh0OKFhhGMwxGg07GYF0FJN99gTG29tndq0_v_w7SlFZYWhiJ4TLQwkjdKmaKgc4f2ozenFEvmQJcSbm3BDcQ7xabIp2GPlObCd7LDL6ll/s1600/Mike+Morgan+Wakulla+March+29+2013.jpg" /></a></div>
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This low-resolution photo, taken at a distance by Jane Morgan on March 29, 2013 in the Wakulla (FL) Wildlife Management Area near St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, shows what appears to be a small-headed cat of moderate size. Mike Morgan, Fire Chief at Wakulla County Fire Rescue, posted this and others to his <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.551447468211146.1073741830.100000376929551&type=1">Facebook page</a>. Mike thought it was a Florida panther, but in profile this animal subjectively aligns more with jaguarundi than panther, bobcat, or house cat. Not the smoking gun we're looking for, but certainly one of the more interesting photos that have surfaced in recent times.<br />
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Note that <a href="http://library.fws.gov/Refuges/st_marks.pdf">this USFWS brochure</a> (PDF) on the adjacent St. Marks NWR lists the jaguarundi along with feral hog as non-native mammals on the refuge.Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-71505225310899476912011-10-09T16:47:00.000-07:002011-10-09T16:47:37.001-07:00Georgia Photo: Gray Fox?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVR8J5hpLOSjRFRryYp5Jzxb_kMTGzDj779pphLUwl2lsnvDb4ZNdgGNKifAk04RzY30rLa82e9R_iQH95MJZeEOHOGrPbHXz2f5ggo_o5LafGkbtLWvFbRpJm04jFZyM4H4oe8-7xLtcg/s1600/georgiapic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVR8J5hpLOSjRFRryYp5Jzxb_kMTGzDj779pphLUwl2lsnvDb4ZNdgGNKifAk04RzY30rLa82e9R_iQH95MJZeEOHOGrPbHXz2f5ggo_o5LafGkbtLWvFbRpJm04jFZyM4H4oe8-7xLtcg/s320/georgiapic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Thanks to a reader for sending in this link to a lively discussion on a forum about a <a href="http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=565337&p=1">series of photos</a> from Georgia. People are all over the map on this (most claiming some sort of cat), but the dark tail strongly suggests<a href="http://www.thevlm.org/files/Images/gray-fox.jpg"> gray fox</a>.Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-81852040130858734622011-10-09T13:49:00.000-07:002011-10-09T14:47:34.726-07:00Baldwin County Photo?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">More on this as it develops, but a reader writes, </span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"We believe we may have captured a picture of a jaguarundi on a scouting camera this week on my property in Baldwin County, AL. Today an Alabama game warden visited my property to take measurements of where the picture was taken for hopefully some confirmation."</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We have not seen the photo, but Baldwin County has been the source of nearly half of the recent putative jaguarundi reports from Alabama. Trail camera photos are often blurry, and scale is often in question. Let's hope the measurements and photo analysis provides something substantial. Stay tuned...</span><br />
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</span>Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-39778660118690069282011-09-26T12:06:00.000-07:002011-09-26T12:06:27.044-07:00Seriously?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04fjLlAKd2_kr28_KStV0XBt2FFabi9pADIEFY4RF7bM5vZWTAZSSezv-3AHsUd_9xC6lUH3b-RfED4xxzin-6Opon6zfE72fTjdqr4l_uo3z1tBnRpj5h6Ixvi2zjHo6Z1RO7CXXsYqp/s1600/panther_friends_of_fakahatchee_newsletter_march_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04fjLlAKd2_kr28_KStV0XBt2FFabi9pADIEFY4RF7bM5vZWTAZSSezv-3AHsUd_9xC6lUH3b-RfED4xxzin-6Opon6zfE72fTjdqr4l_uo3z1tBnRpj5h6Ixvi2zjHo6Z1RO7CXXsYqp/s400/panther_friends_of_fakahatchee_newsletter_march_2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is from the March 2011 <a href="http://www.friendsoffakahatchee.org/pdfs/FOF-News-0311.pdf">newsletter</a> (pdf) of <a href="http://www.friendsoffakahatchee.org/">Friends of Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve</a> in south Florida. The caption and photo are not altered. The animal was observed in an area where Florida panthers are actually known to exist, so it's gotta be one, right? No! Frustrated conservation professionals are constantly fielding "sightings" from an out-of-touch public that can't tell a cat from a dog. Large house cats resemble jaguarundis far more than yellow labs look like panthers, and if we're going to make claims about jaguarundis, we're going to have solid evidence. So far we don't. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and so far all we have for the jaguarundi in the Southeast are anecdotal reports and questionable photos.Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-87392731619844860582010-11-11T09:49:00.000-08:002010-11-11T10:01:18.316-08:00Kitty kitty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74fkMxIRJl4kVJiVQCjFWeTy7lBBgEAn26CHiRvr5CioeIYMFjmB4BvXQ4NqM9gSLaWYY-C-3Lqwcq40HCU3oYhmwFj_IpKmZ9i5t8L05lqN5ioEfyitHBG846D1oqsUdlAPaN0njj1IL/s1600/HUNT0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Last week I put the trail camera on a small drying pool on our property. We created this shallow depression a few years ago and it has served its purpose well as an amphibian breeding site. The deer love it also and tracks were abundant. I thought I'd get some interesting deer photos, but this was what I ended up with:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74fkMxIRJl4kVJiVQCjFWeTy7lBBgEAn26CHiRvr5CioeIYMFjmB4BvXQ4NqM9gSLaWYY-C-3Lqwcq40HCU3oYhmwFj_IpKmZ9i5t8L05lqN5ioEfyitHBG846D1oqsUdlAPaN0njj1IL/s1600/HUNT0018.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74fkMxIRJl4kVJiVQCjFWeTy7lBBgEAn26CHiRvr5CioeIYMFjmB4BvXQ4NqM9gSLaWYY-C-3Lqwcq40HCU3oYhmwFj_IpKmZ9i5t8L05lqN5ioEfyitHBG846D1oqsUdlAPaN0njj1IL/s400/HUNT0018.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUoQk_1l844QS2bRlJK64QHIywgB0IG-IAX0pzDmjYVXOoDRMjw4lqWfwWRKM94gKyv_kmzBN6KT0MmC09WenYMl379z14LI88tAJH4S1ysS4l6L4JlIDQT_IP1SkqfcKQz76eLCzkdsF/s1600/HUNT0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUoQk_1l844QS2bRlJK64QHIywgB0IG-IAX0pzDmjYVXOoDRMjw4lqWfwWRKM94gKyv_kmzBN6KT0MmC09WenYMl379z14LI88tAJH4S1ysS4l6L4JlIDQT_IP1SkqfcKQz76eLCzkdsF/s400/HUNT0019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">In the comments section of <a href="http://jagabama.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-recent-photo.html#comments">a previous post</a>, Dave Steen said that in addition to the handful of ambiguous trail camera photos that <i>might </i>be a jaguarundi, we also should be getting trail camera images of black house cats that are clearly just that and nothing else. My response was that nobody's likely to report or post such photos, because it would be of little interest to anyone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, this is without doubt a domestic cat, <i>Felis catus</i>. There are a lot of them out there. I got these photos far too easily for someone with an interest in melanistic felids. I'll admit that had the animal been walking away with its head down and out of clear view, or had the focus or lighting been poor, this might have gone to the "interesting photos" file. Having multiple images certainly helps (these were four minutes apart). If there are jaguarundis in this part of the world, it will take either a dead body or photos as clear and unambiguous as these to confirm their existence.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-34342289495526006112010-09-19T12:30:00.001-07:002010-09-19T13:06:24.736-07:00Wolf Bay-Blackwater River Update<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVUpGO4Jq7KktiejFd0IyJDlRPu8x7CNHCa6-wysq-JzCf533pnt9ErIiBgzyonL6Q6Q1vZ0t33cV7eW0etttfsQCHPnTV9YZXl-ltQRRIYCwODaYP3fM3HWU4vKQItBeWR9YbMqtUHgH/s1600/SUNP0001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVUpGO4Jq7KktiejFd0IyJDlRPu8x7CNHCa6-wysq-JzCf533pnt9ErIiBgzyonL6Q6Q1vZ0t33cV7eW0etttfsQCHPnTV9YZXl-ltQRRIYCwODaYP3fM3HWU4vKQItBeWR9YbMqtUHgH/s400/SUNP0001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518712332167361250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Maybe white-tailed deer like sardines.</span></span><br /><br /></div>You get what you pay for. The recent Wolf Bay trip yielded nothing of interest, as the three cheap ($50) new cameras failed to work properly in multiple trials. I left them out for a week even though I knew they weren't up to snuff, and the only photo taken that was not of my hand reaching for the camera is the one above. This was actually from the location of a reported jaguarundi sighting in Blackwater River State Forest in Florida, and the other two cameras were deployed on the Wolf Bay tract. All three have now been returned for a refund, and the next camera purchase will emphasize quality, not quantity.<br /><br />While at Wolf Bay, I asked a local resident about any sightings of long-tailed cats. "Jaguarundis?" he replied. "Oh, they're here. One guy with a nearby homeowners' association has a hundred dollar reward for proof of one." I should point out that <span style="font-style: italic;">he </span>said "jaguarundi," not me. He is also not a typical local, being an avid observer of nature and having considerable interest in environmental issues. He also does not claim a personal jaguarundi sighting. So, is the jaguarundi in these parts reality or myth? The jury's still out. I'm going to try to track down this person who's allegedly offered the reward.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-62666205628108809242010-09-01T08:22:00.000-07:002010-09-01T08:49:56.584-07:00Fieldwork BeginsTomorrow, for the first time, bait stations will be set up in conjunction with trail cameras for the sole purpose of photographing a jaguarundi in Alabama. Three <a href="http://www.tasco.com/products/index.cfm?ClassID=18&FamilyID=178&ProductID=694">Tasco Model 119223C</a> trail cameras (available at Wal-Mart for $50, not counting a $15 4GB memory card and batteries) will be employed on a large, densely forested private tract on Wolf Bay in south Baldwin County. Bait will be fish suspended 6-7 feet off the ground (out of reach of coyotes). The cameras will be left in place for a full week and checked on September 9. Results will be posted here in a little over a week.<br />
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Thanks to Dr. Bill Summerour for advice on methods, for relaying his own 1963 possible sighting in Barbour County, and for passing along a recent report from a competent observer who watched with binoculars for <i>five minutes </i>at a distance of about 50 yards what he was virtually certain was a jaguarundi. This was in 2005, and on an overgrown woods road near Weeks Bay, roughly 15 miles from where the cameras are to be set up tomorrow.Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-77428164196241635352010-08-31T18:59:00.000-07:002010-09-01T11:07:08.242-07:00Vittor & Knowles 2007<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rWTPhAjIJBItzb2PbGs-eW15u-wUoBH4oL2wIqCfM8IpUSKn98MIMkPHF9C1T5ugk2Y6cKMOSJH5sSx-waEy2FjN7Q0Xo1ni-4Wa8TeC7fUOWSM4BQXEupIuS2kGtNFBhuu34eCNJRQn/s320/vittor+sketch.jpg" /></div>One of the most compelling recent accounts of a putative jaguarundi in Alabama occurred at 9:30 AM, March 27 2007, when Barry P. Vittor and David J. Knowles, both trained wildlife biologists at the environmental consulting firm of Barry A. Vittor & Associates, observed what they believed to be a jaguarundi in southern Mobile County. The encounter was at 30.534°, -88.125° on the Kerr-McGee property just west of the south entry gate near the Theodore Industrial Canal. A few days after, both wrote separate accounts of what they saw. Above is Barry Vittor's sketch. A map and excerpts from their written accounts appear below, after the jump. Thanks to both David and Barry for permission to post this, and to Howard Horne for facilitating.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<b> Barry P. Vittor</b><br />
<blockquote>"...We pulled up to the south entry gate, unlocked it, and proceeded inside. I stopped the truck and as David prepared to get out of the vehicle to close and lock the gate behind us, I joked with him that there was a strange cat approaching us down the drive that we were parked on. We both agreed that it was one extremely strange, large housecat. A few seconds later and as the animal continued to approach to within roughly 100 feet, David said, "I don't think so; that must be some weird dog, it doesn't look right." I pointed out the walk (the classic cat gait) and we both were once again satisfied that it was, indeed, an unusual housecat. At that time David jumped out of the truck and went behind the vehicle to lock the gate. While he was working on the double locks, the cat took several more steps towards us, then turned to my right (its left) and faced the woods. It was at that time that I became convinced it was no housecat, as it had an unusually long tail and somewhat elongated head and face. It also seemed to have a long body, which I found strange. The animal stood still for 10-20 seconds, looking at the woods, then us, the woods, then us several times. The animal had a solid colored coat that I would describe as charcoal color and held its ears in an alert, upright position. At that time, I frantically called for Dave to look at the cat. He came back to the passenger side of the truck and said, "What the hell <i><b>is </b></i>that?! I took out my camera and raised it to shoot the picture, but the cat bounded off of the driveway and into the woods. Dave and I looked at each other, grabbed our cameras and jumped out of the truck in pursuit of the animal. I jogged down the road past where it leaped into the woods, and Dave stayed farther back. I entered the woods first and looked back to the point where the cat made its jump. It was crouching in a hunkered down position approximately 15 feet from the drive. Seeing me approach, it jumped up and bolted through the <i>Cliftonia </i>and <i>Vitis </i>and disappeared to the north before I could take a picture. This was the last visual contact that I made with the animal. </blockquote><blockquote>I ran after the cat, but it was no use. We both searched the woods for approximately 20 minutes after the cat ran off, but found no sigh of the animal. When we walked back to the truck, Dave went back down the road beyond the point where we lost sight of the cat. After about two minutes, he called out that he believed he spooked the cat again near the drive. If correct, the cat would have jumped the creek that ran south through the woods, doubling back on us as we searched the woods north of the drive. I told Dave to hide on the edge of the road while I went back to the woods to try and flush the cat out onto the road. Unfortunately, after approximately 5-10 minutes, I saw no sign of the animal, and we decided to stop the search. We searched for tracks, but the animal left no sign on the dry gravel and shell drive.<br />
<br />
<br />
David and I are trained wildlife biologists who received our degrees from the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University, and work in the woods daily. Neither of us have ever seen anything like the subject animal before. We both believe the animal we spotted to be a jaguarundi based on the details of our sighting."</blockquote><br />
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<b>David J. Knowles</b><br />
<blockquote>"...we had just pulled the truck through the gate and stopped to lock the gate behind us when we noticed what we thought at first to be a very large housecat walking towards us down the shell and gravel driveway that leads to Kerr-McGee's boat launch and industrial canal. Barry joked with me about how crazy-looking cat looked as it walked towards us on the road. I told Barry that it's too big to be a house cat and it walks in a slightly different manner. The cat came around the bend in the road and continued to approach us while the vehicle was still running and stopped approximately 100 feet from us and the vehicle. The animal remained motionless with its body and head directly in line with our line of sight for approximately 30 seconds near the edge of the road. I then stepped away from the truck to lock the gate behind me. As I came back to the truck Barry told me to hurry up and come look at the animal again. As I came back around the corner where the gate was and approached the truck, I saw the animal turned exactly perpendicular to my line of sight. I got a very good, unobstructed view of the animal. The cat-like animal was a dark charcoal color, had a long, thick tail equal to the length of its body, with a hook in it and curled up slightly towards the end. The animal had a slightly elongate snout, unlike that of a house cat, and its body was long (approximately 28 inches), and legs fairly short in comparison to its body length. the animal was approximately 20 pounds or slightly smaller. The animal bound[ed] off the road and into the woods as soon as I went to the back seat of the truck to get my camera. We gave chase and we lost sight of it shortly thereafter in the thick woods. I am quite positive that I scared the animal up again about 15 minutes later, again near the area we had first seen it. I could not, however, get a good second visual of the animal.</blockquote><blockquote>I am an environmental consultant with a degree in wildlife science from Auburn University and I have a very good understanding of what all the local mammals look and behave like. I have never seen anything like the animal I saw that Tuesday morning. Its body was too elongate to be a house cat, it was too tall and had legs too long to have been an otter, and it had a long and thick tail which rules out a bobcat. I believe after getting a very good, long look at the animal that it was in fact a jaguarundi. I believe the animal will possibly continue to return to the area [in] which we observed it. I witnessed what I believe to be game trails made by the animal, but could find no paw prints or other physical evidence of its existence."</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJcDkXpqvEd8MPtK0jCtuVc3XhAmJ9RZ5Clvq9XlrKN35gngeuZ2nZV2aRoI7vuDNcj8tBRW6690tGFe7imSjEQZi6nOWZqyPT8_w5Mn7zFpwEDv3Nwm1gHBPUJ86eb6Jv5t0GpNl3O_W/s1600/knowles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJcDkXpqvEd8MPtK0jCtuVc3XhAmJ9RZ5Clvq9XlrKN35gngeuZ2nZV2aRoI7vuDNcj8tBRW6690tGFe7imSjEQZi6nOWZqyPT8_w5Mn7zFpwEDv3Nwm1gHBPUJ86eb6Jv5t0GpNl3O_W/s320/knowles.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFz4T9C6iyWd6vm2s3CGbpMlDU0os9tX1NgOU-SVh7Ijcv3IL3wC9tm0h1ftdQrcdfWJpm8hVop2E_mvOO3bYOOTF_VXeAEmOYcBYiUtdMAT-63UYXghWX0_PolIuPbFX7sWzJMCbXLPiz/s1600/vittor+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFz4T9C6iyWd6vm2s3CGbpMlDU0os9tX1NgOU-SVh7Ijcv3IL3wC9tm0h1ftdQrcdfWJpm8hVop2E_mvOO3bYOOTF_VXeAEmOYcBYiUtdMAT-63UYXghWX0_PolIuPbFX7sWzJMCbXLPiz/s400/vittor+map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Mark Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10496236405521353879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-44813018987582723062010-08-31T12:39:00.001-07:002010-08-31T13:16:06.562-07:00Another Recent Photo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzT1esPkltkTxUiMpFB6bWMB_c-2jWhqgM4WDJdp3Bat4Ts7wVbQPLTwh1PgoT7AV00nPxJtNCXB25MdKwjvPjglnPYD_rK7ZUXJuIpKQ9L_Q-WB5xun5WHUIGSR_Be-1mS2XEI0Sj9Fh/s1600/jag_barbour.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzT1esPkltkTxUiMpFB6bWMB_c-2jWhqgM4WDJdp3Bat4Ts7wVbQPLTwh1PgoT7AV00nPxJtNCXB25MdKwjvPjglnPYD_rK7ZUXJuIpKQ9L_Q-WB5xun5WHUIGSR_Be-1mS2XEI0Sj9Fh/s400/jag_barbour.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511661120648261970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmUKpvp4k2bUSPNZBtOTwQsR5rwyOAUr4JtYlmh0RkuQLbggjLQhjz1tAz6VObD_5-WT8RjMYBKwwbc3fAe87VIjK0AWzREYaehVEpfRe60q8pQutOVxdoNMWzaNBexPdMMaibRXti73A/s1600/jag_barbour_closeup.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmUKpvp4k2bUSPNZBtOTwQsR5rwyOAUr4JtYlmh0RkuQLbggjLQhjz1tAz6VObD_5-WT8RjMYBKwwbc3fAe87VIjK0AWzREYaehVEpfRe60q8pQutOVxdoNMWzaNBexPdMMaibRXti73A/s400/jag_barbour_closeup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511663918487348674" border="0" /></a>This 2007 trail camera image at a deer feeding station is from Barbour County, Alabama. We may release more information with permission from the source, but this one is inconclusive; nothing here eliminates a large house cat. Feel free to comment below.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-63018069919333923372010-08-30T14:01:00.000-07:002010-08-31T11:39:02.984-07:00Alabama (?) Black Cat Video<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOHFT9RUW3I"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4t2n0MM3a8D9k5BoUohC4HlUCYwyj7qqLEBrX5NqVrLQnI467hKzUhffQVVoRd-fDWhhajgD_NLlQGvBCXtgbuU_xFXUe9qXUk8Iw-Si3jcZwIkE5ca3T5swcy7GvEe-l-bUWz0DJRl5/s400/selmacat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511313408691955762" border="0" /></a><br />This heavily edited video has been around a while. YouTube embedding is disabled, but you can watch it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOHFT9RUW3I">here</a>. Evidently filmed from a deer stand, allegedly in Alabama south of Selma, with a buck actually in the field watching the cat. There is little to use for scale, however, and although it <span style="font-style: italic;">appears </span>large, black house cat cannot be ruled out. It's interesting that the buck seems nervous about the cat, though.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458014165923267561.post-48816569054359919552010-08-30T09:00:00.000-07:002010-08-30T10:46:59.653-07:00First Post: Interesting Photo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Iyszd2UaWPwGRk-aDJtagAJ5LvzoJ5GhOfOgQhMBsbWMXN82z6q9jdh-IIun67UcR7KyOyZzEmYcqdVOs9aAvRknI3oPxkXCrC8HMoPQk9h2Hu4JLYNHHh_wRvmTCw4LZi8XeKnEV14S/s1600/black+cat.jpg"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUTV3953HA1lX7tdArxE9LI6RXNpm991a1juKM1ZeeJHm_FtKPyj1oDW9xN7k3nqeoh3sJ5MdfJyYR9Z4Dbsnr4DaKChMl1wLu5-_nbiQ9raO_OnTaGqV9YeLNAtzxucMwUavXr3hULWD/s1600/aljag1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUTV3953HA1lX7tdArxE9LI6RXNpm991a1juKM1ZeeJHm_FtKPyj1oDW9xN7k3nqeoh3sJ5MdfJyYR9Z4Dbsnr4DaKChMl1wLu5-_nbiQ9raO_OnTaGqV9YeLNAtzxucMwUavXr3hULWD/s400/aljag1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511233180866064818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Alabama jaguarundi or house cat?</span><br /></div><br />According to my source, the low-resolution photo above was taken in a south Alabama county that borders Florida. As requested, the location will for now remain confidential. The animal is walking away from an automated trail camera. Although the location has not been positively verified, the vegetation is apparently consistent with the region. The tree to the right appears to be a live oak. Lacking scale, it is entirely possible that this is a large house cat, but note the striking similarity of the tail and hindquarters to this jaguarundi:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.richcoastrealty.com/1066003%7EJaguarundi-Ecuadorian-Amazon-Ecuador-Posters_1_.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouLu3m-EwuYso92e9XmdDbeHPf4yiJwNUe7249HJvnOARvdvvLDbQcXgeCkmeLZSgYbNRY2oTLuyKZQGG5hlUhPnqA2GWQNJJfY_F14oM2eqQoBsRoWAyzYwc0rBpqJzwJe1wR0snfoSQ/s400/jag_ecuador.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511234472849876754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">South American jaguarundi</span>.<br /></div><br />House cats frequently (but not always) carry their tails higher:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Iyszd2UaWPwGRk-aDJtagAJ5LvzoJ5GhOfOgQhMBsbWMXN82z6q9jdh-IIun67UcR7KyOyZzEmYcqdVOs9aAvRknI3oPxkXCrC8HMoPQk9h2Hu4JLYNHHh_wRvmTCw4LZi8XeKnEV14S/s1600/black+cat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Iyszd2UaWPwGRk-aDJtagAJ5LvzoJ5GhOfOgQhMBsbWMXN82z6q9jdh-IIun67UcR7KyOyZzEmYcqdVOs9aAvRknI3oPxkXCrC8HMoPQk9h2Hu4JLYNHHh_wRvmTCw4LZi8XeKnEV14S/s400/black+cat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511259221533574322" border="0" /></a><br />Of the putative "jaguarundi" images I've seen from the Southeast, the top image here is the most compelling.<br /><br />A photo like that calls for an on-site investigation before the surroundings are appreciably altered. It should be a simple matter to return to the site of the photo and re-shoot a similar photo as documentation of site authenticity. It may also be possible to place a measuring stick in the position of the cat for scale. We're working on that.<br /><br />More to come. Please don't hesitate to initiate discussion in the comments.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5