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Jaguarundi Color Phases

written by admin Lynx
sources: [x] [x] [?] [Alena Houšková]

The Jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) comes in three main color phases; grey, red, and a greyish brown. These are natural variations within the species - not color mutations/morphs such as leucism, albinism, etc. There is a common misconception that greyish brown individuals are melanistic, but this can be disproven by observing the brown coloration on their face and neck.
Interestingly, the red and grey color phases were once believed to be two separate species - red being the eyra cat, and grey being the jaguarundi. Since then, however, this theory has been disproved.