The Central and South American wild cat family currently consists of ten small wild cat species. The Cougar, or Puma as it is more usually known in South America, ranges from the Yukon in northern Canada to the southern tip of the South American continent.

Click on the links below to learn more about these wild cats!

Small Cats of South America

andean cat

 Andean Cat (Leopardus jacobita)

 

Geoffroy’s Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi)    

 

jaguarundi

Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi)

 

Kodkod or (güiña) (Leopardus guigna) 

 

Margay (Leopardus wiedii)

 

Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)

 

Pampas Cat Species Complex (Leopardus colocola)

Desert Pampas cat Leopardus garleppi,
Savanna Pampas cat Leopardus braccatus
Pampa cat Leopardus munoai
Colocolo cat Leopardus colocola
Pajeros cat Leopardus pajeros

 

oncilla leopardus tigrinus

Tiger Cat Species Complex

Savanna Tiger Cat (Leopardus tigrinus)

Atlantic Tiger Cat (Leopardus guttulus)

Clouded Tiger Cat (Leopardus paranoides)

 

Big Cats of South America

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

Puma or Cougar (Puma concolor)

 

 

See Also:

Photo Gallery – Cats of Argentina

Leopardus ID – Ocelot, Margay, Oncilla

 

Updated 2024

17 Responses

  2. laurie
    |

    which cat do you suppose is depicted in the newly discovered (large) petroglyph in Peru?

  3. Pat Bumstead
    |

    We’re not aware of any other Canadian groups dealing with wild cats in Central and South America. There are a few Canadian NGO’s doing general conservation work down there, but none of them specialize in wild cats.

  4. Gabriel
    |

    Hi,

    Do you know of any other Canadian charities (or just NGOs) that also deal with Central and South American cats?

    Thanks!
    Gabriel

  5. Pat Bumstead
    |

    Yes, thank you we did receive it. We emailed you an acknowledgement but were having some problems with our email at that time and it obviously didn’t make it through. Thanks for thinking of the small cats!

  6. Maureen
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    Hi, I mailed in a 50 dollar money order about five months ago. I just want to make sure you received it. Thanks, Maureen.

  7. Pat Bumstead
    |

    We don’t have any donation programs set up with the Wildcats of Brazil project at this time but we could look into it. Was there a specific reason you want to support that project? Please email us at smallwildcats [at] gmail.com and we’ll be happy to discuss it.

  8. Andre
    |

    I’d like to become a member and donate specifically to the project supporting wildcats of Brazil? Is that possible?

  9. Pat Bumstead
    |

    If you saw a small cat there it could easily have been a Pampas Cat. Their markings can resemble puma kittens but Pampas Cats are only about the size of a house cat. Check our Pampas Cat page for more info.

  10. Paul Griffith
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    Is there a smaller wildcat that can be seen north of Puerto Aisen in the Patagonian Coast Range? Otherwise this must have been a Puma kitten!

  12. Maxwell Brewster
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    I recently caught a Leopardus Guttulus or Leopardus Weidii on video on my land in the Atlantic Rainforest in the mountains of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, but I have been unable to identify which it is from the video. I wonder if anyone could help.

  14. Pat Bumstead
    |

    This sounds like a Fishing Cat, which is found throughout tropical Asia. You can read more about them on our website here

  15. patrice
    |

    Had read as a child about what used to be named the true panther. It showed a wild cat, medium sized, its habitat in the Far East. Liked to hunt in water and had a special sweet tooth for fish. To the present I have not been able to find it in the internet. Might be extinct? 🙁

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