The Central and South American wild cat family consists of nine 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 names below the photos to read our South American cats fact sheets.

Small Cats of South America

Andean CatGeoffroy’s CatJaguarundi
KodkodMargayNorthern Tiger Cat
OcelotPampas CatSouthern Tiger Cat

Big Cats of South America

JaguarCougar

See Also:

Photo Gallery – Cats of Argentina

Leopardus ID – Ocelot, Margay, Oncilla

17 Responses

  1. laurie

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

  2. 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.

  3. Gabriel

    Hi,

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

    Thanks!
    Gabriel

  4. 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!

  5. Maureen

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

  6. 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.

  7. Andre

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

  8. 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.

  9. Paul Griffith

    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!

  10. Maxwell Brewster

    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.

  11. Pat Bumstead

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

  12. 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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