pampas catendangered cats

  • HB Length: 42-79 cm (16.5-31″)
  • Tail Length: 22-33 cm (9-13″)
  • Height: 30-35 cm (12-14″)
  • Weight: 3-4 kg (6.6-9 lbs)
  • Pop. Trend: Decreasing

Pampas Cats Leopardus colocola look like heavy set domestic cats, and the fur can vary from thick and soft in colder areas to  thin and straw-like in warmer climates. The colour can vary from yellowish white and grayish yellow to brown, grey brown, silvery grey, light grey or dark rust. Underparts are whitish or cream, and marked with brown or black spots or bands. There can be red grey spots or streaks on the pelage, or the coat can be almost unmarked except for brown bands on the legs and tail. There are long, mane-like guard hairs on the back up to seven cm long, which they erect when frightened or nervous. Their head is broad with a short muzzle, and they have relatively large, amber eyes. The ears are somewhat pointed, and are grey black on the backs with a silvery white central spot. The legs are short and stout, marked with brown or black bars and spots. Their tail is fairly short and bushy, sometimes marked with indistinct rings.

With their highly variable colouring and wide range, the Pampas cat shows significant variation and its taxonomy remains confused.

Previously, on the basis of variation in the skull and skeleton from 96 museum specimens, a division into three species was proposed: Leopardus colocolo, L pajeros, and L braccatus. More recent genetic analysis of the mitochondrial DNA, and based on the time of divergence, there is no support for a species-level division. Further data analysis and studies are needed.

Charles Darwin knew these cats by their former name of Felis pajeros, which was derived from paja, meaning “straw,” because they lived in reed beds. The scientist who first described this cat in scientific literature used the scientific name of colocolo, the name of an ancient Araucanian warrior chief of Chile.

Distribution

pampas cat range map
Click for larger image

The Pampas cat has a wide distribution which extends over large parts of South America. It lives in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru and marginally in south-western Colombia.

In the north, they range to the Mato Grosso of southwestern Brazil, into Paraguay, Bolivia, the Peruvian Andes and central Chile to parts of Ecuador. Although once declared extirpated from Uruguay, they likely still exist there in very low numbers.

The home range of a radio-collared male Pampas cat in the Emas National Park averaged 19.47 km², whereas a female monitored in the high Andes of Bolivia occupied an area of 55.3 km².

In the Andes Mountains they can easily be confused with the Andean Cat Leopardus jacobita and researchers often have difficulty identifying juveniles of either species on camera trap photos.

Habitat

Pampas Cats occupy more habitat types than any other Latin American cat. They occur in grassland, cloud forest, open woodlands, swampy areas, savannah, dry thorn scrub, and are absent only from lowland rain forest. They occur up to 5,000 metres in the Andes, where they share much of their range with the Andean Cat. At the southern extent of their range, they occur in the cold semi-arid desert of Patagonia. They do not seem to tolerate altered habitats such as forest plantations and the fringes of agricultural and settled areas.

Ecology

There is little information available on the ecology of the Pampas cat. It is terrestrial and hunts mainly on the ground. They are mostly nocturnal in the high Andes, but in Brazil’s Emas National Park, they were primarily diurnal and only occasionally crepuscular and nocturnal. A female Pampas cat in the high Andes of Bolivia did not show a clear activity pattern and was active during all hours of the day.

Pampas cats feed on a variety of small mammals such as guinea pigs and in particular small rodents like the leaf-eared mice and the mountain vizcacha. They have been known to take flamingos and ground-dwelling birds and has been observed raiding penguin nests for eggs and chicks in Patagonia.

Goat ranchers have reported this little cat kills adult goats, and they are known to raid domestic chicken houses. They are also known to eat carrion, scavenging from livestock and other large mammal carcasses.

Reproduction

Much of the reproductive biology of the Pampas Cat is unknown. From captive records, gestation is 80 – 85 days, and litters are said to contain one to three kittens The breeding season of the few Pampas cats in captivity is from April to July. They have lived over 16 years in captivity. Unlike some of the other small felids they are reputedly aggressive and not responsive to taming.

Threats

  • habitat loss and degradation due to oil extraction, agricultural cropland and livestock grazing
  • reduction of prey species
  • retaliation killing for preying on poultry
  • hunting for cultural purposes mostly in the high Andes
  • hunting for sport
  • road accidents
  • predation by domestic dogs

Conservation

There is little information on the Pampas cat‘s status in the wild and on population estimates. In the IUCN Red List, they are considered as Near Threatened. In Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil it is even classified as Vulnerable. In Uruguay, the species was considered extinct, but at present there are sporadic records in this country. The Pampas cats occurring in Chile are thought to be the most endangered group due to their small geographic range.

They are protected across most of their range. Hunting is prohibited in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay.

Since so little is understood about the status of the Pampas cat, it is difficult to determine the extent to which populations are impacted by different threats. On the one side, the cat is respected as a sacred animal and like the Andean cat it is a symbol of earth and fertility. Encounters are thought to bring good luck and the killing of a Pampas cat to bring bad luck and death to the hunter and his family. On the other hand, the skins of Pampas cats or their stuffed bodies are used in cultural ceremonies for livestock and agriculture.

Important conservation actions are to further investigate the taxonomic status (one or more species?) of the Pampas cat and to conduct further research regarding its behaviour, ecology and distribution to be able to plan conservation strategies more efficiently.

Compare the Pampas Cat to the extremely rare Andean Mountain Cat.

Range map IUCN Red List 2018

Updated 2018

 

External and skull morphology of the Andean cat and Pampas cat: new data from the high Andes of Argentina.

June 29, 2018 Journal of Mammalogy; Cintia Gisele Tellaeche Juan Ignacio Reppucci Miriam Mariana MoralesEstela Maris Luengos Vidal Mauro Lucherini

6 Responses

  1. MAURO LUCHERINI

    Dear Lee
    I am a carnivore researcher from Argentina. As you read the Pampas cat is quite rare, especially in the lowlands of Central Argentina, and any presence record is valuable. Could you please provide a more precision location of the place where you found and a photo of the cat? IF it really is a Pampas cat, what you did is illegal, but don’t worry, I am only looking for additional info on this cat!
    Feel free of contacting Pat Bumstead to deliver the information, if you prefer.
    Thanks
    Mauro

  2. Pat Bumstead

    If you did bring a Pampas Cat kitten back to the USA from Argentina, I would not publicize the fact as there are laws prohibiting this. There are a lot of domestic cats everywhere in the world so maybe you have a feisty domestic cat. Without a photo I cannot tell either way.

  3. Lee Lewedag

    I think I might have a Pampas cat. I found her as a kitten on an estancia near Rojas in Argentina. It was completely in the wild and I don’t know of any domestic cats nearby. The gauchos told me that she was born “over in the weeds”. She is coming up to be 14 years old and is still as active as a young cat. While I would not describe her as agressive, I am really the only person she likes to be with. A friend of mine took her to her house while I was away and she tore the house to pieces. She is the only cat I have had whom I cannot train not to claw furniture but she does keep it to a couple of pieces and is perfectly aware that I disapprove. She is unusually vocal, and “talks” to me a lot and is I have to say the smartest cat I have ever owned. She is indoor-outdoor. When she was younger she used to like climbing trees a lot but nowadays sticks to nearby rooftops and still regularly climbs the screen to my upper balcony. She is a striking long haired light gold colored cat with pointed ears and no stripes and somehow “different” from other cats.
    I tried to include a photo but it wouldn’t paste.
    Lee Lewedag
    Doral, Florida, USA

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