Andean mountain cat

Mountain Cat ( Leopardus jacobita )

The mountain cat or Andean cat ( Leopardus jacobita, synonymous Oreailurus jacobita ) is a South American species within the family of cats. The mountain cat lives in the Andean regions of South America and is on the Red List of endangered species by the World Conservation Union IUCN as endangered ( Endangered ), because the total population is estimated at fewer than 2,500 adult individuals, with a decreasing population trend. The scientific data are still rather vague. The first footage of nature emerged only after 2000 by Christian Baumeister.

Features

The Wildcat is greater than the Chilean forest cat and the Pampas cat. The specimen described by Cornalia 1865 was 35 cm tall with a head-body length of 60 cm and a tail length of 43 cm. Her long, soft, thick fur is light gray mottled with blackish or brownish longitudinal stripes on the belly white with nine blackish or brownish rings on the tail and a bright top. The fur on the back is 40 mm long, bushy tail at 35 mm. According to Pocock suggest her long hair coat that she lives in cool, rocky habitats.

The mountain cat is about the size of a large house cat with a head -body length of 70-75 cm. She weighs about 4-7 kg.

The mountain cat is very similar to the pampas cat who lives in the same region. The exact differences are still subject to scientific studies, as only a few specimens in museums are as investigation objects.

Distribution and habitat

The Wildcat is the rarest cat species in South America and native to the high Andes of southern Peru over the southwest of Bolivia, northeastern Chile and northern Argentina. Its habitat is restricted to the rocky, treeless regions of the Andes at altitudes of over 3,000 m, where a cold harsh dry climate prevails, with daytime temperatures around 0 ° C and less.

Two mountain cats were taken using a camera trap at an altitude of 1800 m in 2004 in the Argentine province of Mendoza in the steppe liable bushland of Monte in northern Patagonia. The distribution area of mountain cats extends about 500 km further south than previously thought. Further studies suggest that wild cats found in the southern foothills of the Andes and the Patagonian steppe adjacent to at an altitude of 650 m and follow the Viscachas, which they hunt primarily.

Nutrition

There is little information about the prey spectrum of mountain cats. They probably feed on birds, lizards and small mammals such as armadillos, chinchillas and other rodents.

Conservation

The Wildcat is listed in Appendix I of the CITES Convention. Without authorization by competent national authorities, international trade and cross-border transfer of live specimens and body parts is prohibited.

System

In many publications, the mountain cat is managed in a separate genus Oreailurus. However, more recent classifications assign them to the Pardelkatzen ( Leopardus ).