Pantanal cat

Pantanalkatze ( Leopardus braccatus ) is a South American species of the cat family ( Felidae ). Until a few years ago it was not published as a subspecies of pampas cat (L. colocolo ), 1994, however - as Leopardus Pajeros - established as a separate species.

Features

In their redescription of the species Rosa García- Perea Leopardus Pajeros braccatus L. and L. colocolo delineated primarily on the basis of the skull, teeth and fur features. Leopardus braccatus is medium size with an average head -body length of 52-56 cm and a tail length of 23-33 centimeters. It is therefore smaller than L. colocolo, compared to L. pajeros it is within the size range.

In dogs, the animals vary between two types that have been described by García- Perea 1994 as Type 3A and 3B. In type 3A, the animals on the dorsal side are almost completely agouti - brown with some indistinct brown rosettes on the flanks. The topline is slightly darker than the rest of the back. The tail is not curled, but has a black tip. The legs are streaked with black, the feet completely black. In type 3B, the main color is slightly paler and more yellowish. The mottling of the edges is clearly the feet, however, are only partly black and the black coloration of the tail is less pronounced.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution area of Leopardus braccatus extends over parts of Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in the humid forest and grassland areas and scrubland.

Way of life

About the habit of the species, there are few information. It feeds like the other species, especially predatory rodent, the food spectrum is supplemented by small lizards and birds.

System

According to García- Perea (1994) and Wilson & Reeder (2005 ) were divided the formerly regarded as a kind of small cats in three ways:

• Leopardus colocolo is large and has lived in Chile on the west side of the Andes.
• Leopardus Pajeros is medium in size and has the largest circulation of Ecuador throughout Argentina to Patagonia.
• Leopardus braccatus is smallest and is found in moist and warm grasslands of Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Discrepancies prevail over the generic affiliation of these species. In the oldest mills they are classified in Felis, recent works they hold with the small patches cat and the Chilean Forest Cat together to the genus Oncifelis. Sometimes it was also in a separate genus, Lynchailurus, like. Wilson and Reeder (2005) eventually led to the genus Leopardus Oncifelis together with the Pardelkatzen.

Johnson et al. 1999 were in a molecular biological investigation of the small cats of South America not understand the Arttrennung. Although they presented within the considered samples of Pampa Cats cluster determined that demonstrate the close relationship regionally close to each other living groups of cats, but this did not coincide with the species that were of García- Perea ( 1994).

Documents

• Cats
• Felidae