This species is poorly known, so information on predation and possible anti-predator adaptations is not available.
The physical characteristics of L. colocolo vary across its range in South America. In the high Andes it is gray in color and has reddish stripes that are broken up into spots. In Argentina, the coat of L. colocolo is generally longer and yellow-brown in color with a muted pattern. Long fur is also typical to those individuals living in Brazil, but they tend to be rust colored with black bands on their yellow to orange sides and their lateral underparts.
A three month old male pampas cat from central Brazil that was brought into a zoo had the typical rusty color but also had very dark, irregular stripes over its entire body. By the time it had reached eight months of age, the dorsal and lateral striping had disappeared, and only the stripes on the limbs and underparts remained.
Ears of L. colocolo are large and more pointed than most other small, neotropical cats. Typical head and body length is 435-700 mm, tail length is 220-322 mm, and shoulder height is 300-350 mm. Average weight is 3 to 7 kg.
(IUCN, 1996; Wildlife On Easy Street, 2000; Silveira, 1995)
Range mass: 3 to 7 kg.
Range length: 435 to 700 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Longevity in this species has not been reported. However, other felid species of similar size typically live between 10 and 15 years. (Nowak, 1999)
Just as the geographic range of the species varies widely, so does the habitat in which it is found. It can be found in open woodland or scrub thicket, cloud forest, cold, semi-arid desert regions, low-lying swamps, floodplains, and mountainous slopes. The only forest regions it has not been found to inhabit throughout its range are lowland tropical and temperate rain forests.(IUCN, 1996; Silveira, 1995)
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; forest ; scrub forest ; mountains
Wetlands: marsh
Pampas cats, Leopardus colocolo, have an expansive geographic range. In fact, they have been said to have a greater geographic range than any other South American cat. They are found in the forested slopes of the Andes in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, the cloud forests of Chile, the Paraguayan chaco, open woodland areas of central, western, northeastern, and southern Brazil, the pampas of Argentina and Uruguay, and southern Patagonia. (IUCN, 1996; Silveira, 1995)
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Despite its wide geographic range, very little is known about L. colocolo. Social and reproductive characteristics in the wild are unknown. Very few of these cats are in captivity.
A taxonomic study of 96 museum specimens has led to the suggestion that Leopardus colocolo may in fact be three separate species. These three species are Leopardus pajeros (in the high Andes from the Equator to Patagonia and throughout Argentina), Leopardus braccatus (Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay), and Leopardus colocolo (Chile).
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
L. colocolo is listed in CITES Appendix 2. Habitat destruction across their range is the major threat to this species. The pampas regions of Argentina and Uruguay have been heavily settled and grazed, which is suspected to have had a negative impact on pampas cat populations. Reduction of the prey base of L. colocolo is also a problem.
Trade of pampas cat pelts was ended in 1987. This species is listed as an endangered by the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Naturais Renov·veis. L. colocolo is considered a rare species according to the rarity classification of Rabinowitz, because it is found in a widespread geographic range, is a habitat specialist, and occurs at low population densities.
(IUCN,1996; Garman, 1997)
US Migratory Bird Act: no special status
CITES: appendix ii
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened
See Reproduction.
L. colocolo has been known to take domestic poultry as prey in areas where it lives near human habitation. (Garman, 1997)
L. colocolo was formerly hunted across its range for its fur. (Garman, 1997)
As a predator, L. colocolo probably influences the population sizes of prey species.
L. colocolo preys upon small mammals, such as guinea pigs, as well as ground-dwelling birds. It has been observed taking penguin eggs and chicks from nests. Pampas cats are known to take poultry in areas of human population. (IUCN, 1996; Silveira, 1995; Garman, 1997)
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; eggs
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates, Eats eggs)
The mating system and behavior of this animal are not known.
L. colocolo in captivity in the northern hemisphere breeds period from April to July. Gestation is from 80 to 85 days, and 1 to 3 young are born per litter. Breeding season in the wild is unknown. (IUCN, 1996; Silveira, 1995)
Breeding season: Breeding occurs from April to July in pampas cats held in captivity in the Northern Hemisphere.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); viviparous
As in all mammals, the female provides the young with milk. Specific information on the parental care of this species is lacking, but it is likely that, as with other felids, the young are altricial. They are probably born in a den where they are cared for by their mother until they are able to accompany her on foraging trips.
Parental Investment: altricial ; female parental care
The Pampas cat (Leopardus colocola) is a small wild cat native to South America.[1] It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as habitat conversion and destruction may cause the population to decline in the future.[2]
It is named after the Pampas, but occurs in grassland, shrubland, and dry forest at elevations up to 5,000 m (16,000 ft).[3]
There was a proposal to divide the Pampas cat into three distinct species, based primarily on differences in pelage colour/pattern and cranial measurements.[3] Accordingly, three species were recognised in the 2005 edition of Mammal Species of the World: the colocolo (L. colocolo), the Pantanal cat (L. braccatus), and the Pampas cat (L. pajeros) with a more restricted definition.[4] This split at species level was not supported by subsequent phylogeographic analysis, although some geographical substructure was recognised,[5][6] and some authorities continue to recognise the Pampas cat as a single species.[2][7] In the 2017 revision of felid taxonomy by the Cat Specialist Group, the Pampas cat is recognized as a single species with seven subspecies.[1] An analysis of 142 skins collected across South America revealed morphological differences between these museum specimens. It was therefore proposed to recognize five more distinct species within the Pampas cat complex.[8]
The Pampas cat is a little bigger than a domestic cat and has a bushier tail.[9] Its size varies between regions, ranging in body length from 46 to 75 cm (18 to 30 in) with a 23–29 cm (9.1–11.4 in) long tail. Six variants of its pelage occur, but all have two dark lines on the cheeks:[3]
The subtypes of Type 2 show variation according to altitude and latitude. Only the first subtype occurs in the north (around 20°S and northwards), and only the third type occurs in the far south (around 40°S and southwards). In between, the majority are of second subtype, but the first subtype has been recorded as far south as 29°S, and the third subtype as far north as 36°S. At latitudes where both the first and second subtypes occur, the former tends to live in highlands and the latter in lowlands.[3]
A melanistic phenotype is caused by the addition of a single cysteine residue at position 120 of Agouti-signaling protein. This disrupts the four disulphide bonds in the normal protein, altering its tertiary structure and reducing its ability to bind to the melanocortin 1 receptor.[10]
Felis colocola was the scientific name proposed by Juan Ignacio Molina in 1782 for a cat from Chile.[9]
An extensive morphological analysis of Pampas cat specimens from across the species's range revealed differences in cranial measurements, and pelage colour and pattern. Therefore, the Pampas cat group was divided into three distinct species with 11 subspecies.[3] This species division was recognised in the 2005 edition of Mammal Species of the World, although the number of subspecies was reduced:[4]
Based on just two specimens, the subspecies L. p. steinbachi is larger and paler than L. p. garleppi. However, this is labelled with uncertainty due to the very small sample,[3] and some treat it as a synonym of L. p. garleppi.[7] Uncertainty also exists for the subspecies L. p. budini, which appears to resemble L. p. crespoi, and was described from lowlands of northwestern Argentina, but may actually be from humid forests in the region.[3] Some recognise it,[7] while others do not.[4] Populations in southern Chile and the southern part of Argentina, included in the nominate in the above list, were recognised as the subspecies L. p. crucinus based on its dull pelage and large size.[3]
More recent work, primarily genetic studies, failed to find support for a split at species level, although some geographical substructure was recognized.[5][6] Several authors recognise the Pampas cat as a single species.[2][7] Since 2017, the Cat Classification Taskforce of the Cat Specialist Group recognises the Pampas cat as a single species with seven subspecies:[1]
Authors of a study published in May 2020 found significant morphological, molecular, geographic, and ecological differences between various Pampas cat populations across South America. They propose five species within the Pampas cat species complex, namely L. colocola, L. braccatus, L. garleppi, L. munoai and L. pajeros. They consider all five species to be monotypic.[8] In 2022, the name L. munoai was stated to be a junior synonym of L. fasciatus, and the proposed species should be called by the latter name.[14]
L. c. pajeros. Illustration by Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (1844)
L. c. braccatus. Illustration (1897)
L. c. colocola. Illustration (1896)
The Pampas cat ranges throughout most of Argentina and Uruguay into the Gran Chaco and Cerrado of Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil, and north through the Andes mountain chain through Ecuador and possibly marginally into southwestern Colombia.[2] It occurs in a wide range of habitats and inhabits elevations between 1,800 and 5,000 m (5,900 and 16,400 ft) in páramo, marginally also in puna grassland and locally in dry forest.[3] Where its range overlaps with the Andean mountain cat in northwestern Argentina, it occurs at lower elevations on average.[15] In central to northwestern Argentina, the Pampas cat is found at elevations below 1,240 m (4,070 ft) in grassland, mesophytic and dry forest, and shrubland. In southern Argentina and far southern Chile, it is found in Patagonian steppes and shrubland at altitudes below 1,100 m (3,600 ft).[3]
In 2016 it was recorded for the first time in the Sechura Desert and in the dry forest of northwestern Peru.[16]
Little is known about the Pampas cat's hunting and breeding habits. It is thought to prey mainly on small mammals and birds. Guinea pigs are thought to form a large part of its diet, along with viscachas, other rodents, and the ground-dwelling tinamou order of birds.[17] Though some have suggested it is chiefly nocturnal,[17] others suggest it is mainly diurnal.[18]
Litters are relatively small, usually consisting of only one or two kittens, and occasionally three. The kittens weigh around 130 g (4.6 oz) at birth.[17] The average lifespan is nine years, but some have lived for over 16 years.[19]
The Pampas cat (Leopardus colocola) is a small wild cat native to South America. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as habitat conversion and destruction may cause the population to decline in the future.
It is named after the Pampas, but occurs in grassland, shrubland, and dry forest at elevations up to 5,000 m (16,000 ft).
There was a proposal to divide the Pampas cat into three distinct species, based primarily on differences in pelage colour/pattern and cranial measurements. Accordingly, three species were recognised in the 2005 edition of Mammal Species of the World: the colocolo (L. colocolo), the Pantanal cat (L. braccatus), and the Pampas cat (L. pajeros) with a more restricted definition. This split at species level was not supported by subsequent phylogeographic analysis, although some geographical substructure was recognised, and some authorities continue to recognise the Pampas cat as a single species. In the 2017 revision of felid taxonomy by the Cat Specialist Group, the Pampas cat is recognized as a single species with seven subspecies. An analysis of 142 skins collected across South America revealed morphological differences between these museum specimens. It was therefore proposed to recognize five more distinct species within the Pampas cat complex.
_Leopardus_colocola.png)
