Little is known about Andean cats. There have been only five reported observations of these animals in the wild. Only one animal has been held in captivity for one year, where it died. These cats are considered to be closely related to pampas cats (Leopardus colocolo), which occur sympatrically with Andean cats in the high Andes. Although there is a much higher abundance of pampas cats throughout the Andes region, a surprisingly low amount of information has been collected about the ecology of this species also.
In northern Chile and Bolivia it is thought bad luck to see an Andean cat and afterwards the person must kill it. It is also Andean tradition to keep stuffed and dried skins of O. jacobita. The skins are decorated and used for festivals, religious rituals, and folk magic.
No communication behaviors between Andean cats have been recorded. Species closely related to Andean cats communicate through mewing and yowls.
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Leopardus jacobitus is a very rare and elusive cat species. As of 2001, the population size of breeding O. jacobita was estimated to be below 2,500 animals and there are no known subpopulations with more than 250 mature individuals. Leopardus jacobitus is ranked as an endangered animal by the IUCN Red List as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is listed in Appendix I by CITES. The Andean mountain cat is now protected throughout its geographical range.
In Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia Andean cats are protected against commercialization, trade, and hunting by law. Sometimes considered the least known of the world's cats, Andean cats may be endangered due to habitat deterioration and exploitation by humans for pelts. The declining abundance of their primary prey, mountain chinchillas and mountain viscachas, may have contributed the most to their low population numbers. Chinchillas were once hunted to the brink of extinction and population numbers remain low.
US Federal List: endangered
CITES: appendix i
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: endangered
There are no negative impacts of Andean cats.
Pelts of these animals are occasionally seen in South American fur markets but no record of international trade exists for this species.
Positive Impacts: body parts are source of valuable material
Andean mountain cats are important predators of mountain viscacha, mountain chinchillas, and possibly other small to medium-sized vertebrate species throughout their range.
Andean cats are specialized predators of mountain chinchillas and mountain viscachas. However, these cats may eat reptiles, birds, and other small mammals, such as rabbits, and tuco tucos.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; reptiles
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates)
Andean cats (Oreailurus jacobita) inhabit the Andean mountain region of southern Peru and Bolivia to northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. The restricted range of Andean cats may be due to their specialized predation on mountain chinchillas and mountain viscachas, which also have a narrow habitat range in the high Andes mountains.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical
The habitat of this South American cat is very specialized. Andean cats are only known from the arid to semi-arid regions of the high Andes mountains. Preferred habitat is normally above timberline at 3000 to 4000 meters. This habitat is primarily very rocky with scattered bunchgrass, tola bushes, and other small shrubs (Parastrephia phylicaeformis, Tetraglochin alatum, Nassauvia azillaris). They also occur in high mountain grasslands with wet, grassy meadows and various shrubs.
Range elevation: 3000 to 5000 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: mountains
There is no conclusive information on the lifespan of Andean cats in the wild. The one reported individual that was held in captivity lived for one year. No other biological data was recorded for this species. A closely related species, the pampas cat, has an average life span of nine years in the wild but can reach an age of 16.5 years in captivity. This lifespan information for pampas cats may be similar to Andean mountain cats.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 1 (high) years.
Andean cats weigh only about 4 kg. The fur is thick, measuring 40 to 45 mm on the dorsal surface. Body color is pale silver or ash gray with irregular rust-colored spots. The spots are found in a general vertical line pattern along the body. Conspicuous dark stripes extend from the back down the sides of the animal and gray bars also run across the forelegs and chest. The belly is pale-colored with dark spots. The tail is thick and long with six to nine dark brown rings, the tip may be a pale white color in some individuals. The nose and lips are black with areas of white surrounding the edges of the lips, eyes and sides of the face. Also, dark stripes that start behind each eye meet those that run from the nose to the mouth. The spots on juvenile O. jacobita are more numerous and the rings on their tail are much narrower than an adult. As the cats age, their spot number decreases and the color of their coat also becomes lighter. Sexual dimorphism has not yet been observed. Body length ranges from 577 to 850 mm and the tail is about 70% of the body length at 410 to 485 mm. Their auditory bullae are greatly expanded.
Leopardus jacobitus is commonly mistaken for the pampas cat, Leopardus colocolo, which is also found in the Andean mountains. Pampas cats can be distinguished from Andean mountain cats by their shorter, less tapering tail with fewer rings. The bars on the pelt of pampas cats are black and much more distinct and the base coat is more yellow brown in color than that of Andean mountain cats.
Average mass: 4 kg.
Range length: 577 to 850 mm.
Average length: 661 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
There are no known predators of Andean cats. However, this animal does possess a fur color pattern that allows it to blend in with its surrounding habitat. Humans may prey on Andean cats occasionally for their pelts.
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
No information has been documented about the mating system of Andean cats.
There has been no record of the general reproductive behavior of Andean cats due to a very limited number of observations in the wild. Their close relatives, pampas cats (Leopardus colocolo), breed from April to July. The litter size of pampas cats ranges from 1 to 3 kittens and they reach sexual maturity at two years of age. This reproductive information may be similar to that of Andean cats because of their close relationship.
Breeding interval: Andean mountain cats probably breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Breeding season is unknown.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
There is no information available about parental care in Andean cats. However, like most felids, females probably provide all parental care and nurse and care for their young until they reach an age of independence. Most cat species also teach their young to hunt for a period before they disperse from their natal range.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement; altricial ; pre-fertilization (Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); extended period of juvenile learning
The Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita) is a small wild cat native to the high Andes that has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,500 individuals are thought to exist in the wild.[2] It is traditionally considered a sacred animal by indigenous Aymara and Quechua people.[3]
The Andean mountain cat was first described by Emilio Cornalia who named it in honor of Jacobita Mantegazza. It is a monotypic species.[4]
The Andean mountain cat has ashy-gray fur, a grey head, face and rounded ears. The nose and lips are black with the areas around them being white; two dark brown lines run from the corners of the eyes across the cheeks. There are some black spots on the forelegs, yellowish-brown blotches on the flanks, and up to two narrow, dark rings on the hind limbs. The long bushy tail has six to nine rings, which are dark brown to black. The markings of juveniles are darker and smaller than those of adults. The skulls of adult specimens range in length from 100.4 to 114.8 mm (3.95 to 4.52 in) and are larger than those of the pampas cat and domestic cat.[5]
On the back and on the tail, the hair is 40–45 mm (1.6–1.8 in) long. Its rounded footprints are 4 cm (1.6 in) long and 3.5 cm (1.4 in) wide. Its pads are covered with hair. Adult individuals range from 57.7 to 85 cm (22.7 to 33.5 in) in head-to-body length with a 41.3 to 48.5 cm (16.3 to 19.1 in) long tail, a shoulder height of about 36 cm (14 in) and a body weight of up to 5.5 kg (12 lb).[4][5]
The Andean mountain cat and pampas cat look similar. This makes it difficult to identify which cat is observed and makes correct estimations of populations problematic. This can be especially difficult when attempting to gain correct information from the observations of individuals that have seen one of these cats but are not aware to look for specific features to distinguish between the two.[6]
The Andean mountain cat lives only at high elevations in the Andes.[7] Records in Argentina indicate that it lives at elevations from 1,800 m (5,900 ft) in the southern Andes to over 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in Chile, Bolivia and central Peru.[8][9][10][11] This terrain is arid, sparsely vegetated, rocky and steep showing that the Andean Mountain Cat prefers a temperate and terrestrial habitat. The population in the Salar de Surire Natural Monument was estimated at five individuals in an area of 250 km2 (97 sq mi).[9] Results of a survey in the Jujuy Province of northwestern Argentina indicates a density of seven to twelve individuals per 100 km2 (39 sq mi) at an elevation of about 4,200 m (13,800 ft).[12]
Its habitat in the Andes is fragmented by deep valleys, and its preferred prey, mountain viscachas (Lagidium) occur in patchy colonies. Across this range, the level of genetic diversity is very low.[11]
The Andean cat is sympatric with the pampas cat and the cougar. The viscacha makes up 93.9% of the biomass consumed in the Andean cat's diet while the pampas cat depends on it for 74.8% of its biomass consumption.[9] Both cats depend on a specific prey to make up a large portion of their dietary needs. In some areas, the mountain viscacha makes up 53% of the Andean cat's prey items despite making up the vast majority of the biomass that it consumes. This is because the mountain viscacha is significantly larger in biomass than the other prey animals that the Andean cat hunts.[13] Other prey and food groups include small reptiles, birds, and other small mammals such as tuco-tuco. They also hunt frequently during the same periods. During one study, both the Andean cat and the pampas cat were seen most frequently during moonless nights; the second most sightings of these cats were during full moons.[14]
Based on residents' observations of Andean cats in coupled pairs with their litters, it is thought that the mating season is in the months of July and August. Due to kittens also being seen in the months of April and October, the mating season could also extend into November or December, although not much information is known about their breeding habits. A litter usually consists of one or two offspring born in the spring and summer months. This is also common in other species that have their young when food resources are increasing, which can influence the survival rate of the young.[15]
The Andean cat is threatened by such factors as habitat loss and degradation, hunting, and disease.[16]
The Andean Cat is also listed on the IUCN Red List, the US Federal List, and the CITES Appendix I.[2] It is protected in all the countries of its range.[17]
The Andean Cat Alliance was formed in 2003 by representatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Chile with the aim of fostering research and conservation of the Andean cat.[16]
The Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita) is a small wild cat native to the high Andes that has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,500 individuals are thought to exist in the wild. It is traditionally considered a sacred animal by indigenous Aymara and Quechua people.
The Andean mountain cat was first described by Emilio Cornalia who named it in honor of Jacobita Mantegazza. It is a monotypic species.
