Andean cat  (Leopardus jacobita)

Description

The Andean cat is considered to be one of the most endangered wild cats in the world and perhaps the rarest South American felid, and yet is one of the least known cat species (4). It is very rare, and its similarities to the more common South American pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo) have made studying this species even more difficult (2). There have been only a handful of observations of the Andean cat in the wild, few photographs taken and just a few museum skins and skulls have been preserved (2). It is described as a small but sturdy cat, with long ash-grey fur patterned with rusty red spots (2) (4). The sides are marked with thick dark stripes extending down from the back and prominent dark grey bars run across its chest and forelegs (2). The tail is thick and long, at about 70 percent of the cat’s head-body length, and is banded with approximately seven dark rings. Its nose is black, and its belly pale with dark spots (2).

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