Animal Info - Andean Cat
(Other Names: Altiplánico, Andean Highland Cat, Andean
Mountain Cat, Andenkatze, Bergkatze, Chat des Andes, Chinchay, Gato Andino,
Gato Chacra, Gato Lince, Gato Montés, Gato Montés Andino, Gato Montés
Altiplánico, Gato de las Peñas, Gato Rayado, Gato Zonzo,
Hualpasua, Huaña Titi, Misi, Mountain Cat, Oscalla, Oscollo, Osjo, Titi,
Titimayu, Titimisi)
Oreailurus jacobita (Leopardus j., Felis j.)
Contents
1. Profile (Picture)
2. Tidbits
3. Status and Trends (IUCN Status, Countries Where
Currently Found, Taxonomy, Population Estimates, History of Distribution, Threats and Reasons
for Decline)
4. Data on Biology and Ecology (Size
and Weight, Habitat, Birth Season, Birth Rate, Diet, Behavior, Social
Organization)
5. References
Profile
Pictures: Andean
Cat #1 (15 Kb JPEG) (Big
Cats Online); Andean
Cat #2 (23 Kb JPEG) (IUCN Cat Spec.
Gr.); Andean
Cat #3 (62 Kb JPEG) (Terrambiente);
Andean
Cat #4 (95 Kb JPEG) (Cat
Act. Treas.); Andean
Cat #5 (99 Kb JPEG) (Cat
Act. Treas.)
Mountain
Viscacha (Lagidium peruanum) (24 Kb JPEG) (Anim.
Div. Web)
The Andean cat is about the size of a large house cat. Its head and body length
is 58 - 85 cm (23 - 33"). A male
weighed 4.0 kg (9 lb), and a female
weighed 4.5 kg (10 lb). Its fur is long, soft and thick. It is mainly ash grey
with brown-yellowish blotches that are distributed as vertical lines on both
sides of the body, giving the appearance of continuous stripes. The Andean cat's
nose is black, and its belly is pale with dark spots. Its tail is very long and is probably an aid to balance
when the cat is chasing chinchillas and mountain viscachas as
they leap around the rocky habitat. The tail is fluffy and cylindrical, with 6 - 9
wide rings of dark brown to black color. The legs also have dark and narrower
blotches or stripes, but they do not form complete rings.
The Andean cat is highly specialized in its habitat
requirements, usually being found at high elevations (3500 - 4800
m (11,500 - 15,700‘)) in the dry, rocky regions of
the high Andes above the timberline. Vegetation consists mainly of scattered dwarf shrubs and clumps of bunchgrass. The
presence of rock piles and boulders may be important for the Andean cat.
The
presence of free water is probably also important, as
is the presence of mountain viscachas.
The Andean cat’s main prey likely is the mountain
viscacha. The mountain chinchilla was probably also an important prey
species until its populations were decimated as a result of the international
fur trade. Reported sightings and radio-tracking
data have indicated that the cat may be active at various times during the day
and night.
The Andean cat occurs in southern Peru,
the highlands of Bolivia, northern Chile,
and northwestern Argentina. It is
distributed over 620,000 sq km (240,000 sq mi) in these four countries, but
intensive field surveys in all 4 countries have led biologists to believe that
the Andean cat’s distribution is likely highly fragmented and that this cat is
very rare. There are very few records concerning its past distribution and the
areas where it was previously recorded generally coincide with those where the
presence of the species has been recently verified.
The principal threats that the Andean cat faces are: reduction of populations
of its principal prey species, hunting and persecution by humans, and habitat degradation.
Tidbits
*** Cat Tidbit #7: Cats have extensive
peripheral vision, which, strangely enough, may be partially responsible for
their reputation for aloofness. Because its peripheral vision is so good, a
resting cat focuses its eyes infrequently. The result is the cat’s typical
wide-eyed, staring-into-space look that some people find so unsettling. (Sunquist
& Sunquist 2002) (See Cat
Tidbit #8.)
*** "In 1998, in the Sala de Surire National Park in Chile,
near the Chilean/Bolivian border, I observed and video-taped an adult male
Andean cat. My observations confirm previous reports that the Andean cat seems
without fear of people. Indeed, during video-taping from a distance of 10 m
(33') he stretched, yawned, sprayed a rock and then slept for 12 minutes before
resuming his search through a mountain viscacha
colony." (Sanderson 1999)
*** Etymology of the scientific name
of the Andean cat: the genus name
("Oreailurus") - comes from the Greek ‘oreos’ for 'mountain'
and ‘ailurus’ for 'cat'; the species name ("jacobita")
- in honor of Jacobita Mantegazza (Yensen & Seymour
2000).
Status and Trends
[The IUCN (International Union for the
Conservation of Nature; also called the World Conservation Union) is the world’s
largest conservation organization. Its members include countries, government
agencies, and non-governmental organizations. The IUCN determines the
worldwide status of threatened animals and publishes the status in its Red
List.]
- 1986 - 1990: Rare
- 1994: Insufficiently Known
- 1996: Vulnerable
- 2002 - 2005: Endangered; (Criteria:
C2a(i))
(Population Trend: Decreasing) (IUCN
2005)
Countries Where the Andean Cat Is Currently Found:
2005: Occurs in Argentina, Bolivia,
Chile, and Peru
(IUCN 2005).
Recent genetic analyses have lead to the proposal that all modern cats can be
placed into eight lineages which
originated between 6.2 - 10.8 million years ago. The Andean cat is placed in the
"ocelot lineage," which
diverged from its ancestors as a separate lineage
8.0 million years ago. The ocelot lineage
also includes the ocelot, the margay, the kodkod,
the pampas cat, Geoffroy's cat, and the tigrina. (Johnson et
al. 2006)
Population Estimates:
[Note: Figures given are for wild populations only.]
History of Distribution:
The Andean cat occurs in southern Peru,
the highlands of Bolivia, northern Chile,
and northwestern Argentina. It is
distributed over 620,000 sq km (240,000 sq mi) in these four countries, but
intensive field surveys in all 4 range countries have led biologists to believe
that the Andean cat’s distribution is likely highly fragmented and that this
cat is very rare. The Andean cat is highly specialized to regions of high
elevation in the Andes. There are very few records concerning its past
distribution and the areas where it was previously recorded generally coincide
with those where the presence of the species has been recently verified. (Villalba
et al. 2004, IUCN 2005)
Distribution Map
(2 Kb GIF) (Big Cats Online)
Threats and Reasons for Decline:
The principal threats that the species faces are: 1) reduction of populations
of its principal prey species, 2) hunting and persecution by humans, and
3) habitat degradation (Villalba
et al. 2004, Lucherini et al.
2005):
1) Loss of Prey - This can be attributed to several factors, including: a)
hunting of prey by people of the region - principally hunting of mountain viscachas
for meat, which is
consumed at the local level, or for the skin, which is sold; b) competition
between mountain viscachas
and domestic animals whose grazing
areas overlap with feeding areas of mountain viscachas; and c) competition
between mountain viscachas
and exotic species - especially the European hare, which was initially introduced in
Argentina and is currently found throughout the four countries where the Andean
cat occurs. (Villalba
et al. 2004) In addition, it is likely that the mountain
chinchilla previously constituted important prey for the Andean cat, but the
chinchilla was hunted nearly to extinction to supply the fur trade (IUCN
2005).
2) Hunting/Persecution - This occurs for several reasons: a) use in traditional
ceremonies: A common tradition is the use of an Andean cat skin or a stuffed cat
during ceremonies that are performed for marking domestic livestock, mainly
llamas or alpacas. Ancient beliefs hold that Andean cat skins, when used during
religious ceremonies, bestow good fortune and ensure bountiful crops and
productive livestock. b) persecution: The Andean cat is not considered a threat
to domestic llamas or alpacas, but in some regions, it is killed because it is considered to be a
threat to smaller domestic animals, such as sheep, goats and fowl, or to humans.
c) sport hunting: Some native people hunt carnivores and other species for
sport. (Villalba
et al. 2004)
3) Habitat Degradation - a) In the high Andean region, the main economic
activity is the breeding of domestic llamas and alpacas as well as introduced
animals like sheep and goats. There are some areas with high
levels of overgrazing, and this affects the cat’s
herbivorous prey. b) The
extraction of certain plant species, which are used as fuel and/or construction
material, has had a significant impact. c) These areas are rich in mineral
resources. Mining is carried out by some local communities, but is mainly an
activity of trans-national or national companies. This land use has more impact
on Andean cat habitat (due to contamination, resource extraction for fuel,
hunting of the Andean cat's prey, and general habitat disturbance) than do traditional
uses. (Villalba
et al. 2004)
Data on Biology and Ecology
The head and body length of the Andean cat is 58 - 85 cm (23 - 33") (n
= 5) (Yensen & Seymour
2000). A male from Peru
weighed 4.0 kg (8.8 lb) (Yensen
& Seymour 2000), and a female from Bolivia
weighed 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) (Villalba
et al. 2004).
Habitat:
The Andean cat is apparently very specialized in its habitat
requirements, until recently being found only in the rocky arid and semi-arid zones of
the high Andes above the timberline (at an elevation of 3500 - 4800
m (11,500 - 15,700‘)). (Two Andean cats have been identified at 1800 m
(5900') elevation in Mendoza Province, Argentina
(Sorli et al. 2006).)
Vegetation at observation and collection sites has
consisted mainly of scattered dwarf shrubs and clumps of bunchgrass. The
presence of rock piles and boulders (typical micro-habitat of mountain
viscachas, and the only type of cover available at such altitudes) may be
important. The Andean cat’s habitat is characterized by the presence of
steep rocky valleys and rocky tableau and by average annual temperatures that
vary between 0 and 4E C (32 - 39E
F), frequent freezes, intense solar radiation, large daily thermal variations
and low precipitation (less than 100 - 800 mm (4 - 30") annually). The
presence of free water is probably an important factor for the Andean cat, as
is the presence of mountain viscachas. (Nowell
& Jackson 1996, Villalba
& Bernal 2002, Villalba
et al. 2004,
IUCN 2005)
Below are descriptions of several specific site where individual Andean cats
were observed (Yensen &
Seymour 2000):
- In Peru, a male was trapped at
4,725 m (15,500') among rock outcrops with bare ground, scattered grass and
bushes.
- In Argentina, an individual was
observed at 4,250 m (13,900') in an area dominated by grasses and small shrubs, with wet
and grassy meadows, and a small lake.
- Two specimens from 4,550 and 4,700 m (14,900 - 15,400') in Bolivia
were from an open shrubland on rocky slopes, with wet meadows along arroyos,
and open grassland.
The Andean cat is found in the Chilean
Winter Rainfall - Valdivian Forests and Tropical
Andes Biodiversity
Hotspots (Cons.
Intl. 2005).
Birth Season:
The Andean cat’s birth season probably occurs between October and April,
with mating season possibly extended until November or December. The period
between October and March corresponds to the spring and summer seasons in the
southern hemisphere. These seasons are the period of major productivity of
vegetation, and it is common for births of other wildlife species to occur
during this period as well. (Villalba
et al. 2004)
Birth Rate:
The average size of Andean cat litters is not known, but on two occasions
at different locations, 2 cubs have been observed (Villalba
et al. 2004).
Diet:
The Andean cat’s main prey likely is the mountain
viscacha. It is also probable that mountain chinchillas previously were
important prey of the Andean cat before their populations were drastically
reduced due to hunting for the fur trade (Villalba
et al. 2004). The Andean cat's diet may include other species, such
as birds and other small rodents, but there is no information on this as of
yet (Arkive
2005).
Behavior:
Activity - Although reported sightings have mainly been during daytime, it
is possible that the Andean cat is mostly crepuscular
or nocturnal and that its diurnal
activity is more reduced or limited to certain periods of the year. Current
reports on this species from the field indicate that activity is primarily at
early hours of the morning or after dusk. Recently, preliminary
observations of a radio-collared
Andean cat indicated activity mainly at night. (Villalba
et al. 2004)
Balance - The long tail of the Andean cat is probably an aid to balance
when chasing chinchillas and mountain viscachas. Both
are "ricochettal" rodents: their strategy to escape predators
involves making unpredictable changes of direction by bounding off rock faces.
(Nowell & Jackson 1996)
Hearing - The Andean cat has an acute sense of hearing, due to its well
developed ear drums, and this may assist in hunting. This adaptation
is typical of animals that inhabit arid environments where the sense of smell is not as useful for hunting
as in more humid environments. (Arkive
2005)
Denning - The Andean cat may den in small caves (Villalba
2002).
Social Organization:
The Andean cat is perhaps a solitary species, but adults may be seen in pairs
or with cubs during mating season and after births, respectively (Villalba
et al. 2004).
References
Anim. Div. Web, Arkive
2005, Big Cats Online, Cat
Act. Treas., Cons. Intl. 2005,
IUCN 2005, IUCN
Cat Spec. Gr., Johnson et al.
2006, Lucherini et al. 2005,
Nowell & Jackson 1996, Sanderson
1999, Sorli et al. 2006, Sunquist
& Sunquist 2002, Terrambiente, Villalba
2002, Villalba
& Bernal 2002, Villalba
et al. 2004, Yensen &
Seymour 2000
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