Conservation Status
Endangered. Population decreasing.
Description
One of the least known and rarest of all felines, the Andean Mountain Cat has long ash-grey fur indistinctly patterned with rusty rosette-like spots on the sides, and marked with conspicuous thick dark stripes extending down the sides from the back. Prominent dark grey bars run also across its chest and forelegs. Its nose is black, and its belly pale, with dark spots. The tail is thick and long, banded with approximately seven conspicuous dark rings. Prior to 1998, the only evidence of this cat's existence was two photographs. Almost all that is known about it comes from a few observations in the wild and from skins.
Size
About the size of a domestic cat, it appears larger because of its long tail and gray, striped and spotted long fur. The body length is about 60 cm (24 in), the tail length is 42 cm (17 in), the shoulder height is 36 cm (14 in) and the body weight is 5.5 kg (12 lbs)
Habitat
This cat lives around 3500 – 4800 m (11,500 - 15,700'), well above the tree line, and only where there is water to support it.
Diet
While the Andean Mountain Cat's main prey likely is the mountain viscacha, it is also probable that mountain chinchillas previously were important prey of the Andean Mountain Cat before their populations were drastically reduced due to hunting for the fur trade
Breeding
Unknown
Range
It is believed to live only in the high Andes mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
Other Names
chat des Andes (French)
Andenkatze, Bergkatze (German)
chinchay, gato andino, gato lince (Spanish)
gato montés altiplánico, titi (Bolivia)
gato montés andino (Chile)
osjo (Peru)
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| Andean Mountain Cat (Oreailurus jacobitus) |
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