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| Andean Mountain Cat - Leopardus jacobitus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 7 2012, 08:21 PM (6,450 Views) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taipan | Jan 7 2012, 08:21 PM Post #1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Andean Mountain Cat - Leopardus jacobita![]() Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Leopardus Species: Leopardus jacobita The Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita) is a small wild cat. It is one of only two felids for which no subspecies have been classically described (the Bay Cat is the other). Fewer than 2500 individuals are thought to exist. This cat is one of about two dozen small wild cat species found around the world. In comparison to their larger cousins which may have millions of dollars dedicated to conservation efforts, conservation efforts exist on budgets in the thousands for small wild felids like the Andean mountain cat. ![]() Description Its habitat and appearance make it the small cat analog of the Snow Leopard. It lives around 3,500–4,800 m (11,500–15,700 ft)—well above the tree line—and only where there is water to support it. While it is about the size of a domestic cat, it appears larger because of its long tail and thick fur. Like Snow Leopards, the coat of an Andean mountain cat is silvery-grey in color, with a white underside and numerous dark spots and stripes. There are black rings around the tail and limbs. Body length ranges from 57 to 64 centimetres (22 to 25 in), tail length is 41 to 48 cm (16 to 19 in), shoulder height is about 36 cm (14 in) and body weight is 5.5 kilograms (12 lb). The tail is long, thick and blunt without tapering. It is approximately 2⁄3 of a cat's body length, and has 6–9, wide dark rings. The front paws have dark narrow stripes narrow that do not form complete rings. The nose is black or very dark in coloration. Distinct dark lines run along the sides of the eyes and the tips of the ears are rounded. In many felid species, such as Lynx pardinus, females have a tendency of being smaller than males. There is a difference between the coloration in juvenile and mature Andean cats. The markings on the coat are darker on juveniles, especially those on the sides of the body. The markings are smaller and more numerous. This can cause confusion and mistaken identification with the pampas cat. Distribution and habitat It is one of the least-known and rarest of all felines; almost all that is known about it comes from a few observations in the wild and from skins. There are none in captivity. It is believed to live only in the high Andes mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. ![]() There has been a substantial increase in research effort on the Andean mountain cat since Nowell and Jackson wrote that "it is not clear whether [its] apparent rarity is a natural phenomenon, is attributable to human actions, or is simply a misperception resulting from lack of observations". Surveys since then have confirmed that the Andean cat is a rare species, occurring at lower densities in the same high-altitude environment as its close cousin, the Pampas Cat Leopardus colocolo. Across its range, it has a very low level of genetic diversity. The Andean mountain cat's preferred high-elevation montane habitat is fragmented by deep valleys, and its distribution is likely to be further localized by the patchy nature of colonies of its preferred prey, mountain viscachas (Lagidium spp). The total effective population size could be below 2,500 mature individuals with a declining trend due to loss of prey base and habitat, persecution and hunting for traditional ceremonial purposes, and no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 250 mature individuals. While the Andean mountain cat's main prey is likely the mountain viscacha, it is also probable that mountain chinchillas were previously important prey of the Andean mountain cat before their populations were drastically reduced due to hunting for the fur trade. Since it lives only in the high mountains, human-inhabited valleys act as barriers, fragmenting the population, meaning that even low levels of poaching could be devastating. They are often killed in Chile and Bolivia because of local superstition. Competition with other predators There are six different species of carnivores that live in the Andes Mountain range. Three of these species are cats, the Andean cat, the pampas cat, and the Puma. The Puma is a large predator, while the Andean and Pampas Cat are medium-sized predators. These two medium-sized predators are very much alike. They both hunt within the same territory. They hunt the same prey, the mountain viscacia (Lagidium viscacia). The viscacia 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. Both of these cats depend on a specific prey to make up a large portion of their dietary needs. In some areas, the mountain viscacha will make up 53% of the Andean cat's prey items. This is because the other prey items are so significantly smaller that even though the Andean cat will successfully hunt, kill, and eat a mountain viscacha half the time, the mountain viscacha is so much larger than the other food items, it make up more substance. 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. These two cats both hunt the same prey, making it more difficult for them to find food, essentially creating a race to find the prey before the other does. ![]() Morphological differences between Andean and pampas cats Prey is not the only thing these two cats have in common. They 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.
Reproduction By using the residents' observations of Andean cats in coupled pairs with their litters, it is theorized that the mating season for the Andean cat is within the months of July and August. Because kittens have been seen in the months of April and October, this could mean that the mating season extends into November or even December. A litter will usually consist of one or two offspring born in the spring and summer months. This is common with many other species that also have their young when food resources are increasing. ![]() Laws and legislation The Andean cat's habitat spans four different South American countries. Each country has made individual laws to protect this wild cat. Each country also has its own protected game areas where hunting is prohibited. The table below outlines the number of the protected areas that fall within the Andean cat's habitat. Biologists are attempting to determine if any of these protected areas house significant populations of Andean cats. Conservation In 2002 the status of the Andean cat was moved from Vulnerable to Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Due to the Andean cat's habitat being spread across four countries, biologists have attempted to collaborate in efforts to protect the species. One of the groups formed was the Andean Cat Conservation Committee, now known as the Andean Cat Alliance. The table below was taken directly from the most current strategy plan for 2011-2016. ![]() Research Prior to 1998, the only evidence of this cat's existence was two photographs. It was then that Jim Sanderson took up his quest to find the Andean mountain cat. Sanderson sighted and photographed one in Chile in 1998 near Chile's northern border with Peru. In 2004, he joined a Bolivian research team and helped radio-collar an Andean cat in Bolivia. In April 2005, this cat was found dead, perhaps after being caught in a poacher's trap. Sanderson is still heavily involved with the Andean cat. With coworkers Constanza Napolitano, Lilian Villalba, and Eliseo Delgado and others in the Andean Cat Alliance, the Small Cat Conservation Alliance (SCCA) has forged conservation agreements with Fundación Biodiversitas, a Chilean non-profit organization, and CONAF, the government agency responsible for managing national parks and production forests. CONAF has agreed to allow the SCCA to renovate a building for the Andean Cat Conservation and Monitoring Center on their already-functioning compound at San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Villalba of the Andean Cat Alliance conducted a major research program, including radio-telemetry studies, from 2001 to 2006 in the Khastor region of southern Bolivia. Conservation efforts are also being made by the Feline Conservation Federation to preserve this species. Edited by Taipan, May 12 2012, 06:15 PM.
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 02:10 PM Post #2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rare Andean Cat No Longer Exclusive to the Andes ScienceDaily (Mar. 16, 2011) — Once thought to exclusively inhabit its namesake mountain range, the threatened Andean cat -- a house cat-sized feline that resembles a small snow leopard in both appearance and habitat -- also frequents the Patagonian steppe at much lower elevations, according to a new study published by the Wildlife Conservation Society and partners. The finding represents a range extension for the Andean cat, which normally occurs at altitudes above 3,000 meters (approximately 9,800 feet). The new survey presents evidence of the cats occurring at elevations as low as 650 meters (approximately 2,100 feet) on the Patagonian steppe. The species is listed as "Endangered" on the World Conservation Union's Red List and may number only 2,500 individuals throughout its entire range. The study appears in the recent edition of CATNews. The authors include: Andres Novaro and Lorena Rivas of the Wildlife Conservation Society and CONICET, Argentina; Susan Walker of the Wildlife Conservation Society; Rocio Palacios of Alianza Gato Andino; Sebastian di Martino of Department of Protected Areas of the Province of Neuquén; Martin Monteverde of Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Neuquén; Sebastian Canadell of Universidad Nacional de Cordoba; and Daniel Cossios of Université de Montréal. "These confirmed records show the lowest elevations ever reported for the Andean cat," said WCS conservationist Andres Novaro, lead author of the study. "According to genetic studies underway led by Daniel Cossios, this new population appears to represent an evolutionary lineage distinct from the highland population." Prompted by a lone photograph of two Andean cats in the foothills of central Argentina, the research team surveyed approximately 31,000 square kilometers (approximately 12,000 square miles) of Argentina's Mendoza and Neuquén provinces in 2007-2009. The team collected samples from several locations that included scat, skulls, and skin, all of which were confirmed with DNA analysis. In addition, the researchers conducted surveys with inhabitants of the region. The conservationists also found evidence of three other small cat species: Geoffroy's cat, pampas cat, and jaguarundi. The Andean cat's range extension coincides with the known distribution of the mountain vizcacha, a rabbit-like rodent that inhabits both the Andes Mountains and Patagonian steppe and is the Andean cat's primary prey. "Discovering a new population of Andean cats is an important finding for this elusive and rare species," said Mariana Varese, Acting Director of WCS's Latin America and Caribbean Program. "Determining the range of the Andean cat in the Patagonian steppe will provide conservationists with a foundation for later conservation plans." Threats to the newly discovered population of Andean cat include goat herders who assume the felines are preying on their livestock, oil exploration activities that destroy habitat, and new roads that open up formerly inaccessible areas to poachers. Critical support for this study was provided by Panthera, the Rufford Small Grants Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Network, and the Whitley Fund for Nature. ![]() Once thought to live exclusively in the Andes, the Andean cat also occurs on the Patagonian steppe, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and its partners. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Journal Reference: Andres Novaro, Susan Walker, Rocio Palacios, Sebastian Di Martino, Martin Monteverde, Sebastian Canadell, Lorena Rivas, and Daniel Cossios. Endangered Andean cat distribution beyond the Andes in Patagonia. CATnews, 53 Autumn 2010 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110316142626.htm |
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| Ntwadumela | Oct 30 2015, 11:04 PM Post #3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Andean Cat and Pampas Cat Captured and Radiotagged in Argentina By Mauro Lucherini, GECM, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina Our team has been working to contribute to the conservation of the endangered Andean cat Leopardus jacobita since 1998, as part of the efforts of a cross-border initiative called Andean cat Alliance (www.gatoandino.org) that aims to preserve this felid and its habitat throughout its entire distribution range. In the last few years, our project has concentrated its efforts in a remote area of almost pristine habitat in the high Andes of northwestern Argentina (Vilama, Jujuy province). Here we carried out interviews with local people to analyze human/cat conflicts, we worked with hundreds of children from rural schools, and we were successful at collecting a number of camera trapping photographs sufficient to prove that the population density of this cat is low and that it is not simply shy, but truly rare. And yet, after years of field work we were still struggling to understand the reasons for this cat’s rarity. To answer this question, a couple of years ago our team decided to accept the greatest challenge: live trapping and collaring a sample of individuals of the two small cats living together in the area (Andean cat and Pampas cat Leopardus colocolo) and track their movements. Our team started live trapping in September 2011, full of expectations, but 46 days later, when summer thunder storms forced us to stop fieldwork, we had only been able to catch a young Pampas cat, too small to wear a collar. By last May, when we rebuilt our field camp, located at 4200 m elevation and a distance of two hours walk from the closest village, our optimism had partially faded away. When the trap alarms went off five hours after activating the traps, we thought it was a false trigger. To our total surprise, what we found was an adult male Andean cat! ![]() Our study site enjoys the typical environmental conditions of the southern high Andes: extreme daily temperature variations (from 25 to -15o C), frequent strong winds, severe dryness, and, of course, lack of oxygen in the air. In spite of this challenging habitat and climate, with the support of a wildlife vet from San Francisco Zoo (A. Mutlow) we were successful at collaring and releasing both cats, when fully recovered, at the trapping site. We used collars with a new technology that enables on-board storage of positions obtained through a GPS receiver. By now, if the equipment had worked properly, our team would have been able to finally learn a lot more from the mysterious cats living in the wilderness of the High Andes. Unfortunately, the self release mechanisms of both GPS collars failed a couple of weeks after each capture and we were left with about 30 locations for each cat. Nevertheless, we are not giving up and are now looking for additional funding to buy new collars and tag a few more of these mysterious cats. To help the scientists learn what these cats need to survive, you can make a donation of any amount to this project. 100% of funds go directly to the cats! Source: https://felids.wordpress.com/tag/andean-cat-leopardus-jacobita/ -------------------------- And some more photos of this elusive cat ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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