Leopardus geoffroyi
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Felidae
Leopardus
Leopardus geoffroyi

description: 20.
Geoftroy’s Cat
Leopardus geoffroyi
French: Chat de Geoffroy / German: Kleinfleckkatze / Spanish: Gato de Geoffroy
Other common names: Mountain Cat
Taxonomy. Felis geoffroyi d’Orbigny & Gervais, 1844,
banks of the Rio Negro, Patagonia.
Recent microsatellite data and mtDNA show a monophyletic lineage, suggest ing that present species has maintained a large panmictic population since diverging from the L. pardalis line. Phylogenetic analyses failed to confirm the four currently recognized subspecies.
Subspecies and Distribution.
L. g. geoffroyi d’Orbigny & Gervais, 1844 — Argentina (Pampas grasslands from Buenos Aires Province S to Patagonia).
L. g. euxanthus Pocock, 1940 — Bolivian highlands.
L. g. paraguae Pocock, 1940 — S Paraguay, S Brazil, Uruguay, and N Argentina.
L. g. salinarum Thomas, 1903 — Chaco region (Paraguay-Bolivia border).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 43-88 cm, tail 23-40 cm; weight 1-8 — 7-8 kg. Adult males heavier than adult females. Animals from southern end of the range are larger than those from northern areas. About the size of a domestic cat but with a shorter tail and a longer, more flattened head. Background color of fur varies considerably across the geographic range, from bright tawny yellow in the north to silvery gray in the south, with intermediate forms in between. Melanistic individuals are common. The body is covered with small black spots, which coalesce into transverse bands on sides and limbs. Thetail is marked with narrow dark bands. The backs of the ears are black with a central white spot.
Habitat. Found in a variety of temperate and subtropical habitats. Not well studied, but there are records in mesquite brush in the Paraguayan Chaco; in xeric shrublands and mixed steppe of grass and shrubs in foothills of Andes in Argentinean Patagonia; in coastal lagoons, marshes and grasslands in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina; and in open woodlands, brushy areas, and savanna marshes in Uruguay. In Chile the cats preferred dense cover in areas dominated by trees and shrubs. From sea-level to 3300 m in Andes.
Food and Feeding. Diet is known to include small rodents (Muridae), cavies (Caviidae), tuco-tucos (Ctenomyidae), Coypu (Myocastoridae), birds (Psittacidae, Anatidae, Tinamidae, Cariamidae, Furnariidae), fish (Cichlidae, Characidae), and frogs (Leptodactylidae). Porcupine quills (Erethizontidae) were found around the mouth of a specimen collected in Uruguay. In south Chile, the introduced European Hare occurred in more than 50% ofall feces examined. Forages mainly on the ground, but they also hunt in water and are known to be good swimmers. In a study in southern Chilean Patagonia, one radio-collared female swam across a 30 m wide, fast-flowing river at least 20 times and two males crossed the river while dispersing. Cats in this area were also seen carrying hare carcasses into trees.
Activity patterns. Radio-collared cats in southern Chile were primarily nocturnal, with peaks of activity around sunset and sunrise. They used hollows and cavities in trees as well as dense ground vegetation as daytime rest sites.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Three adult females in southern Chile occupied nonexclusive home ranges measuring about 3-5-6-5 km?. Site fidelity appeared strong: two females maintained their home ranges for 2-3 years. The home ranges of five adult males in the same area tended to be larger (3-9-12-4 km*) and showed little overlap. Of 20 observations of free-ranging cats, 15 were of solitary individuals and five were of females with kittens, suggesting a solitary lifestyle typical of most felids. Scent marking appears to play an important role in maintaining the cat’s social system as marking sites in three different areas were known to be used repeatedly and many feces were deposited in the crooks of trees, 3-5 m above the ground. At one site in southern Chile, 302 of 325 feces were found in arboreal middens. At another site in an almost treeless area in Argentina, 34 of 190 feces were found in arboreal middens.
Breeding. In captivity, estrus lasts 1-12 days and gestation length varies from 62-76 days, with 70-74 days being most common. Litter size varies from 1-3 and kittens weigh 65-90 g at birth. Young develop slowly compared to domestic cat kittens. Weaning begins about seven weeks of age and by the time they are six months old the young are nearly as large as their mother. In captivity, both males and females become sexually mature at about 18 months of age, although there are a few observations of sexual activity as early as 9-12 months.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Occurs in a wide variety of habitat types and has been described as the most common of small South America felids. Despite this,little is known of the ecology of the species. Heavily exploited forits pelt; more than 250,000 skins in international markets in 1979-1980. The species was moved to Appendix I in 1992 and international trade has declined.
Bibliography. Anderson (1977), Cabrera (1961b), Canepuccia et al. (2007), Foreman (1988), Johnson & Franklin (1991), Johnson, Pecon-Slattery et al. (1999), Kachuba (1977), Law & Boyle (1984), Lucherini, Manfredi et al. (2006), Lucherini, Soler et al. (2000), Novaro, Funes & Walker (2000), Nowell & Jackson (1996), Pereira et al. (2006), Scheffel & Hemmer (1975), Sunquist & Sunquist (2002), Texera (1974), Ximénez (1975, 1982), Yanosky & Mercolli (1994).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Felidae, pp. 54-168 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 147, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6376899