Pampas cat

The Pampas cat (Leopardus colocola[1]) is a small wild cat native to South America that is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as habitat conversion and destruction may cause the population to decline in the future.[2] It is also known as the colocolo or Pantanal cat over parts of its range.[3][4] It is named after the Pampas, but occurs in grassland, shrubland, and dry forest at elevations up to 5,000 m (16,000 ft).[5]
There was a proposal to divide Pampas cat into three distinct species, based primarily on differences in pelage colour/pattern and cranialmeasurements.[5] Accordingly, three species were recognised in the 2005 edition of Mammal Species of the World: the colocolo (L. colocolo), the Pantanal cat (L. braccatus), and the Pampas cat (L. pajeros) with a more restricted definition.[4] This split at species level was not supported by subsequent genetic work, although some geographical substructure was recognised,[6][7] and some authorities continued to recognise the Pampas cat as a single species.[2][8] In the recent revision of felid taxonomy by the Cat Specialist Group the Pampas cat is recognised as a single species with seven subspecies.[9]
Pampas cats have not been studied much in the wild and little is known about their hunting habits. There have been reports of the cat hunting rodentsand birds at night, and also hunting domestic poultry near farms.[citation needed]
Category:Animals
Category:Creatures