Pampas cat
The Pampas cat ("Leopardus colocola") is a small wild cat native to South America. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as habitat conversion and destruction may cause the population to decline in the future. It is named after the Pampas, but occurs in grassland, shrubland, and dry forest at elevations up to . There was a proposal to divide the Pampas cat into three distinct species, based primarily on differences in pelage colour/pattern and cranial measurements. 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. This split at species level was not supported by subsequent phylogeographic analysis, although some geographical substructure was recognised, and some authorities continue to recognise the Pampas cat as a single species. In the 2017 revision of felid taxonomy by the Cat Specialist Group, the Pampas cat is recognized as a single species with seven subspecies. An analysis of 142 skins collected across South America revealed morphological differences between these museum specimens. It was therefore proposed to recognize five more distinct species within  the Pampas cat complex. Characteristics. The Pampas cat is a little bigger than a domestic cat and has a bushier tail. Its size varies between regions, ranging in body length from with a long tail. Six variants of its pelage occur, but all have two dark lines on the cheeks: The subtypes of Type 2 show variation according to altitude and latitude. Only the first subtype occurs in the north (around 20°S and northwards), and only the third type occurs in the far south (around 40°S and southwards). In between, the majority are of second subtype , but the first subtype has been recorded as far south as 29°S, and the third subtype as far north as 36°S. At latitudes where both the first and second subtypes occur, the former tends to live in highlands and the latter in lowlands. A melanistic phenotype is caused by the addition of a single cysteine residue at position 120 of Agouti-signaling protein. This disrupts the four disulphide bonds in the normal protein, altering its tertiary structure and reducing its ability to bind to the melanocortin 1 receptor. Taxonomy. "Felis colocola" was the scientific name proposed  by Juan Ignacio Molina in 1782 for a cat from Chile. An extensive morphological analysis of Pampas cat specimens from across the species's range revealed differences in cranial measurements, and pelage colour and pattern. Therefore, the Pampas cat group was divided into three distinct species with 11 subspecies. This species division was recognised in the 2005 edition of "Mammal Species of the World", although the number of subspecies was reduced: Based on just two specimens, the subspecies "L. p. steinbachi" is larger and paler than "L. p. garleppi". However, this is labelled with uncertainty due to the very small  sample, and some treat it as a synonym of "L. p. garleppi". Uncertainty also exists for the subspecies "L. p. budini", which appears to resemble "L. p. crespoi", and was described from lowlands of northwestern Argentina, but may actually be from humid forests in the region. Some recognise it, while others do not. Populations in southern Chile and the southern part of Argentina, included in the nominate in the above list, were recognised as the subspecies "L. p. crucinus" based on its dull pelage and large size. More recent work, primarily genetic studies, failed to find support for a split  at species level, although some geographical substructure was recognized. Several authors recognise the Pampas cat as a single species. Since 2017, the Cat Classification Taskforce of the Cat Specialist Group recognises the Pampas cat as a single species with seven subspecies: Authors of a study published in May 2020 found significant morphological, molecular, geographic, and ecological differences between various Pampas cat populations across South America. They propose five species within the Pampas cat species complex, namely "L. colocola", "L. braccatus", "L. garleppi", "L. munoai" and "L. pajeros". They consider all five species to be monotypic. Distribution and habitat. The Pampas  cat ranges throughout most of Argentina and Uruguay into the Gran Chaco and Cerrado of Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil, and north through the Andes mountain chain through Ecuador and possibly marginally into southwestern Colombia. It occurs in a wide range of habitats and inhabits elevations between in "páramo", marginally also in puna grassland and locally in dry forest. Where its range overlaps with the Andean mountain cat in northwestern Argentina, it occurs at lower elevations on average. In central to northwestern Argentina, the Pampas cat is found at elevations below in grassland, mesophytic and dry forest, and shrubland. In southern  Argentina and far southern Chile, it is found in Patagonian steppes and shrubland at altitudes below . In 2016 it was recorded for the first time in the Sechura Desert and in the dry forest of northwestern Peru. Ecology and behaviour. Little is known about the Pampas cat's hunting and breeding habits. It is thought to prey mainly on small mammals and birds. Guinea pigs are thought to form a large part of its diet, along with viscachas, other rodents, and the ground-dwelling tinamou order of birds. Though some have suggested it is chiefly nocturnal, others suggest it is  mainly diurnal. Litters are relatively small, usually consisting of only one or two kittens, and occasionally three. The kittens weigh around at birth. The average lifespan is nine years, but some have lived for over 16 years. External links.