Pantanal cat

Last updated

Pantanal cat
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Leopardus
Species:
L. colocola
Subspecies:
L. c. braccatus
Trinomial name
Leopardus colocola braccatus
Cope, 1889
Synonyms

Leopardus braccatus

The Pantanal cat (Leopardus colocola braccatus) is a Pampas cat subspecies, a small wild cat native to South America. [1] It is named after the Pantanal wetlands in central South America, where it inhabits mainly grassland, shrubland, savannas and deciduous forests. [2]

Contents

Characteristics

The Pantanal cat is brown agouti on the back with a little darker spinal crest. In the face it has two transverse dark lines across each cheek. Its ears are reddish on their base, creamy-white on the outer side and bordered with a black band. Its throat is whitish and blending into orangish towards the sides and on the belly. It has some dark brown rosettes on the flanks and stripes on the legs between elbow and wrist. The tip of the tail and paws are black. [2] It is about the size of a domestic cat. [3]

There is a single report of a wild melanistic individual from Brazil, although this coat pattern has also been observed in some captive specimens. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Pantanal cats are found from sea level to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in east-central Brazil, Uruguay, and neighbouring regions of central South America (Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina). [4] [5] Within this region, they inhabit a range of habitats from open grassland to dense forest, although they are specifically named for the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. [4] It has also been reported from agricultural land, and therefore must have some limited tolerance for human disturbance. [6]

Ecology and behaviour

The Pantanal cat is diurnal and solitary. It feeds on small mammals such as cavies, ground-dwelling birds, small lizards, and snakes. Home ranges are between 3 and 37 km2 (1.2 and 14.3 sq mi). [4]

Hybrids between the Pantanal cat and oncilla are known from Brazil. [7]

Taxonomic history

In 1994, it was suggested that its distinct pelage colour, pattern and cranial measurements warrant a specific status. [2] But results of phylogeographic analysis did not support this. [7] [8] The validity of the genetic work has been questioned. [4]

Others regarded it as "likely [a] distinct species". [9] In 2017, it was considered a subspecies of the Pampas cat by IUCN assessors. [10]

In 2020, it was further recognized as a full species based on morphological, molecular, geographical, and ecological differences. [11] [12] One further population (L. munoai) traditionally recognized as a subspecies of the Pantanal cat when it is deemed distinct, has also been elevated to full species status. [11] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felidae</span> Family of mammals

Felidae is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is also called a felid. The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the domestic cat.

Panthera is a genus within the family Felidae, it is one of two extant genera in the subfamily Pantherinae, and contains the largest living members of the cat family. There are 5 living species, the tiger, jaguar, lion, leopard and snow leopard and a number of extinct species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margay</span> Small wild cat

The margay is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal felid, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocelot</span> Small wild cat

The ocelot is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm (15.7–19.7 in) at the shoulders and weighs between 7 and 15.5 kg on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. Carl Linnaeus scientifically described it in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oncilla</span> Small wild cat

The oncilla, also known as the northern tiger cat, little spotted cat, and tigrillo, is a small spotted cat ranging from Central America to central Brazil. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and the population is threatened by deforestation and conversion of habitat to agricultural land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguarundi</span> Species of felid

The jaguarundi is a wild cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central and South America east of the Andes. The jaguarundi is a medium-sized cat of slender build. Its coloration is uniform with two color morphs, gray and red. It has an elongated body, with relatively short legs, a small, narrow head, small, round ears, a short snout, and a long tail, resembling mustelids in these respects. It is about twice as large as a domestic cat, reaching nearly 360 mm (14 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 3.5–7 kg (7.7–15.4 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kodkod</span> Small wild cat

The kodkod, also called güiña, is the smallest felid species native to the Americas. It lives primarily in central and southern Chile, as well as marginally in adjoining areas of Argentina. Since 2002, it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List as the total population may be less than 10,000 mature individuals; it is threatened by persecution, and loss of habitat and prey base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean mountain cat</span> Small wild cat

The Andean mountain cat is a small wild cat native to the high Andes that has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,500 individuals are thought to exist in the wild. It is traditionally considered a sacred animal by indigenous Aymara and Quechua people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffroy's cat</span> Small wild cat

Geoffroy's cat is a small wild cat native to the southern and central regions of South America. It is about the size of a domestic cat. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because it is widespread and abundant over most of its range.

<i>Leopardus</i> Genus of felines native to the Americas

Leopardus is a genus comprising eight species of small cats native to the Americas. This genus is considered the oldest branch of a genetic lineage of small cats in the Americas whose common ancestor crossed the Bering land bridge from Asia to North America in the late Miocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pantherinae</span> Subfamily of felids

The Pantherinae is a subfamily of the Felidae; it was named and first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1917 as only including the Panthera species. The Pantherinae genetically diverged from a common ancestor between 9.32 to 4.47 million years ago and 10.67 to 3.76 million years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pampas cat</span> Small wild cat

The Pampas cat 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk</span> Species of carnivore

Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk, also known as the Patagonian hog-nosed skunk, is a species of hog-nosed skunk indigenous to the open grassy areas in the Patagonian regions of South Argentina and Chile. It belongs to the order Carnivora and the family Mephitidae.

<i>Leopardus guttulus</i> Small wild cat

Leopardus guttulus, the southern tigrina or southern tiger cat, is a small wild cat species native to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunda leopard cat</span> Small wild cat

The Sunda leopard cat is a small wild cat species native to the Sundaland islands of Java, Bali, Borneo, Sumatra and the Philippines that is considered distinct from the leopard cat occurring in mainland South and Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garlepp's pampas cat</span> Subspecies of mammal

Garlepp's pampas cat, also called the northern pampas cat, is a subspecies of the pampas cat. It has more recently been classified as a full species within a pampas cat species complex. Garlepp's pampas cat is native to the central-western mountainous area of South America.

References

  1. ↑ Cat Specialist Group (2017). "Revised taxonomy of the Felidae. Ocelot lineage". Cat News (Special Issue 11): 76.
  2. 1 2 3 Garcia-Perea, R. (1994). "The pampas cat group (Genus Lynchailurus Severertzov 1858) (Carnivora: Felidae), a systematic and biogeographic review" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (3096): 1–35.
  3. ↑ Sunquist, M. E., Sunquist, F. C. (2002). "Pampas cat Oncifelis colocolo (Molina, 1782)". Wild Cats of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 200–204. ISBN   978-0-226-77999-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Barstow, A.L.; Leslie, D.M. (2012). "Leopardus braccatus (Carnivora: Felidae)" (PDF). Mammalian Species. 44 (1): 16–25. doi: 10.1644/891.1 .
  5. ↑ Díaz Luque, J. A., Beraud, V., Torres, P. J., Kacoliris, F. P., Daniele, G., Wallace, R. B., and Berkunsky, I. (2012). First record of pantanal cat, Leopardus colocolo braccatus, in Bolivia. Mastozoología neotropical 19(2): 299–301.
  6. ↑ Araujo Bagno, M. (2004). "Notes on the natural history and conservation status of pampas cat, Oncifelis colocolo, in the Brazilian Cerrado". Mammalia. 68 (1): 75–79. doi:10.1515/mamm.2004.011. S2CID   84749514.
  7. 1 2 Johnson, W.E.; et al. (1999). "Disparate phylogeographic patterns of molecular genetic variation in four closely related South American small cat species". Molecular Ecology. 8 (S1): S79–S94. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294X.1999.00796.x. PMID   10703553. S2CID   34990824.
  8. ↑ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 537–538. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  9. ↑ Sunquist, M. E. & Sunquist, F. C. (2009). "Colocolo (Leopardus colocolo)". In Wilson, D. E.; Mittermeier, R. A. (eds.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World Vol. 1. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. p. 146. ISBN   978-84-96553-49-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Lucherini, M.; Eizirik, E.; de Oliveira, T.; Pereira, J.; Williams, R.S.R. (2016). "Leopardus colocolo". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T15309A97204446. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T15309A97204446.en .
  11. 1 2 Nascimento, F.O.D.; Cheng, J.; Feijó, A. (2021). "Taxonomic revision of the pampas cat Leopardus colocola complex (Carnivora: Felidae): an integrative approach". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society: 575–611. doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa043 .
  12. ↑ "Leopardus braccatus". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists . Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Leopardus fasciatus". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists . Retrieved 8 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.