The Andean cat is one of the rarest and least-known cats in the world. It lives high in the Andes Mountains and Patagonian steppe, where food is scarce and weather conditions are extreme. With less than 1,200 adult cats remaining in the wild, this is a highly endangered species.
It is considered the most threatened feline in the Americas and is counted among the five most endangered cats in the world.
The species has very low population density, and it is estimated that throughout its distribution range there are fewer than 1,200 adult individuals.
Habitat loss and degradation due to mining, water extraction, unregulated tourism, and inappropriate livestock farming and agricultural practices threaten the cat, as does hunting. These factors are further exacerbated by the effects of climate change.
The Andean cat’s fluffy coat protects it from the extreme temperatures in the high Andes.
The Andean Mountain Cats live in the upper reaches of the Andean Mountains. Its home range is huge, covering the high elevations from central Peru, through Bolivia, straddling eastern Chile and stretching into the Northern Patagonia region of Argentina. With all of that land, you would think that there would be a large population. But the cat’s habitat includes extreme temperatures, scarce vegetation and little water. This combines to create a fragile and fragmented habitat.
Despite legislation protecting the cat in all four countries where it lives, the Andean mountain cat population has been on a steady decrease. Reasons for the decline include continued hunting, as well as habitat loss and loss of prey.
The Andean mountain cat is similar in size to a domestic cat. However, its thick fur and long tail make it look bigger. The cat’s fur is pale silver or ash-gray with isolated, hazel or orange-brown spots and stripes. Black rings can be found around the cat’s tail and limbs. Sometimes the cat is confused with another feline resident of the Andes, the Pampas cat (Leopardus pajeros)
Litters appear to consist of one to two kittens. There have been sightings of Andean mountain cats in pairs with their offspring.
The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) is an endangered small cat, mainly restricted to the rocky and open, semi-arid and arid treeless areas over 3000 m above sea level at the high Andean plateau of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Main threats for Andean cat populations are related to loss and degradation of the unique altiplanic habitat, such as the desiccation of bofedals (wet meadows) due to water extraction by local mining activities and other human impacts. Andean cat habitat is naturally fragmented and highly fragile, with extreme climatic conditions, scarce vegetation and discontinuous rocky areas where their main prey is found, the viscacha (Lagidium viscacia). The harsh altiplanic conditions along with the Andean cat's low density and elusive behavior makes them very hard to monitor directly (i.e., sightings, live-trapping). In fact, the carnivore community of the altiplano ecosystem on the high Andes, including the Andean cat, Pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo), Culpeo fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) and Puma (Puma concolor), is one of the least studied in the world.
The Andean cat diet is dominated by a combination of mid-sized rodents living in rocky habitats. European Hares and tinamous are also important prey and will sometimes scavenge from carcasses of dead ungulates.
The cat is considered an endangered species due to habitat loss, agricultural growth, hunting and a reduction in prey.
Historically, the native communities that coexist with the Andean cat have recognized it as a symbol of fertility linked to the spirit of the mountains. They credit the sacred cat of the Andes with the prosperity of livestock and plentiful agricultural yields. Locals traditionally revered the Andean cat by adorning pelts with symbols of abundance, such as coca leaves, corn cobs, and colorful wool. Today, these ancient skins are still used in some ceremonies for marking camelid livestock or at the beginning of the planting and harvest seasons.
Both rural Chileans and Bolivians have traditionally believed that if someone encounters a mountain cat it must be killed for spiritual power and to prevent bad luck.
Threats:
habitat loss and fragmentation, caused by extensive mining, resource extraction for fuel, expansion of agricultural activity and inadequate livestock management;
hunted for fur and dried and stuffed specimens used for spiritual ceremonies – the Andean cat is considered sacred to indigenous communities and associated with rich harvests, abundance and fertility of livestock, transferring of supernatural power to hunters;
hunted for food and traditional medicine in Peru, heavily hunted in northern Patagonia as predators of small domestic livestock;
prey reduction due to hunting of its main prey species – mountain vizcacha lives in patchily distributed small colonies but is hunted for meat and fur and the population is declining.
Studies reveal that the Andean cat has low genetic diversity, identifying two different populations that should be considered as two Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs), separated by more than 200,000 years of evolution. One ESU is the population living in the highlands, from central Peru to northern Argentina and Chile, and the second ESU is the population in the Argentine Patagonian steppe. There are still many unknown aspects regarding the genetics of the species. It is completely unknown if there is any type of relationship or partial exchange between these ESUs, and there is no genetic information from recently discovered populations such as those in central Chile.
Opportunistic and traditional hunting, prey reduction, and killing by dogs are also identified as important threats to the Andean cat. The influence of pathogens on Andean cat populations remains currently unknown due to a lack of studies.
Habitat loss and fragmentation is mainly caused by extensive mining, resource extraction for fuel, expansion of agricultural activity and by inadequate livestock management. In some parts of its range these activities are increasingly affecting the Andean cat populations and need to be addressed as soon as possible. Additionally, extractive industries use a lot of water affecting these arid landscapes in ways that are still to be determined. Being such a rare species it is usually not included in environmental impact studies.
Andean mountain cat is the most threatened wild cat in the Americas.
What do you think should be done already today to ensure the survival of a unique felid species?