Pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo) |French:||Chat Des Pampas|
|Spanish:||Gato De Los Pajonales, Gato Pajero, Osio|
|Size||Head-body length: 42 – 79 cm (2)| Tail length: 22 – 33 cm
(2) |Weight||3 – 3.7 kg (3)| Classified as Near Threatened on
the IUCN Red List (1) and listed on Appendix II of CITES (4).
This little known South American cat can be found in a greater
variety of habitats than any other small cat on the continent.
It looks like a robust domestic cat, with a broad face, amber
eyes and distinctive pointy ears (2). The ears are black or grey
on the back, with a silvery grey spot in the centre, and two
conspicuous stripes run from the eyes, across the cheeks and
meet beneath the throat (2) (5). The colour, pattern and texture
of the pampas cat’s coat varies considerably throughout its wide
range. The background colour varies from yellowish white to
greyish brown to silvery grey, and can be soft, short and
vividly patterned, or long, coarse and virtually unmarked (2).
In fact, these geographical differenc