Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) is a small wildcat native to the southern and central regions ofSouth America. It is around the size of adomestic cat. It is listed asLeast Concern on theIUCN Red List due to it being widespread and abundant over its range.[1]
Geoffroy's Cat (1883) inMonograph of the Felidae by Daniel Giraud Elliot
Geoffroy's cat is named after the 19th century French zoologistÉtienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772–1844). It was identified asFelis geoffroyi in 1844 by French naturalistsAlcide d'Orbigny andPaul Gervais on the basis of three specimens that d'Orbigny had collected on the banks of the Rio Negro in Patagonia during his travels in South America between 1826 and 1833.[3] Five subspecies have been described based on geographic dispersement:[2]
The Geoffroy's cat is about the size of adomestic cat, but has numerous black spots and dark bands on the cheeks, head and neck as well as on the tail and limbs. The background colour of its fur varies from a brownish-yellow coat in the northern part of its range to a more grayish coat in the south. The underbelly hair is cream-coloured or even white. The backs of the ears are black with white spots.Black individuals are common.[6]
Its size is about 60 cm (24 in) in head and body with a relatively short tail of about 31 cm (12 in). It weighs between 2 and 5 kg (4.4 and 11.0 lb), though individuals up to 7.8 kg (17 lb) have been reported. Males are usually larger than females, and Geoffroy's cat in the south are larger than those from the north.[6]It has abite force quotient at thecanine tip of 106.3.[7]
The Geoffroy's cat is distributed in Argentina,Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. It inhabitspampas and savanna landscapes in theGran Chaco from southern Bolivia to theStraits of Magellan ranging at elevations from sea level up to 3,800 m (12,500 ft) in theAndes. It prefers open woodland or scrubland with plenty of cover, but also occurs in grasslands and marshy areas.[1] It is thought to be rare in Chile.[8]
The Geoffroy's cat is nocturnal and a solitary hunter that contacts conspecifics only during the mating season. Geoffroy's cats have been observed to stand up on their hind legs to scan the surrounding landscape and use their tail as a support, an unusual behaviour among cats. It is able to climb trees but rarely does, except to leavefaeces toscent mark its territory.[6]It preys primarily onrodents,hares, other smallmammals,birds,snakes, smalllizards,insects, and occasionallyfrogs andfish.[6] Females maintain home ranges about 2 to 6 km2 (0.77 to 2.32 sq mi) in size, while males range over up to 12 km2 (4.6 sq mi).[6]
The breeding season for Geoffroy's cats lasts from October to March. During this time, the female comes intoestrus for periods of up to twelve days, between three and five weeks apart. Mating during this time is brief and frequent, often taking place on a high ledge or similar site.[6]
Gestation lasts for 72–78 days.[9] Most births occur between December and May. Litters consist of one to three kittens, and one or two is more common.[10]
The kittens are born blind and helpless, weighing about 65 to 95 g (2.3 to 3.4 oz), and develop rather slowly compared to the domestic cat. The eyes open after eight to nineteen days, and they begin to eat solid food at six or seven weeks.[6] Kittens become independent of their mother at around eight months, but are generally not sexually mature until 18 months for females and 24 months for males.[10]
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Geoffroy's cats were hunted extensively for their pelts for the international fur trade, but little trade took place after 1988 and the species was upgraded to CITES Appendix I status in 1992.[10][1]Legislation introduced in the late 1980s made hunting and domestic trade of Geoffroy's cat's pelts illegal in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. International trade in Cites Appendix I listed species is now prohibited, except for non-commercial purposes.[11]
^Kitchener, A. C.; Breitenmoser-Würsten, C.; Eizirik, E.; Gentry, A.; Werdelin, L.; Wilting, A.; Yamaguchi, N.; Abramov, A. V.; Christiansen, P.; Driscoll, C.; Duckworth, J. W.; Johnson, W.; Luo, S.-J.; Meijaard, E.; O'Donoghue, P.; Sanderson, J.; Seymour, K.; Bruford, M.; Groves, C.; Hoffmann, M.; Nowell, K.; Timmons, Z.; Tobe, S. (2017)."A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group"(PDF).Cat News. Special Issue 11: 56−57.
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