Pampas Cat

Summary

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 also known as Pantanal cat and colocolo in parts of its range. It is named after the Pampas, but occurs in grassland, shrubland, and dry forest at elevations up to 5,000 m (16,000 ft).There was a proposal to divide 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. A further study released in 2020, found strong evidence for five distinct species within the Pampas cat complex.

The Cat Scanner app does provide a lot more information about the Pampas Cat breed as well as many more.

Also known as

This breed is also called Chilean Pampa Cat, Colocolo, Leopardus Colocola, Leopardus Colocolo, Leopardus Pajeros, Lynchailurus Pajeros, Oncifelis Colocolo, Pampas as well as Pampas Cat.

Is your cat a Pampas Cat?

You can use our Cat Scanner app to find out whether your cat is a Pampas Cat.