Mountain Cat

The Cat Survival Trust

The Andean Mountain Cat

Felis (Oreailurus) jacobita Cornalia

Contents
	Description Distribution Diet Behaviour Reproduction Conservation Status Further Reading

Other names
	French:	chat des Andes
	German:	Andenkatze, Bergkatze
	Spanish:	chinchay, gato andino

Description

Very little is known about this elusive species, which is represented by only a few specimens in museum collections. The Andean mountain or highland cat is about the size of a large domestic cat, similar to the pampas cat which is found in the same region.
As protection against its cold environment, the Andean mountain cat has long soft fur, which is pale silvery grey or ashy in colour. Markings are irregular brown/orange stripes and spots. These are darker on the paler underparts and limbs. In contrast to the overall coloration, the backs of the ears are dark grey. Hairs on the back may be as long as 4 cm, and 3.5 cm on the long bushy tail. The tail itself is light-tipped and has about nine rings.
Long known as a member of the Felis genus, a separate generic status (Oreailurus) has now been proposed for this species because its skull has unique double-chambered bullae.
No subspecies have been accepted.

Principal dimensions

	Overall	Males	Females
Head and Body lengths (cm)	57-64
Height at shoulder (cm)	36
Tail lengths (cm)	35-48
Weight (Kg)	4-7

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Distribution and Habitats

As the name implies, this species occurs in the high Andes. It has a very restricted distribution in ari area from northern Chile and northwest Argentina to southern Peru and southwest Bolivia. The rocky, treeless zone where the mountain cat lives is windy, dry and very cold. The type specimen, on which the official description is based, was collected in southwest Bolivia. Most specimens have been collected above 3,000 metres and one in Peru above 5,100 metres. It is said to occasionally enter the snow regions.
The map shows the approximate area where Andean Mountain Cats are found in grey. The distribution is not continuous, but in view of the difficult terrain favoured by these cats our knowledge of them is very small and they may be less uncommon than we think.
The map is based on information in the Wild Cats Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan published by the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group in 1996. See our Books page for more details.

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Diet

Nothing specific is known about the diet of this species, but it probably preys on small mammals such as chinchillas and viscachas. Lizards and small birds are also potential food, the Andean mountain cat is almost certainly an opportunistic predator as are the other felids.

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Behaviour

Nothing is known about the social system of this cat, but they are probably solitary and maintain home ranges which are mutually exclusive to members of the same sex. In 1980 two Argentinian scientists observed and followed a single individual, for about two hours during the day. It drank from a stream, strolled along a path and then napped for a few minutes.

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Reproduction

Unknown.

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Conservation Status

Population densities of this species are unlikely to be high. The range is very restricted so total numbers cannot be large. These factors coupled with our uncertainty about the ecology of the Andean mountain cat led the IUCN to recommend that it be totally protected throughout its entire range.
It has been placed on Appendix I of CITES, as stated in “The Plight of the Cats”: Proceedings of the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, meeting in Kanha National Park, India, April 1984.
P. Joslin reported (Cat News no. 4 (1986), p. 12) that J. Eisenberg remarked on the irony of the fact, that skins of the Andean mountain cat occasionally turn up in Buenos Aries, providing the basis for knowing that the species still exists.
The IUCN Red List has the Andean Mountain cat as Vulnerable. (Cat News 23, p. 21)

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