User:Lotty411/Andean mountain cat

Introduction
The Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita) is a small wild cat native to the high Andes that has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,500 individuals are thought to exist in the wild. It is traditionally considered a sacred animal by indigenous Aymara and Quechua people.

It was first described by Emilio Cornalia who named it in honor of Jacobita Mantegazza.

There are no recognized subspecies of the Andean Mountain Cat.

Characteristics
The Andean mountain cat has ashy-gray fur, a gray head, face and rounded ears. The nose and lips are black with the areas around them being white; two dark brown lines run from the corners of the eyes across the cheeks. There are some black spots on the forelegs, yellowish-brown blotches on the flanks, and up to two narrow, dark rings on the hind limbs. The long bushy tail has 6&#x2013;9 rings, which are dark brown to black. The markings of juveniles are darker and smaller than those of adults. The skulls of adult specimens range in length from 100.4 to 114.8 mm and are larger than those of the pampas cat and domestic cat.

On the back and on the tail, the hair is 40–45 mm long. Its rounded footprints are 4 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. Its pads are covered with hair.

Adult specimens range from 57.7 to 85 cm in head-to-body length, with a 41.3 to 48.5 cm long tail. The shoulder height is about 36 cm and body weight is up to 5.5 kg.

The Andean mountain cat and pampas cat look similar. This makes it difficult to identify which cat is observed and makes correct estimations of populations problematic. This can be especially difficult when attempting to gain correct information from the observations of individuals that have seen one of these cats but are not aware to look for specific features to distinguish between the two.

Distribution and Habitat
The Andean mountain cat lives only at high elevations in the Andes. Records in Argentina indicate that it lives at elevations from 1800 m in the southern Andes to over 4000 m in Chile, Bolivia and central Peru. This terrain is arid, sparsely vegetated, rocky and steep showing that the Andean Mountain Cat prefers a temperate and terrestrial habitat. The population in the Salar de Surire Natural Monument was estimated at five individuals in an area of 250 km2. Results of a survey in the Jujuy Province of northwestern Argentina indicates a density of seven to twelve individuals per 100 km2 at an elevation of about 4200 m.

Its habitat in the Andes is fragmented by deep valleys, and its preferred prey, mountain viscachas (Lagidium) occur in patchy colonies. Across this range, the level of genetic diversity is very low.

It is also probable that mountain chinchillas were previously important prey of the Andean mountain cat before their populations went locally extinct due to over hunting for their fur.

Ecology and Behavior
Six different species of carnivores live in the Andes Mountain range. Apart from the Andean cat, there are two other cat species: the Pampas cat and the puma. The puma is a large predator, while the Andean and Pampas cat are medium-sized predators. These two medium-sized predators are very much alike. They both hunt within the same territory and hunt the same prey, the mountain viscacha (Lagidium viscacia), a rodent. The viscacha makes up 93.9% of the biomass consumed in the Andean cat's diet while the Pampas cat depends on it for 74.8% of its biomass consumption. Both of these cats depend on a specific prey to make up a large portion of their dietary needs. In some areas, the mountain viscacha will make up 53% of the Andean cat's prey items. This is because the other prey items are so significantly smaller that even though the Andean cat will successfully hunt, kill, and eat a mountain viscacha half the time, the mountain viscacha is so much larger than the other food items, it makes up more substance. Other prey and food groups include small reptiles, birds, and other small mammals such as tuco tucos They also hunt frequently during the same periods. During one study, both the Andean cat and the Pampas cat were seen most frequently during moonless nights; the second most sightings of these cats were during full moons.

Based off of resident's observations of Andean cats in coupled pairs with their litters, it is believed that the mating season is within the months of July and August. Due to kittens also being seen in the months of April and October, the mating season could also extend into November or December, although not much information is known about their breeding habits. A litter will usually consist of one or two offspring born in the spring and summer months. This is also common in other species that have their young when food resources are increasing, which can influence the survival rate of the young.

Threats
The following table lists the threat to the Andean cat and proposed interventions to mitigate them: