Andean Cat (Leopardus jacobita) Classification

The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) is a felid with a restricted distribution in the high Andean regions of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina, and is considered the most threatened member of its family in South America. Its conservation status is critical, being classified as Endangered (EN) under Peruvian legislation and on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, limited ecological information and significant knowledge gaps regarding its distribution hinder the implementation of effective conservation actions.

This contribution presents the first confirmed photographic records of L. jacobita in Polylepis forests of Ayacucho Department, Peru.

The results provide relevant evidence of the presence and habitat use of L. jacobita in these high Andean ecosystems, which appear to serve as vital refuges for the conservation. Furthermore, the findings highlight the need to strengthen conservation strategies in Polylepis forests, which are already affected by climate change and various anthropogenic pressures that impact L. jacobita populations both directly and indirectly.

Finally, we propose the establishment of research priorities aimed at improving understanding of the species’ ecology and its role within this highly vulnerable ecosystem.

Cépida-Lahuana, Ausbel & Mendoza, Merinia & Portal-Quicaña, Edwin & Llerena-Reátegui, Gabriel. (2025). Presence of the Andean cat Leopardus jacobita in Polylepis forests from Ayacucho, PeruPresencia del gato andino Leopardus jacobita en bosques de Polylepis de Ayacucho, Perú. Revista Peruana de Biología. 32. e31051. 10.15381/rpb.v32i4.31051.

Largest known cat geoglyph in Chile identified as the Endangered Andean cat

Villalobos, R.; Sanderson, J.; Vergara, N.
Largest known cat geoglyph in Chile identified as the Endangered Andean cat
2023 Oryx (57): 694-695

The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) is one of the most endangered and least known wild cat species in the Americas and the world in general. We describe new records of the Andean cat in the central Andes of Chile, in Parque Andino Juncal, obtained as part of a monitoring program conducted from December 2020 to May 2021 using eight trail cameras.

The cameras were active for 135 days (sampling effort 1080 camera-trap days). We recorded Andean cats in two different cameras, corresponding to two independent events in January and March 2021, respectively (0.19% capture success). Our new records are relevant since they fill a gap on the species distribution map, specifically in the area located between the two previously identified evolutionarily significant units (ESU) (26-35ø S) which has been prioritized by the Andean Cat Alliance (AGA).

We highlight the relevance of private protected areas in ecosystems of high biodiversity and fragility such as Parque Andino Juncal and also of strategic private-social partnerships for successful collaborative efforts to monitor the presence of rare, elusive, and endangered species.

Our next steps will be to collect scats from this newly identified site and conduct genetic analyses to determine whether these animals are part of previously identified ESUs or a yet unidentified potentially distinct ESU or MU requiring special conservation measures.

Bel‚n Zaparate, M.; Napolitano, C.; Sapaj-Aguilera, M.; Dinges, T.; Kentrick, C.; Llerena-Re tegui, G.; Tellaeche, C.G.; Palacios, R.
New records of the Andean cat (_Leopardus jacobita_) in the Central Andes of Chile: Filling gaps in the distribution range through private-social partnerships.
2022  Animals (12(5)): 1-6

The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) inhabits rocky habitats in the central Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru, usually above 3,600 m (Villalba et al., 2016), and at lower elevations in southern Argentina (Novaro et al., 2010; Martinez et al., 2008). It is one of the five most threatened felid species of the world and it has been categorized as Critically Endangered in Bolivia (Villalba et al., 2009). It is also listed in CITES Appendix I. There is no record of any Andean cat in captivity.

In March 2016, a sub-adult Andean cat was captured by local people in the town of Patacamaya (about 100 km from La Paz city) and delivered by the Bolivian Forestry and Environmental Police (POFOMA) to the Vesty Pakos Municipal Zoo (La Paz). There was no certainty of the specimen's origin and exact date of capture, therefore, it was decided to keep it in captivity until an appropriate solution could be decided.

Behavioral studies showed that the individual should be released. We carried out pathogens analyses that came back negative (Napolitano et al., 2019) and identified two potential sites with optimal habitat to release the individual in Sajama National Park.

Villalba, M.L.; Beltran-Saavedra, L.F.; Ledezma, G.; Flores, E.; Reppucci, J.; Pacheco, L.F.; Ayala, G.; Ticona, H.; Palacios, R.; Morales, A.
Pre-release care, translocation, and radio tracking of a rescued Andean cat in Bolivia

Case Study in Soorae, P. S. (ed.) (2021). Global conservation translocation perspectives: 2021

Context: Understanding the factors that determine the distribution and abundance of species is an important aim of ecology and prerequisite for conservation. The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) and the pampas cat (L. colocolo) are two of the least studied felids. Both are threatened, of similar size and live sympatrically in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.

Aims: We aimed at estimating the population densities of the Andean cat and pampas cat in two continuous areas and to analyse the activity patterns of these two species and that of mountain vizcacha (Lagidium viscacia), the main prey of the Andean cat.

Methods: We used camera traps to evaluate the density of both felid species using the space explicit capture recapture (SECR) framework and the overlap in their activity patterns with that of mountain Vizcacha, using the Kernel-density estimator in two contiguous areas in the Bolivian Altiplano, at Muro-Amaya and at Micani, both within the Ciudad de Piedra region.

Key results: Andean cat density was estimated at 6.45 individuals per 100 km² in Muro-Amaya and 6.91 individuals per 100 km² in Micani, whereas the density of the pampas cat was 5.31 individuals per 100 km² and 8.99 individuals per 100 km² respectively. The Andean cat was mainly nocturnal, whereas the pampas cat was cathemeral. The activity of the mountain vizcacha overlapped less with that of its specialised predator, the Andean cat, than with that of the pampas cat.

Conclusions: In line with our predictions, the Andean cat, considered a more specialised nocturnal hunter, particularly of mountain vizcacha, had lower population densities than did the more generalist pampas cat.

Implications: Low population densities, as compared with theoretical expectations, pose an additional conservation problem for these felids, in an area such as the high Andes.

Huaranca, J.C.; Villalba, M.L.; Negroes, N.; Jimenez, J.E.; MacDonald, D.W.; Pacheco, L.F.
Density and activity patterns of Andean cat and Pampas cat (Leopardus jacobita_and L. colocolo) in the Bolivian Altiplano
2019  Wildlife Research (47): 68-71