Geoffroy's Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) Classification ~ Wild Cat Family

The small spotted Geoffroy's Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) is widespread and common throughout South America, however having once been the second most traded pelt after bobcats, it is still at risk from illegal poaching for the fur trade. There is also demand from the pet trade to interbreed Geoffroy's Cats with domestic cats to produce 'safari cats'. As with all the South American cats, clearing of natural forest habitat for farming is a major threat to their survival.

Geoffroy’s Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) - Leopardus Lineage — Geoffroy's Cat, Zoo Karlsruhe, Germany
By Daf-de (GDFL, CC-BY-SA-3.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Note: Range is South America only (not Central) - slide to be corrected.

The global conservation status for Geoffroy's Cats is Least Concern (LC) across all regions and subspecies. Four subspecies of Geoffroy's Cats were recognized in the past:

Leopardus geoffroyi geoffroyi - Central and south Argentina, Chile
Leopardus geoffroyi salinarum - North-west Argentina
Leopardus geoffroyi paraguae - Paraguay, Uruguay, north-east Argentina and south-east Brazil
Leopardus geoffroyi euxanthus - Bolivia and north Argentina

However the latest taxonomic revision (2017) found insufficient genetic evidence for subspecies differentiation and proposes a monotypic species.

References:

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2017-3. www.iucnredlist.org - Leopardus geoffroyi. 02 Jan 2018.
Kitchener et al. 2017. A revised taxonomy of the Felidae. The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group.

Geoffroys Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi)

Note: Range is South America only (not Central) - slide to be corrected.

Quick Facts about Geoffroy's Cats

~ Widespread and common in South America ~

~ Spends time on the ground, trees and in water ~

~ Historically second most traded cat pelt in the fur trade ~

Geoffroy's Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) Classification

Geoffroy's Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) Subspecies (lower classification)

References:

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2017-3. www.iucnredlist.org - Leopardus geoffroyi. 02 Jan 2018.

Kitchener et al. 2017. A revised taxonomy of the Felidae. The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group.

Geoffroy's Cat Conservation & Research

Geoffroy's Cat Facts and Information