Agile, stealthy and ferocious hunters: an identification guide to seven incredible native felines throughout Chile and South America.

Possessing excellent senses, an agile and flexible body, sharp claws and a superlative sense of smell – felines are a truly exceptional species of the animal kingdom.

In the classification system of organisms (also known as taxonomy), the large Felidae family (also called felids and, commonly but imprecisely referred to as cats) has two living subfamilies: Pantherinae with its two to three genuses including infamous species such as the tiger (Panthera tigris) and the lion (Panthera leo); and Felinae, which is made up of more than 10 genuses and about 30 species. The Felinae subfamily is largely composed of small and medium-sized cats, but also includes species such as the puma (Puma concolor) and the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).

It is within this subfamily Felinae that the seven spectacular species of cats native to Chile and other parts of South America are found: the puma, the Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita), the Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) and the güiña (Leopardus guigna) as well as the colocolo cats. Until recently the nomenclature Leopardus colocola (colocolo cat) was understood to include several sub species, but recent studies have revealed that these are indeed distinct species, differentiated now as the Pampas cat (Leopardus garleppi), the colocolo cat and the Southern pampas cat (Leopardus pajeros) amongst others.

Wonderful wild cats with varying degrees of separation

 Cats, with their solitary behaviours, are in danger around the world. Their main threat in Chile and the wider South American region is hunting; or hunting of the animals they predate on. Others include habitat loss, forest fires, attacks by feral dogs, diseases transmitted by domesticated animals and climate change.

“Hunting, fortunately, is increasingly declining,” explains Agustín Iriarte. “The most affected species continue to be the güiña and the puma. Climate change will continue to be a threat in central Chile, heralding drought, increased temperatures and a decrease in prey.” Iriarte is an ecologist and cat expert. He is also the General Manager of Flora & Fauna Environmental Consultancy Limited and co-founder of the Andean Cat Alliance, as well as the author of more than 20 books in the environmental sphere.

Puma (Puma concolor)

The puma is the largest of Chile´s cats. It can be found in forests, mountainous areas and pampas, from Canada to the Strait of Magellan in Patagonia.

Its body can measure up to 180 cm in length with its tail an additional 90 cm long. Males are usually larger than females. Its coat is a uniform brown, grayish or reddish color, with the inside of its legs, chest and belly a lighter shade of these colors. Puma cubs initially have fur with dark spots and stripes on their tails up to six months old.

Chilean Patagonia, specifically Torres del Paine National Park, bears the highest density of pumas globally. Their diet in this part of the world consists of guanacos (Lama guanicoe), hares, birds and small rodents.

Its conservation status is Least Concern (IUCN).

Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita)

This cat is present in the Andes mountains of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru, up to 5000 meters above sea level. It inhabits arid and rocky areas near water sources, open grasslands, humid forests and steppes.

The Andean mountain cat can measure up to 85 cm long with its tail measuring an additional 50 cm. It has long, soft and mottled fur. Its coat is an opaque gray with a white under-belly. Its hairy tail has nine dark rings.

The Andean mountain cat preys principally on vizcacha (Lagidium viscacia) but also feeds on small and medium-sized rodents, birds and reptiles.

“It is a super rare species to find in the wild, making it difficult to study,” says Lagos. “However,” he adds, “considerable progress has been made over the last few years. Its main threats, at least here in Chile, are large-scale human activities, such as mining in the central-northern area.”

Its conservation status is Endangered (IUCN).

Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi)

Geoffroy’s cat or the South American wildcat is one of the most abundant cats in South America, found in mountainous areas, forests, jungles, pampas and wetland areas of Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. It also has a patchwork of habitat areas in southern Chile, in the regions of Aysén, Magallanes, and Araucanía.

The Geoffroy’s cat is a small animal, measuring 60 cm with a tail up to 30 cm in length. Its fur varies in color from a yellowish-brown in the north to a grayish color in the south. Some melanistic or black-pigmented specimens also exist.

Its conservation status is Least Concern (IUCN).

The colocolo cats

Pampas cat (Leopardus garleppi)

The pampas cat or desert cat lives in semi-arid environments, highland steppe, foothills as well as forested areas including jungle. It is distributed throughout Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina and northern Chile.

It measures up to 80 cm with a tail of almost 30 cm in length and it is the smallest of the colocolo cats. Its fur is gray and it has small spots or rosettes of brown coloration with dark borders. It has a black-ringed tail.

This species and Leopardus colocola differ from the Andean mountain cat in that their noses are pink and not black. They also have more pronounced dark brown bands on their front legs.

Its conservation status is Near Threatened (IUCN).

Colocolo cat (Leopardus colocola)

The colocolo cat is found in forested and rocky scrubland, as well as mountainous areas. It is endemic to a 600mile range throughout central ​​Chile from Coquimbo in the north, to Concepción in the south.

It is slightly larger than the domestic cat and is similiarly long-haired. Its appearance is similar to the Leopardus garleppi.

Its conservation status is Near Threatened (IUCN).

Southern pampas cat (Leopardus pajeros)

The Southern pampas cat is the largest of all the colocolo cats. It is widely distributed throughout Argentinean Patagonia and parts of Chile, specifically in the Aysén and Magallanes regions. Its habitats include mountainous and steppe areas.

It is commonly confused with Geoffroy’s cat because both are spotted and are of similar size, however Geoffroy’s cat is grayer and the pampas cat is a lighter brown color.

Its conservation status is Near Threatened (IUCN).