Geoffroy’s Cat
 Geoffroy’s cats are another of the little known, small, South American spotted cats, although they are currently thought to be
the most abundant small cat in their range. Their coat ranges from a brilliant ochre in the northern parts of their range, to a silvery grey
in the south, with intermediate shades in between. Numerous small, round, black dots of nearly equal size are placed at equal distances from
one another, and form a black ‘necklace’ on the chest. They have several black streaks on the crown and two on each cheek. Underparts are
lighter and also marked with solid spots. The legs are fairly stout, and banded on the upper portion with spots extending down to the toes.
The black tipped tail, which is about half of the head-body length, has several black rings. Large, rounded ears are black on the outside
and flagged with white central spots. Irises vary from deep golden to a greenish-grey.In addition to the spotted form, there is also a melanistic variety found more commonly in the heavily forested areas of their range. The largest cats are from the southern parts of their range, and have a longer, paler coat. As they extend to the north up into Paraguay, they are smaller and darker. Cats from northern Argentina were once considered a separate species because of their indistinct spotting, and called ‘salt desert cats’. In some areas, Geoffroy’s cats can be confused with a related species, the kodkod Oncifelis guigna. These cats inhabit a wide variety of habitat types, from pampas grasslands in both plains and foothills, rocky shrub covered terrain, arid woodlands and the alpine salt desert of Argentina. However, they are not found in either the tropical rain forests or southern broad leaved forests. They tend to avoid open areas, preferring dense scrubby vegetation. Geoffroy’s cats have been found between sea level and 3,300 metres in Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. They can be encountered in the foothills of the Patagonian Andes, but not in the conifer forests where they are replaced by the kodkod. Much of their range is shared by the pampas cat Oncifelis colocolo. Geoffroy’s cats are mainly, but not exclusively, terrestrial. Good climbers and swimmers, local people call them ‘fishing cats’ and claim that they readily enter water. In Chile, one female was known to have crossed a 30 metre wide fast-flowing river at least 20 times. Generally, however, the local common name is ‘gato montes’, meaning cat of the mountains. Largely nocturnal, they reportedly sleep in trees or dense vegetation during the day. Their prey includes birds and small mammals such as mice, rats, guinea pigs and agoutis, frogs, fish, lizards and insects. They have twice been observed carrying the carcasses of European hares up into the trees. Radio telemetry studies have shown the average home range size of five adult males was 9.21 square km. One female had a home range of 5.16 square km, while anothers was 2.33 square km. Female ranges overlapped, while those of the males did not. Density was estimated at 1.2 individuals per 10 square km in prime habitat Gestation is approximately 72 - 78 days, with one to four young being born annually in a well protected den between rocks, or in dense shrub. Birth weight is 60 - 100 grams. The kittens are weaned about eight to ten weeks. Females are sexually mature around 18 months and males about 24 months. In comparison with the domestic cat, young Geoffroy’s develop quite slowly. Longevity is up to 18 years. Their current status in captivity is dismal, as it is for all small spotted cats. Less than 20 cats have contributed to the current gene pool, making inbreeding a critical factor. Of the captive population, all are subspecies hybrids or of unknown ancestry. Recently, a new threat to the survival of these cats has surfaced. Domestic cat breeders, in their search for new and unusual man-made breeds, have begun to cross pure Geoffroy’s cats with a variety of domestic cats, producing a hybrid sold as a ‘safari cat’. By purchasing these cats from unscrupulous breeders, they are further diluting the gene pool and removing potential breeding cats from any conservation program. Versatile and tolerant of moderate deforestation, Geoffroy’s cat can adapt to human presence better than other small cat species in South America. Rather than flee from disturbed areas, they seek them out and take advantage of the lack of competition from other species. They are easily trapped and tamed, and many natives keep them as pets and rodent control agents. In some areas, they are considered a threat to domestic poultry and shot on sight. In other areas, they are considered a culinary item. There are fears that a decade of high volume skin trade has severely reduced populations. Although now illegal, pelts continue to reach domestic markets in Paraguay and Uruguay. So little is known of the ecological requirements of these cats that it is impossible to judge the actual impact of hunting or habitat loss. Geoffroy’s cats are fully protected across their range, and they were upgraded to CITES Appendix I in 1992. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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