Mammals
Andean Mountain Cat
Leopardus jacobita
Above 4,000 metres in the high Andes, where the air is thin and the rock is bare, the Andean mountain cat hunts mountain vizcachas with a long, thickly ringed tail trailing behind it, one of the rarest and least-seen wild cats on the planet.
Overview
The Andean mountain cat, Leopardus jacobita, is an Endangered wild cat confined to extreme high-altitude habitat across Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Rarely seen and poorly studied even today, it is widely considered one of the rarest and most threatened cat species in the world.
A vizcacha specialist
Where mountain vizcachas are abundant, the Andean mountain cat tends to follow, relying on them as its primary prey. The parallel decline of vizcacha populations from hunting and habitat disturbance has made the cat’s own survival increasingly precarious.
Status
Endangered, with fewer than 1,500 mature individuals thought to survive across a fragmented range. Mining, infrastructure development, and declining prey populations all continue to press on its remaining high-Andean habitat.
Andean Mountain Cat: common questions
Why is the Andean mountain cat so rare?
It lives only in small, fragmented populations scattered across extreme high-altitude habitat in the Andes, and its main prey, the mountain vizcacha, has itself declined from hunting and habitat disturbance, pulling the cat's numbers down with it.
What does the Andean mountain cat eat?
It specializes heavily on mountain vizcachas, supplementing this diet with other small mammals, birds, and reptiles found at high altitude.
How high up does the Andean mountain cat live?
It is typically found above 4,000 metres, and sometimes above 5,000 metres, making it one of the highest-dwelling wild cat species anywhere in the world.
How is the Andean mountain cat different from other small Andean cats?
Compared to the more adaptable pampas cat, which shares part of its range, the Andean mountain cat is rarer, more strictly tied to extreme high-altitude rocky terrain, and recognizable by its unusually long, thick, ringed tail.