Comments on: New Wild Cat Species in Ecuador?

By: YourPTR!

YourPTR! — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:30:33 +0000

sschaper, I believe the most closely related species to the Pampas Cat is Geoffroy’s Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi), which is probably the most common wild cat in South America.

Both the Andean Cat and Mountain Cat are indeed very beautiful cats, I hadn’t heard of either until I read this article. The Andean one bears a resembalance to the Ocicat, a new and still-rare breed known for its wild apperance and name for its resemblance to the Ocelot.

By: sschaper

sschaper — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:36:00 +0000

Interesting! An ocelot-clade animal that looks so much like a house cat or forest cat.

What is the pampas cat most closely related to? Why is it leopardus instead of felis?

By: mam

mam — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:59:18 +0000

I study South American mammals. The cat is almost certainly Leopardus pajeros, the Pampas Cat, which is known from Ecuador. Nose color and striping are diagnostic.

By: zuri

zuri — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:32:34 +0000

It doesn't surprise me if this wild cat is a new or an endemic species. Ecuador is one of the most beautiful and diverse countries of South America. This country has an amazing biodiversity composed of: 1,600 species of birds, 1,000 species of fish, 680 of reptiles and amphibians, 230 of mammals, and more than 20,000 species of plants.

By: kittenz

kittenz — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:07:26 +0000

The Andean cat is not closely related to the common house cat / wild cat. Mitochondrial DNA analysis puts it in the ocelot lineage.

I hope that the new critter really is a new species … of course, if it’s an Andean cat, that’s still cause for celebration because they are so rare.

By: red_pill_junkie

red_pill_junkie — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:47:18 +0000

Beautiful animal.

By: BunniesLair

BunniesLair — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:30:46 +0000

I love felines! I am excited that there might be a new species, and as gkingdano said, it would be nice if there were more shows and research into the many different varieties of wild felines. And I had never heard of the Andean Mountain Cat until I read this! So again, thank you for the great information!

By: DWA

DWA — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:00:36 +0000

The top photo could be an Andean Cat.

But from the other commentary here, I can say that in cases like this one, ‘new species’ seems to frequently be the verdict when all the data is in.

By: sschaper

sschaper — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:36:04 +0000

The Andean Cat appears to be a breed of the common house and wild cat.

The new critter looks more like it could belong in the Bobcat/Lynx category.

By: gkingdano

gkingdano — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:43:37 +0000

I think this is VERY exciting!!! I have always been interested in the small wild cats of the western worlds. Too bad that there is not more money from the animal tv shows to fund more research into these endangered and very rare cats. Hollywood gives hundreds of thousands for tigers and there are thousands in zoo, private hands, and many thousands in the wild over many habitats. These south american cats number only in the few hundreds at best with few, if any, in the zoos.