Pampas cat: status, range, size and diet
A grassland and highland cat of South America with a bushy tail and variable coat, listed as Near Threatened and under taxonomic review.
Also known as Leopardus colocola, Leopardus colocolo, colocolo, pajonal cat, Pantanal cat
At a glance
| Scientific name | Leopardus colocola |
|---|---|
| Group | Small wild cats |
| Weight | 3-4 kg |
| Length | Head and body about 42-79 cm, tail 22-33 cm |
| Known for | A coat that varies so much across its range that scientists still argue over how many species there are. |
Status
| IUCN Red List category | Near Threatened |
|---|---|
| Assessed in | 2016 |
Where it lives
| Range | Much of South America outside the Amazon, from Ecuador and Peru south through the Andes, Gran Chaco, Cerrado and pampas to Patagonia |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Grassland, scrub, dry forest, high-altitude steppe and paramo, from lowlands to about 5,000 m |
| Diet | Small mammals such as cavies and rodents, plus birds and reptiles |
Main threats
- Conversion of grassland to farming
- Oil and mineral extraction
- Retaliation over poultry
- Road deaths and dogs
About
The pampas cat is a little larger than a domestic cat, with long, coarse fur and a thick, bushy tail. It is among the most variable of the small cats. Coat colour runs from silvery grey to ochre and yellow, with stripes, blotches or plain fur, and the pattern differs between regions. Two dark lines run across each cheek. Melanistic animals are known. The nose is pink, which separates it from the similar Andean mountain cat.
Its taxonomy is unsettled. The IUCN Cat Specialist Group treats it as one species with several subspecies, but researchers have proposed splitting it into as many as five. Newer genetic data suggest deep divisions among populations. A reassessment for the Red List has been held back until the classification is resolved, which is why the assessment on file is from 2016.
Where it lives and what it eats
The range is very wide. It runs from Ecuador and Peru along the Andes, through the Gran Chaco and Cerrado of Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil, to Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, and marginally into southwestern Colombia. It uses dry grassland, scrub, thorn woodland, high steppe and the paramo, and is recorded as high as about 5,000 m. Activity is mainly nocturnal in some areas and mostly by day in others.
Small mammals are the main prey, including guinea pigs, mountain viscachas, rodents and hares, together with birds such as tinamous, ducks and flamingos, and reptiles. In Patagonia it takes penguin eggs and chicks.
Threats and conservation
The species is Near Threatened. It is rare nearly everywhere, with densities of a fraction of an animal per square kilometre, and appears to have vanished from parts of the Argentine pampas. Grassland is being turned into farms, and oil and gas extraction, overgrazing and plantations all reduce its habitat and prey. Pampas cats are shot after taking poultry or young goats, struck by vehicles and killed by dogs. Some are caught for the pet trade.
Trade is regulated under CITES Appendix II, and hunting is banned in most countries within the range. Chilean animals are thought to be especially at risk. Resolving how many species exist will shape protection, since a split could turn one moderately rare cat into several rarer ones.
Cats and people
Pampas cats are wild animals and unsuited to homes. They interbreed occasionally with the northern tiger cat in central Brazil. Most encounters with people involve farmland, where livestock owners can mistake them for threats to poultry.
Profile last reviewed November 7, 2026