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Leopardus tigrinus
– Near Threatened
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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MAMMALIA
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Order:
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CARNIVORA
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Family:
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FELIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Leopardus tigrinus
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Species Authority:
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(Schreber, 1775)
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Common Name/s:
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LITTLE SPOTTED CAT (Eng)
ONCILLA (Eng)
TIGER CAT (Eng)
CHAT-TACHETÉ (Fre)
CHAT-TIGRE (Fre)
ONCILLE (Fre)
CAUCEL (Spa)
GATO ATIGRADO (Spa)
GATO TIGRE (Spa)
TIGRILLO (Spa)
TIRICA (Spa)
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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NT ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2002
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Assessor/s:
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Cat Specialist Group
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Evaluator/s:
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Nowell, K., Breitenmoser, U., Breitenmoser, C. & Jackson, P. (Cat Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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Based on estimates of density and geographic range (Nowell and Jackson 1996), the oncilla’s total effective population size is estimated at below 50,000 mature breeding individuals, with a declining trend due to degradation of its habitat and prey base. It may possibly qualify as Vulnerable if these trends persist, or if better information on its status and range were available.
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History:
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| 1982 | - | Vulnerable as Felis tigrina (Thornback and Jenkins 1982) |
| 1986 | - | Vulnerable as Felis tigrina (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986) |
| 1988 | - | Vulnerable as Felis tigrina (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988) |
| 1990 | - | Vulnerable as Felis tigrina (IUCN 1990) |
| 1994 | - | Insufficiently Known (Groombridge 1994) |
| 1996 | - | Lower Risk/near threatened (Baillie and Groombridge 1996) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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The oncilla appears to have a naturally disjunct distribution, although further research is necessary to confirm this. It has been recorded from Costa Rica and northern Panama, but not from the remainder of the Darien Peninsula connecting Central America to South America. There are no records from the Amazon basin, and the oncilla’s range appears to be restricted to montane and subtropical forest (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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Countries:
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Native:
Argentina; Bolivia; Brazil; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ecuador; French Guiana; Guyana; Panama; Suriname; Venezuela
Uncertain presence and origin:
Nicaragua; Paraguay; Peru
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Population
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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Although the oncilla is very similar in appearance to the other small cats of the South American Leopardus genus, the ocelot and margay, it is found at higher elevations and is apparently not sympatric in the stronghold of the other species’ ranges, the Amazon basin. While it may be most common in montane cloud forest, it also has been reported from dry deciduous forest, semi-arid thorny scrub, and degraded secondary vegetation in close proximity to human settlement. The oncilla has never been studied, and there is little understanding of its habitat requirements, density, and coexistence with other small cats (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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System:
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Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine
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Threats
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Threats:
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It is difficult to assess threats to the oncilla when so little is known about it. Its cloud forest habitat is being lost to coffee plantations, but observations of it in deforested areas and eucalyptus monoculture on the outskirts of Sao Paolo suggest tolerance of habitat alteration (Nowell and Jackson 1996). The oncilla has been trapped in the past in large numbers for the spotted cat fur trade.
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Included on CITES Appendix I. Hunting of the species is prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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