Scientific name: Oncifelis colocolo (Molina, 1810)

Common name: Pampas cat (Gato-palheiro, gato-dos-pampas)

Behavior: mainly nocturnal and crepuscular, terrestrial, solitary;

Habitat: flatlands of the South, savanna, savanna wetland, swamps and flooded areas (open areas). In other countries, it may occur in tropical forests.

Diet: Carnivore, mainly small vertebrate: rodents and ground-dwelling birds.

Geographic distribution: from Ecuador and Peru, in the Andes, to the southernmost part of the continent. In Brazil, it is believed to occur from Rio Grande do Sul, part of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, and Central Brazil, to the southeast of Piauí, west of Bahia and Minas Gerais.

Breeding: gestation period is 80 to 85 days, average litter is 2 (1-3).

Description: Medium sized species, averaging 63 cm in length (49 to 77cm), with a long tail ranging from 28 to 59cm (average 42 cm), average weight of 5,2kg (3-7kg).
The body is elongated with a small, flat head and small rounded ears. Limbs are relatively short. Coat color is uniform, ranging from dapple-gray to red-orange to gray, with dark stripes on the limbs and dark blotches on the belly and on the side. It has longer hairs on its back, from head to tail, which set on end when it feels threatened. This species is the most closely resembled to the domestic cat.

Status: On IBAMA’s Official List of Endangered Brazilian Mammals, CITES appendix II and undetermined by UICN;

Main Threats: Loss of habitat to harvesting and cattle grazing.