Clouded tiger cat
| Clouded tiger cat | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Leopardus |
| Species: | L. pardinoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Leopardus pardinoides | |
The clouded tiger cat (Leopardus pardinoides) or clouded oncilla is a small spotted cat found in Central and South America, particularly in Andean montane cloud forests[3] from 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,900 to 9,800 ft) above sea level. The clouded tiger cat is one of three recognized tiger cat species, along with the oncilla, or the northern tiger cat (L. tigrinus), and the southern tiger cat (L. guttulus), having been elevated to the status of species after the publication of a 2024 report describing it.[4][5][6] The species is threatened by climate change and deforestation, and has experienced widespread habitat loss.
Characteristics
[edit]Like the oncilla, the clouded tiger cat has similarities to the margay (L. wiedii), especially the shape of the head. The species has short, round ears, a long, bushy tail, and a soft fur coat featuring a mixture of red, orange, gray, and yellow fur with irregular "cloudy" or "nebulous" rosettes which will occasionally coalesce into bands, similar to ocelots. Clouded tiger cats belonging to the southernmost segment of their range can feature rounder rosettes. The tail features a pattern of banding with larger black blotches.
The eyes are larger than other tiger cats, but smaller than those of the margay. Also like the margay, females have one pair of teats. The paws are proportionally large for the size of the cat. Clouded tiger cats are unable to rotate their ankle joint, but have been observed climbing upside-down for short distances, unlike northern or southern tiger cats.[4]
Measurements are similar compared to closely related species L. tigrinus and L. guttulus, and the clouded tiger cat is similarly small, with a head and body length from 41 to 54 centimetres (16 to 21 in), and tail length from 24.5 to 34 centimetres (9.6 to 13.4 in). The weight averages 2.27 kilograms (5.0 lb).[4]
Melanistic specimens account for 6.5% to 32% of recorded sightings, with variations by region; the highest frequency is recorded in Costa Rica at 32%, dropping to 18.4% in Ecuador, and 6.5% in Colombia.[4]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The clouded tiger cat is distributed sparsely from the forests of Costa Rica and Panama, through the Andes mountains, to northwestern Argentina. The species occurs primarily in cloud forests and typically dwells from 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,900 to 9,800 ft) above sea level. A 2024 analysis compared the historical range of the species to modern data, finding a 50.4% reduction in range from 824,923 to 409,371 square kilometres (318,505 to 158,059 mi2), likely due to climate change and deforestation.[4] Nearly half of the species' reported range is within Colombia.[7]
Diet and behavior
[edit]The clouded tiger cat, like similar cats, has a diet consisting mainly of small rodents, reptiles, and ground-dwelling birds. As the species is considered nocturnal and "lunar phobic",[a][9] it prefers prey which are also active during its most-active period, which is after sunset and before sunrise.[10] A report has suggested that the clouded tiger cat employs temporal segregation in order to avoid conflicts with dogs, weasels, and tayras, as well as other cats.[11]
Taxonomy
[edit]The oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) was split in 2013 into two species, the northern tiger cat (L. tigrinus) and the southern tiger cat (L. guttulus).[5] While studying the distribution of these species, researchers for Universidade Estadual do Maranhão discovered the existence of the third species, L. pardinoides.[4][12]
Threats
[edit]Both closely related southern and northern tiger cats are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, which currently includes the clouded tiger cat under L. tigrinus.[4][13][14] The clouded tiger cat's primary habitat, cloud forests, are threatened by climate change and deforestation.[15][16] The species is also threatened by poaching, as well as predation by and diseases from dogs.[7]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]Citations
[edit]- 1 2 Payan, E.; de Oliveira, T. (2016). "Leopardus tigrinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T54012637A50653881. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T54012637A50653881.en. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ↑ Gray, John Edward (1867-04-11). Notes on certain species of cats in the collection of the British Museum. p. 400.
- ↑ Ramírez-Fernández et al. 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 de Oliveira et al. 2024.
- 1 2 Anderson, Natali (2024-01-31). "Scientists Identify Cryptic New Species of Tiger Cat". Sci News. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- ↑ Lescroart et al. 2023.
- 1 2 Cepeda-Duque et al. 2025, p. 2.
- ↑ "Some Tropical Mammals Appear To Have "Lunar Phobia"". IFLScience. Archived from the original on 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ Cepeda-Duque et al. 2025, p. 9.
- ↑ Cepeda-Duque et al. 2025, p. 5.
- ↑ Cepeda-Duque et al. 2025, pp. 7–8.
- ↑ Mowbray, Sean (2024-04-05). "A tiger cat gains new species designation, but conservation challenges remain". Mongabay. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- ↑ "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Leopardus tigrinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016-05-25. Archived from the original on 2026-01-05.
- ↑ "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Leopardus guttulus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014-05-10. Archived from the original on 2024-11-30.
- ↑ Karmalkar, Bradley & Diaz 2008.
- ↑ Hilbert et al. 2004, pp. 367–377.
Sources cited
[edit]- de Oliveira, Tadeu G.; Fox-Rosales, Lester A.; Ramírez-Fernández, José D.; et al. (2024-01-29). "Ecological modeling, biogeography, and phenotypic analyses setting the tiger cats' hyperdimensional niches reveal a new species". Scientific Reports. 14 (1). Springer. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-52379-8. ISSN 2045-2322.
- Cepeda-Duque, Juan Camilo; Arango-Correa, Eduven; López-Velasco, Valentina; et al. (2025). "Avoiding the enemy while searching for dinner: Understanding the temporal niche of the threatened clouded tiger-cat in protected cloud forests of the Middle Cauca, Colombia". Food Webs. 42. doi:10.1016/j.fooweb.2024.e00385. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- Hilbert, David W.; Bradford, Matt; Parker, Trevor; Westcott, David A. (2004). "Golden bowerbird (Prionodura newtonia) habitat in past, present and future climates: predicted extinction of a vertebrate in tropical highlands due to global warming". Biological Conservation. 116 (3). Elsevier BV: 367–377. doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(03)00230-1. ISSN 0006-3207.
- Karmalkar, A. V.; Bradley, R. S.; Diaz, H. F. (2008). "Climate change scenario for Costa Rican montane forests". Geophysical Research Letters. 35 (11). American Geophysical Union (AGU). doi:10.1029/2008gl033940. ISSN 0094-8276.
- Ramírez-Fernández, José D.; Fox-Rosales, Lester A.; Mooring, Michael S.; et al. (2024-09-17). "Distribution and habitat use patterns of the endangered Central American clouded oncilla (Leopardus pardinoides oncilla) in Costa Rica". PLOS ONE. 19 (9). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0310562. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 11407673. PMID 39288115.
- Lescroart, Jonas; Bonilla-Sánchez, Alejandra; Napolitano, Constanza; et al. (2023-12-01). "Extensive Phylogenomic Discordance and the Complex Evolutionary History of the Neotropical Cat Genus Leopardus". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 40 (12). doi:10.1093/molbev/msad255. ISSN 0737-4038. PMC 10701098. PMID 37987559. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
