Clouded Tiger Cat

News: The clouded tiger cat, a new species discovered in Brazil, is facing threats from deforestation and illegal hunting.

Tiger Cats:

•    Tiger cats, also known as oncillas, are small spotted cats found in Central and South America. They are adept at climbing trees and hunting small prey.
•    Tiger cats are considered among the shyest and smallest wild cats in the Americas, weighing between 1.5 to 3 kilograms (3.3 to 6.6 pounds), much smaller than typical domestic house cats.
•    Previously, tiger cats were classified into two species: the northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) and the Atlantic Forest tiger cat (Leopardus guttulus), along with several subspecies.
•    The northern tiger cat inhabits savannas and shrublands of the Guiana Shield and centralBrazil, while the Atlantic Forest tiger cat resides in forested regions of central to southern Brazil, extending into Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.
•    Recent research has identified a third species within this family: the clouded tiger cat (Leopardus pardinoides).

Clouded Tiger Cat:

•    The clouded tiger cat (Leopardus pardinoides) is a newly discovered species of forest-dwelling tiger cat.
•    Scientific Name: Leopardus pardinoides
•    Geographic Distribution: Found in the cloud forests of the southern Central American and Andean Mountain chains, spanning from Costa Rica through Panama, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.
•    It is a small cat with a long tail and short, rounded ears, weighing approximately 2.27 kilograms (5 pounds).
•    The clouded tiger cat has a head resembling that of a margay, with dense, soft fur in rich reddish-orange or grayish-yellow color, adorned with irregularly shaped medium to large \'cloudy\' rosettes that are strongly marked and often merge together.
•    Notably, this species has only one pair of mammae or teats.