Hi Steemit family!
Today I bring you another great feline this time we will go to the Andes in South America where there is a very particular cat, I'm talking about the Andean cat. Known for living in the pre-mountain range of the Andes and other mountainous areas. Come with me to learn more about this incredible species.
Its scientific name is Leopardus jacobitus and it lives mainly in Andean areas of the great American continent in its southern part. It is a type of lynx that adapted to these mountainous conditions and is one of the species most threatened by both climate change and poaching. We are in the presence of a totally carnivorous mammal, it is also endemic to this area and is not found anywhere else on the planet, mainly inhabits the high plateau area in countries such as Chile, Bolivia, Peru and some parts of Argentina.
It loves zones where there is exuberant vegetation and where there are rocks, in addition it will always be in aturas superior to the 4000 meters of height on the level of the sea. Although in some parts of Argentina can be found at 2000 meters above sea level as in the region of Mendoza.
One of the causes of its disappearance is due to the fact that it lives in areas where it is populated by people, the high plateau has been inhabited by different civilizations such as the Incas for thousands of years. Although in the past I managed to live in harmony now the customs have changed and now it is threatened by the human who hunts it to get its skin or be sold on the black market for exotic pets.
Among its main characteristics we find that it has a beautiful gray to silver coat, it is also very soft to the touch and its length can reach 5 centimeters understanding that it lives in areas where there are temperatures below zero. It has dark grey stripes in parts of its coat not very well defined. It has quite big ears with which it listens in a surprising way, it is perhaps one of the felines with the most developed eardrum.
The average weight in males can reach 7 kilograms while in females can reach a maximum weight of 5 kilograms and a maximum length of at least 80 kilograms and 60 in females which shows a pronounced sexual dimorphism.
Its behavior is natural and not aggressive, the only way for this mammal to act violently is because it is bothered by trying to catch or attack it. Males are very territorial and often live alone and gather alone in mating season.
They feed especially on rodents, but can also ingest large numbers of insects, as well as eggs and birds, and last but not least consumed the snakes. As for their reproduction we have that it is given in the months of July and December that it is in if their active period of reproduction, in captivity they present problems to be able to procreate. They only give birth to two puppies, surviving one in most cases. At 6 months they will be ready to hunt by their own means and in two years they will reach sexual maturity, it is estimated that their life lasts at least 20 years.
At the moment they are in serious danger of extinction according to the last census that could be made to this beautiful species there are only 2500 specimens of Andean cat, an alarming number, at the moment there are different ONG to take care of this species generating zones of protection inside the natural parks.
Thank you for reading
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