[Animals] This is the 'ghost' cat of the Andes, the feline of the high peaks that is in danger of extinction

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The Andean cat has adapted so well to its environment that it has become practically invisible to the human eye.
Elusive. Reserved. Completely silent and, unlike other deadly hunters, really small: the Andean cat has been a headache for biologists studying the biosphere of the Andes. Due to the incredible ability to hide, and a coat that has exactly the same color as the stones on the summits, the locals know it as 'the Andean ghost'.

Despite its unique camouflage ability, the Andean cat has forged an intimate relationship with the native peoples of the region. The Aymaras, for example, know it as 'titi'. For their part, the Quechuas refer to the species as 'chinchay'. The truth is that it is considered a sacred feline, which governs the Elqui Valley in Peru.

Known by its scientific name, Leopardus jacobita, the Andean cat is distributed along the coldest peaks of the mountain range. Specifically, in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Its length varies between 75 and 85 centimeters, with up to 35 centimeters in height. It is distinguished from other feline species by its silver-colored fur, with discreet black and brown lines.

In adulthood, this feline can weigh up to 7 kilos, no more than a domestic cat. What is truly impressive about the species is that it is rarely seen—and not because there are few left in the wild, but because they are incredibly agile at hiding and hunting. As masters of camouflage, they coincide with other species of wild cats in the absolute stealth they have when moving.

From sacred animal to endangered species

Therefore, the Andean cat has been very difficult to study. In fact, explains the Behavioral Ecology of Mammals in a statement, "very few researchers have seen it face to face." Therefore, in the 2000s, a team of scientists from the National University of the South (Argentina) brought together more than 30 specialists to document it. Only in this way, the researchers said, could their extinction be avoided.

Before the project was completed, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) cataloged the Andean cat as part of its red list of animals in danger of extinction. To prevent the damage from growing, the researchers set up photo traps to record their diet and wild behavior. This is how the Alianza Gato Andino was founded.

With these photographs and videos, they discovered that their main activity is at night, in the Patagonian steppe. Despite its symbolic, ritual and religious importance for native cultures, the Andean cat is threatened. "Their po[CENSORED]tions have low genetic diversity, which could be another conservation problem," says Mauro Lucherini, a researcher at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (Conicet).

Currently, the Los Andes research group is fighting to preserve the species in nature reserves. The most important of them, where a large po[CENSORED]tion of wild cats is preserved, is the Sajama National Park, which extends through Bolivia and Chile. Only in these spaces, the researchers explain, can the species be analyzed in more detail, in order to guarantee its persistence in its native environment.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/gato-de-los-andes/