First density estimation of two sympatric small cats, Leopardus colocolo and Leopardus geoffroyi, in a shrubland area of central Argentina

CARUSO, N.; MANFREDI, M.C.; LUENGOS VIDAL, E.M.; CASANAVE E.B.; LUCHERINI M.

ANNALES ZOOLOGICI FENNICI

FINNISH ZOOLOGICAL BOTANICAL PUBLISHING BOARD

Lugar: Helsinki; Año: 2012 vol. 49 p. 181 - 191

0003-455X

The Geoffroy’s cat, Leopardus geoffroyi, and Pampas cat, Leopardus colocolo, are two small felids with very wide distributions in South America. The purpose of this research was to obtain reliable density estimates of sympatric Geoffroy’s and Pampas cats in a xeric scrubland area from the Argentine Espinal ecoregion. This is the first estimate of density of sympatric Geoffroy’s and Pampas cat populations and suggests that L. geoffroyi is more abundant in this ecoregion than the Pampas cat. The greater population density of Geoffroy’s cat with respect to Pampas cat in our study is in agreement with our prediction and supports the hypothesis that L. geoffroyi may play an important role structuring the small felid guilds in the Southern Cone of Latin America