Species comparison
Geoffroy's Cat vs Andean Mountain Cat
A side-by-side look at Leopardus geoffroyi and Leopardus jacobita across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The geoffroy's cat and the andean mountain cat fall into a similar body-mass band.
- The two species occupy different habitat types with no overlap in our classification.
- Their ranges both include South America.
- Red List categories differ: Geoffroy's Cat is listed as Least Concern, Andean Mountain Cat as Endangered.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Geoffroy's Cat
Leopardus geoffroyi
Andean Mountain Cat
Leopardus jacobita
Geoffroy's Cat
Leopardus
Andean Mountain Cat
Leopardus
Geoffroy's Cat
Ocelot lineage
Andean Mountain Cat
Ocelot lineage
Geoffroy's Cat
Small cats
Andean Mountain Cat
Small cats
Geoffroy's Cat
Gato montés
Andean Mountain Cat
Andean cat, Gato andino
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Geoffroy's Cat
17 in – 2 ft 2 in (42–66 cm)
Andean Mountain Cat
22 in – 2 ft 9 in (57–85 cm) Longer
Geoffroy's Cat
9 in – 14 in (24–36 cm)
Andean Mountain Cat
16 in – 19 in (41–48 cm) Longer
Geoffroy's Cat
10 in – 12 in (25–30 cm)
Andean Mountain Cat
13 in – 15 in (33–38 cm) Taller
Geoffroy's Cat
4.4–17 lb (2–7.8 kg) Heavier
Most adults weigh 3–5 kg; animals in the south of the range are larger.
Andean Mountain Cat
8.8–12 lb (4–5.5 kg)
Very few animals have ever been weighed.
Geoffroy's Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Andean Mountain Cat
Not reliably measured
No field measurement exists.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Geoffroy's Cat
10–14 years Longer
Andean Mountain Cat
10–12 years
Geoffroy's Cat
14–18 years Longer
Andean Mountain Cat
12–15 years
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Geoffroy's Cat
semi-arid scrub, grassland, dry forest, wetland, agricultural mosaic
Chaco thornscrub, pampas grassland, Patagonian steppe and riverside woodland; it also uses farmland with hedgerows and marsh edges.
Andean Mountain Cat
rocky alpine, steppe
Arid, rocky terrain above the treeline in the high Andes, and rocky steppe in northern Patagonia, generally between 10,000 and 16,000 feet.
Geoffroy's Cat
South America
Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, reaching the southern tip of the continent.
Andean Mountain Cat
South America
Southern Peru, western Bolivia, northern Chile and north-western Argentina, with a disjunct population in the Patagonian steppe.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Geoffroy's Cat
small mammals, birds, fish, reptiles
Rodents and small birds dominate; fish, frogs and crustaceans are taken where wetlands are available.
Andean Mountain Cat
small mammals, birds, reptiles
Mountain viscachas dominate the diet, supplemented by chinchillas, tuco-tucos, birds and lizards.
Geoffroy's Cat
Solitary
Occupies small home ranges at relatively high density where cover and rodents are plentiful.
Andean Mountain Cat
Solitary
Densities are extremely low, and individuals appear to range widely across rocky outcrops that hold viscacha colonies.
Geoffroy's Cat
Nocturnal
Chiefly night active, with occasional crepuscular movement in undisturbed areas.
Andean Mountain Cat
Crepuscular and nocturnal
Most records fall around twilight, with some daytime activity in cold, clear weather.
Geoffroy's Cat
Ground stalk with frequent climbing
Hunts along cover edges and will climb into low trees after birds, or wade in shallow water after fish.
Andean Mountain Cat
Ambush around rock colonies
Hunts by waiting near viscacha colonies and rushing over broken rock.
Geoffroy's Cat
Strong
A capable climber that rests and dens in trees where they are available.
Andean Mountain Cat
Strong
Highly capable on rock and scree; trees are absent from most of its range.
Geoffroy's Cat
Strong More developed
One of the more water-tolerant small cats, entering streams and marsh to hunt.
Andean Mountain Cat
Very limited
No meaningful records; the habitat offers little standing water.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Geoffroy's Cat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2014
Andean Mountain Cat
EN — Endangered
Assessed 2016
Geoffroy's Cat
Stable
Andean Mountain Cat
Decreasing
Geoffroy's Cat
Conversion of scrub and grassland to cropland, Road mortality, Killing near poultry, Dog predation, Legacy of intensive fur trapping
Currently secure, having recovered from very heavy fur-trade harvesting in the twentieth century. Habitat conversion and conflict with rural households remain the main local pressures.
Andean Mountain Cat
Decline of mountain viscacha populations, Killing for traditional and ceremonial use, Mining expansion in high-altitude basins, Habitat fragmentation, Dogs accompanying herders
Assessed as Endangered with a small and declining population. Its dependence on a single main prey species, itself hunted by people, makes the situation fragile.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Geoffroy's Cat
- Hundreds of thousands of skins were traded in the 1970s and 1980s before controls tightened.
- Melanistic individuals are frequent in some populations, particularly in wetter habitats.
- It is one of very few small cats regularly recorded fishing in shallow water.
Andean Mountain Cat
- Fewer than 1,500 mature individuals are estimated to survive.
- Dried specimens appear in some Andean ceremonial traditions, which is a documented source of mortality.
- The tail can approach three-quarters of head-body length and is unusually thick and heavily ringed.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.
- National Geographic — Animals General natural-history reference for behaviour, range and ecology.