Species comparison
Pampas Cat vs Geoffroy's Cat
A side-by-side look at Leopardus colocola and Leopardus geoffroyi across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The geoffroy's cat averages about 1.6 times the body mass of the pampas cat.
- Both species use grassland and semi-arid scrub.
- Their ranges both include South America.
- Red List categories differ: Pampas Cat is listed as Near Threatened, Geoffroy's Cat as Least Concern.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Pampas Cat
Leopardus colocola
Geoffroy's Cat
Leopardus geoffroyi
Pampas Cat
Leopardus
Geoffroy's Cat
Leopardus
Pampas Cat
Ocelot lineage
Geoffroy's Cat
Ocelot lineage
Pampas Cat
Small cats
Geoffroy's Cat
Small cats
Pampas Cat
Colocolo, Gato de los pajonales
Geoffroy's Cat
Gato montés
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Pampas Cat
17 in – 2 ft 7 in (42–79 cm) Longer
Geoffroy's Cat
17 in – 2 ft 2 in (42–66 cm)
Pampas Cat
9 in – 13 in (22–33 cm)
Geoffroy's Cat
9 in – 14 in (24–36 cm) Longer
Pampas Cat
12 in – 14 in (30–35 cm) Taller
Geoffroy's Cat
10 in – 12 in (25–30 cm)
Pampas Cat
4.4–8.8 lb (2–4 kg)
High-altitude animals tend to be larger and longer-coated.
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.
Pampas Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Geoffroy's Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Pampas Cat
9–12 years
Geoffroy's Cat
10–14 years Longer
Pampas Cat
12–16 years
Geoffroy's Cat
14–18 years Longer
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Pampas Cat
grassland, steppe, semi-arid scrub, dry forest, rocky alpine
Open habitats with cover at ground level: pampas grassland, Andean puna, Patagonian steppe, Chaco scrub and dry woodland.
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.
Pampas Cat
South America
From Ecuador and Colombia south through Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina to Patagonia.
Geoffroy's Cat
South America
Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, reaching the southern tip of the continent.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Pampas Cat
small mammals, birds, reptiles
Small rodents, ground-nesting birds and their eggs, lizards and occasional invertebrates.
Geoffroy's Cat
small mammals, birds, fish, reptiles
Rodents and small birds dominate; fish, frogs and crustaceans are taken where wetlands are available.
Pampas Cat
Solitary
Poorly known; observations are scattered and there are very few radio-tracking studies.
Geoffroy's Cat
Solitary
Occupies small home ranges at relatively high density where cover and rodents are plentiful.
Pampas Cat
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Mostly active at night, with daytime records from high-altitude and cold environments.
Geoffroy's Cat
Nocturnal
Chiefly night active, with occasional crepuscular movement in undisturbed areas.
Pampas Cat
Ground search in tussock cover
Works methodically through grass and scrub, flushing and pouncing on rodents.
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.
Pampas Cat
Capable
Climbs when trees are available but is essentially terrestrial.
Geoffroy's Cat
Strong More developed
A capable climber that rests and dens in trees where they are available.
Pampas Cat
Very limited
No significant association with water.
Geoffroy's Cat
Strong More developed
One of the more water-tolerant small cats, entering streams and marsh to hunt.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Pampas Cat
NT — Near Threatened
Assessed 2020
Geoffroy's Cat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2014
Pampas Cat
Decreasing
Geoffroy's Cat
Stable
Pampas Cat
Grassland conversion to agriculture, Persecution near poultry, Dogs in rural landscapes, Road mortality, Unresolved taxonomy hampering targeted action
Conversion of native grassland to crops and pasture is the main pressure, alongside heavy fragmentation in the pampas and Chaco.
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.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Pampas Cat
- The coat can differ so much between populations that specimens were once split into several species.
- It occupies one of the widest altitude ranges of any American cat, from sea level to Andean puna.
- Field records remain so sparse that basic life-history data are still missing for many regions.
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.
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.
- National Geographic — Animals General natural-history reference for behaviour, range and ecology.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.