Little is known about these small South American cats, and the subspecies vary considerably from each other.

Subspecies
O.c.braccatus, O.c.budini, O.c.colocolo, O.c.crespoi, O.c.garieppi, O.c.munoai, O.c.paajeros, O.c.thomasi.

Life span
Pampas cats have an average lifespan of nine years, but can live for up to 16.5 years.

Statistics
Body length: 53-70cm, Tail length: 27-35cm, Shoulder height: 30-35cm, Weight: 3-6kg.

Physical description
Pampas cats have a long coat that varies from yellowish-white to brown or silvery-grey. They are small and sturdy cats with a small head, thick, bushy tail and tufted, pointed ears.

There is a large degree of variation between the different subspecies - the northern cats have rust-coloured rosettes and the western subspecies have black feet.

Distribution
Pampas cats live in South America from Ecuador to Patagonia.

Habitat
Their preferred habitat is open grassland and forest.

Diet
Pampas cats hunt small mammals, especially guinea-pigs, and ground birds.

Behaviour
They are primarily terrestrial but they often take cover in trees. They are probably nocturnal but little is known about their habits.

Reproduction
Females give birth to 1-3 kittens after a gestation period of about 70 days.

Conservation status
Pampas cats are not listed by the IUCN. They are on CITES: Appendix II. Pampas cats are threatened by loss of habitat due to human settlement and domestic grazing.