Also known as the Andean Highland Cat or Mountain Cat, little is known of this small felid . The mountain cat is to be found in the high regions of Bolivia, Peru and Chile, ranging from the dry scrublands lower down the mountains up to beyond the tree line at around 16,000 feet.
In common with other cats that hunt at high altitude the fur of the mountain cat is longer than most - the base colour of the fur varies from grey/brown to a darker reddish/grey and is covered large dark red irregular spots, the tail is long and banded with similar dark reddish/brown markings. The mountain cat is slightly larger than a big domestic cat, growing up to 24 inches in length with a tail of some 70% of its body length.
In common with other species of wild cat that exhibit extra long tails, it is thought that the tail acts as a counterbalance giving the mountain cat additional balance when moving quickly over rocky terrain.
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