Previously thought to inhabit only the highest slopes, this population livng so close to a city of 8 million may be attracted by the plentiful mountain vizcachas, a relative of the chinchilla, living in the rocky terrain. So far Segura has identified three individuals regularly using the track where his video trap is setup. His work along with other conservationists will help preserve what was once a little known species, overlooked by scientists because of it rareity. They are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. Chile has endured a decade-long drought with rainfall 30-70% less than the preivous 1,000 years based on computer modeling.
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Creature Feature: Andean cat
The rarest cat of the Americas was captured on video by a researcher Bernardo Segura. Surprisingly this male Andean cat Leopardus jacobita,it was not found in the deepest rainforest or at the top of the Andes, but on the outskirts of Santiago, Chile. So close to the city that Segura can see its cliff side habitat from his apartment balcony, which make it very convenient for him to gather more information about the species. Fewer than 1400 remain in five segmented populations along the mountainous spine of South America.
Previously thought to inhabit only the highest slopes, this population livng so close to a city of 8 million may be attracted by the plentiful mountain vizcachas, a relative of the chinchilla, living in the rocky terrain. So far Segura has identified three individuals regularly using the track where his video trap is setup. His work along with other conservationists will help preserve what was once a little known species, overlooked by scientists because of it rareity. They are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. Chile has endured a decade-long drought with rainfall 30-70% less than the preivous 1,000 years based on computer modeling.
Previously thought to inhabit only the highest slopes, this population livng so close to a city of 8 million may be attracted by the plentiful mountain vizcachas, a relative of the chinchilla, living in the rocky terrain. So far Segura has identified three individuals regularly using the track where his video trap is setup. His work along with other conservationists will help preserve what was once a little known species, overlooked by scientists because of it rareity. They are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. Chile has endured a decade-long drought with rainfall 30-70% less than the preivous 1,000 years based on computer modeling.