Big Cat Rescue Presents Tigrina or Oncilla
1 Tigrina or Oncilla Big Cat Rescue 12802 Easy Street Tampa, Florida 33625 www.bigcatrescue.org
Common Name: Oncilla Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata) Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felinae (leopardus) Species: Tigrinus Misc.: The oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), also known as the little spotted cat, tigrillo, or tiger cat, is a small spotted cat native to montane and tropical rain forests of Central and South America. It is active during the night and in twilight, but has also been recorded during the day. This species has been widely hunted for the fur trade throughout its range. In the early 80 s, it became the leading spotted cat in the international fur trade, with the number of skins peaking at 84,500 in 1983. The problems facing this beautiful little cat are apparent natural rarity, uncontrolled hunting, and loss of habitat due to agriculture and logging. Sub-Species: N/A Size and Appearance: The tigrina is 15.5-21.5 inches in length, with the tail and additional 10-15.5 inches, and weigh 4-8 pounds, making them one of the smallest cats in the Americas. The upper parts vary in color from light to rich ochre and have rows of large, dark spots. The rosettes are black or brown, open in the center, and irregularly shaped. The under parts are paler and less spotted. This coloration helps the oncilla blend in with the mottled sunlight of the tropical forest understory. 2
The tail has 10-11 rings and a black tip. One fifth of all specimens are melanistic (black with black spots). They are daintily built cats with a narrow head and a white line above the eyes. The large ears are rounded and black on the outside with a conspicuous white central spot. The fur is firm, lies close to the skin and does not turn forward in the nape region as it does on the ocelot and margay. The legs have medium-sized spots tapering to smaller spots near the paws. The oncilla's jaw is shortened, with fewer teeth, but with well-developed carnassials and canines. The oncilla is a close relative of the ocelot and the margay, and has a rich ochre coat, spotted with black rosettes. Behavior: The oncilla is a primarily terrestrial animal, but is also an adept climber. Like all cats, the oncilla is an obligate carnivore, requiring meat for survival. This cat eats small mammals, lizards, birds, eggs, invertebrates, and the occasional tree frog. Occasionally, the cat will eat grasses. They are generally nocturnal, but in areas such as Caatinga, where their main food source consists of diurnal lizards, they are more likely to be active during the day. Young oncillas have been observed to purr, while adults are known to make short, gurgling calls when close to one another. Life Span: They have a life span of about 11 years in the wild. In captivity, Oncillas have lived more than 20 years. 3
Habitat & Distribution: Little is known about this species. Oncillas are typically distributed from Costa Rica through Northern Argentina, and show a strong preference for montane forest. They are usually found in elevations higher than those of the margay or ocelot. In Columbia, it is restricted to elevations above 1500 m and has been found as high as 4500 m, approximately the snow line. It has also been collected from the Andean highlands in Ecuador and Peru. In Brazil they have been found in sub-tropical forest highlands, early secondary forest and semi arid thorny scrub. They have been recorded in northern Panama, but the remainder of the country appears to be a gap in the range of the species. Reproduction and Offspring: Little is known about this cat in the wild, however, in captivity the female s estrus lasts from 3 to 9 days, with older cats having shorter cycles. Gestation is 74-76 days. They produce a litter of 1-3 young, usually only one. The kittens develop slowly, opening their eyes after eight to seventeen days, an unusually long period for a cat of this size. Unlike other cats, in which the incisor teeth tend to appear first, the teeth of an oncilla kitten erupt more or less simultaneously, at around 21 days of age. The kittens start to take solid foods at 40-55 days which is much older than in the domestic cat. They are usually fully weaned at three months.. Oncillas reach sexual maturity at around two to two and a half years of age. Social System and Communication: The limited information that is available on this cat suggests that they are nocturnal and solitary, except for mating. 4
Hunting and Diet: The oncilla stalks its prey from a distance, and once in range, it pounces to catch and kill the prey. Another are where little is known about this animal, however, most research concludes that it shares its habitat with margays and ocelots, but the oncillas generally take smaller prey. This allows them to share the range with little competition for food. The limited information available suggests that they eat rodents, small primates, birds, insects and reptiles. They are good tree climbers like their margay cousin which enables them to forage in the trees, however they do not walk slowly down tree trunks headfirst like the margay. Threats: The chief threats to these felines are deforestation and poaching. Oncillas are killed for their pelts, which are highly prized and often sold or made into clothing. Reports in 1972 and 1982 in South America showed that the oncilla is one of the four most heavily hunted of all the small cats. Another factor contributing to oncilla mortality is human expansion, settling what was once open terrain for wild cats. Coffee plantations are most often established in cloud forest habitats, causing the reduction of preferred habitats. Conservation: There is a breeding facility in Brazil for several small native felines, where their natural conditions and native food encourage reproduction similar to that in the wild. There are a few oncillas in captivity in North America, and a few in zoos in Europe and South America. In captivity, the oncilla tends to have high infant mortality rate. Status: Rare. CITES places the oncilla on Appendix I, prohibiting all international commerce in oncillas or products made from them. Hunting is still allowed in Ecuador, Guyana, Nicaragua, and Peru. 5
IUCN: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the oncilla as vulnerable. Felid TAG 2000 Recommendation: Tigrina (Leopardus tigrinus). Easily confused with other small, neotropical spotted cats, most of the captive population of tigrinas is located in a single private collection which is derived from several subspecies. Additional founders from range countries will be needed if this species is to survive in captivity. Therefore, the TAG recommends Phase-Out for this species. At the Annual AZA Conference (September 1999), the following four species were recommended by the Felid TAG to be down-graded to a Phase-Out populations. For the jaguarundi, tigrina, and Geoffroy s cat, these recommendations were made because of limited space available, the limited number of founders in these populations, and limited potential for acquiring additional founders. How rare is this cat? The International Species Information Service lists 15 in zoos worldwide. 6
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