Tigorillo Cat Information

The tigrillo (Spanish for Leopardus tigrinus) cat is one of the smallest species of cats in South America. Tigrillo cats are a mystery--little research has been done on the animal. As of July 2010, they are listed as vulnerable to becoming an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

  1. Size

    • Tigrillos are approximately 30 to 39 inches long, 10 inches tall and weigh 4 to 8 lbs. They are dubbed "little spotted cats." Male tigrillos are larger than females, and the cat's average life span is 11 to 17 years.

    Identification

    • Tigrillo cats look like miniature ocelots. Their coats are spotted all over and the fur is yellowish-red to grayish-yellow, with a white underbelly coat. Tigrillos have black ringlets around their tails and faces with lined eyes.

    Geography

    • Tigrillo cats live naturally in South American forests from Costa Rica to Argentina. They live in elevations anywhere from 4,921 to 14,764 feet. The types of forests the tigrillo inhabits include the montane cloud, subtropical, early secondary and semi and thorny scrub.

    Behavior

    • Tigrillos are believed to hunt primarily at night and thought to eat birds, insects, reptiles, rodents and small primates. Tigrillos only cohabitate when mating, living in solitude otherwise. Unlike a domesticated cat, tigrillos are good swimmers.

    Conservation

    • The Sao Paulo Zoo in Brazil has built breeding facilities separate from their zoo property to aid several of South America's native wild cats from becoming extinct. The tigrillo cat is one of the species housed in these breeding facilities.