Records of different habitats used by the Colo-Colo (Leopardus colocola colocola) Molina 1782, in Central Chile

Abstract

The Colo-Colo (Leopardus colocola) has a wide geographical distribution in South America. We document different types of habitats like forestal plantations, vineyard, hydrophilic, and deciduous forest, coastal desert, and Andean Steppe that it uses in Central Chile through trail cameras and direct observations. In this study, this cat was registered both in natural and heavily modified environments. More information is needed to understand if this felid’s records in intervened areas are mostly associated with movements between patches of native vegetation or regular use.

Keywords

• carnivore
• habitat selection
• hotspot
• sclerophyllous
• small cat