The animal on the cover of Cocoa and Objective-C: Up and Running is a Pampas cat
(Leopardus pajeros). Named for the Pampas region of South America, the Pampas cat
is relatively small for a wild cat and resembles domestic cats in size and stature: adults
grow to only about two feet high and weigh between three and four kilograms. Individuals
display varying combinations of stripes and spots on their coats, and vary in
color depending on geographical location; dominant colors include grey, yellowbrown,
rust, and black.
The Pampas cat exists only in western central South America, but enjoys a wide
distribution therein. The species has shown that it can thrive not only in the open
grasslands with which it is most often associated, but also in the woodlands of Gran
Chaco and central Brazil, the low-lying swampy areas of Uruguay, the semiarid desert
of Patagonia, and the elevations of the Andes. In fact, the only significant South American
habitat in which it cannot be found is the rain forest, either temperate or tropical.
Scientific classification for the Pampas cat has become a complicated issue over the past
two decades. Formerly, the Pampas cat was considered only a subspecies of the Colocolo
(Leopardus colocolo), which itself previously belonged to the separate, now defunct
genus Oncifelis. The Pampas cat was distinguished as its own species in 2005, along
with the Pantanal cat (Leopardus braccatus), but taxonomists still disagree about
whether there is enough biological difference to validate the move. Despite their wide
range, relatively few specimens are captured for genetic testing.