Research overview: conservation genetics of small wildcats

Genetic tools have become central to small-cat conservation, and this overview reviews their applications. Non-invasive sampling of scats and hair allows researchers to confirm the presence of cryptic species, distinguish look-alikes such as the Andean and Pampas cats, and assess diversity, population structure, and connectivity without capturing animals. Genetics has revealed cryptic species within complexes like the oncilla, detected hybridization among Leopardus cats and between wild and domestic cats, and exposed inbreeding in bottlenecked populations such as the Iberian lynx and Texas ocelots. These insights guide the definition of conservation units, the planning of translocations and genetic rescue, and the detection of threats from introgression and disease. Conservation genetics thus underpins much modern understanding of small-cat diversity and the management of their imperiled populations.