Mammals · Carnivora · Felidae

Margay

Leopardus wiedii

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The margay is the most arboreal cat in the Americas and one of the most acrobatic in the world. It weighs little more than three kilos and its tail is well over half its body length. It hunts in the canopy: squirrels, small monkeys, birds and reptiles. It depends almost entirely on mature forest and disappears as soon as the woodland is fragmented, which explains its decline despite occupying an enormous range from Mexico to Argentina.

Weight

2.6 kg – 4 kg

Size

48 cm – 79 cm

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

RainforestCarnivore Diurnal Nocturnal Solitary Near Threatened Feline Rainforest Mammal

20countries 34parks39same family

Fun facts

It can rotate its ankles through 180 degrees and come down a trunk head first, hang from a branch by a single hind foot and leap between trees like a monkey: only the clouded leopard and the marbled cat have comparable mobility.
A margay has been documented imitating the call of a tamarin infant to draw in the adults of the group, the first described case of vocal mimicry by a wild American cat.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: The canopy of primary rainforest, cloud forest and gallery forest in tropical America
Sexual maturity: 21.6 months
Gestation / incubation: 2.7 months
Litter / clutch size: 1.5 (average)

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/