Wildlife
Behold The Stunning Wild Kitty!
The Mysterious Margay!
The Margay Cat. (Leopardus wiedii.)
This kitty is a solitary nocturnal cat, (except for a mother with kittens.) It is a small wild cat native to Central & South America, living in the evergreen, deciduous forest.
Wildlife traders hunted the cats in the 1990s, mainly for their exotic fur. In addition, deforestation causing habitat loss decreased their population significantly, resulting in their classification as threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Characteristics.
The Margay weighs from 2.6 to 4 kg, with 48 to 79 centimeters body length. Its exquisite fur is brown with rows of dark brown or black rosettes & longitudinal streaks. Its long tail has numerous dark bands & a black tip.
Lifestyle.
Margays are the wizards of the treetops & well adapted to an arboreal habitat.
The Margay hunts its prey by traveling on the ground but also take prey in trees. They eat small mammals, birds, eggs, & tree frogs. Their spectacular agility allows them to capture small primates, like a baby pied tamarin monkey.
A scientific research document reports the cat uses sound mimicry to lure its prey.
