Margay
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 Margay in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
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| Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1821) |
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 Margay range map
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The Margay (Leopardus wiedii) is a spotted cat native to Central and South America. It is a solitary and nocturnal animal that prefers remote sections of the rainforest. Although it was once believed to be vulnerable to extinction, the IUCN now lists it as "Least Concern".[2] It roams the rainforests from Mexico to Argentina.
The Margay is very similar to the Ocelot, although the head is a bit shorter, the tail is longer, and the spotted pattern on the tail is different. Most notably the Margay is a much more skillful climber than its relative, and it is sometimes called the Tree Ocelot because of this skill. Whereas the Ocelot mostly pursues prey (including venomous snakes) on the ground, the Margay may spend its entire life in the trees, leaping after and chasing birds and monkeys through the treetops. Indeed, it is one of only two cat species with the ankle flexibility necessary to climb head first down trees (the other being the Clouded Leopard). It can grasp branches equally well with its fore and hind paws, and is able to jump considerable distances. The Margay has been observed to hang from branches with only one foot.
[edit] Subspecies
These are the currently recognized subspecies:[1]
- Leopardus wiedii wiedii, eastern and central Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina
- Leopardus wiedii amazonicus, western Brazil, inner parts of Peru, Colombia and Venezuela
- Leopardus wiedii boliviae, Bolivia
- Leopardus wiedii cooperi, northern Mexico
- Leopardus wiedii glauculus, central Mexico
- Leopardus wiedii nicaraguae, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
- Leopardus wiedii oaxacensis, southern Mexico
- Leopardus wiedii pirrensis, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
- Leopardus wiedii salvinius, Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador
- Leopardus wiedii yucatanicus, Yucatán
[edit] Diet
Believed to hunt entirely in trees, the Margay eats small mammals, birds, eggs, lizards and tree frogs. It will eat grass and other vegetation, most likely to help digestion.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Wozencraft, W. C. (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 539-540. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ a b Cat Specialist Group (2002). Leopardus wiedii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
