The
distribution of the margay (Leopardus wiedii) is
highlighted in
the embedded range map below. However, this page deals with more than the
range of this wild cat species.
I have left the original map both public and allowed anyone to refine
it. There is a need, I think, to improve our knowledge of the wild
cats. There is a shortage of sightings from which the range can be
established. I hope (dreaming?) that reliable sightings can be recorded
on this map (using the blue flag markers) and the range extended or
adjusted accordingly. Conversely, there may be enough evidence to
suggest that the range should be decreased in certain areas due to no
sightings for a considerable time.
Overview
The margay is a small, tree-dwelling wildcat that looks like the ocelot
and which
lives in the forests of South Mexico, Central and South America. It is
perhaps the world's best tree climbing cat. It can race down trees
headfirst, a sign of complete comfort in trees. The margay hunts tree
rats, opossums, tree frogs and birds. It weighs about 7 lbs. It has a
long tail for balance while climbing. They were once popular as pets
and were hunted for their impressive skin. They are under threat of
extinction in the wild in the long term mainly due to habitat loss and
are protected (2012).
Margay wild cat
margay range
- photos by (from top left clockwise): mottazoo, BigCat Rescue,
Smithsonian Institution, mottazoo, carinemily, Princes Milady
Margay Range
2009: My initial thought is that this cat's range has remained fairly
stable for the last 7 years, at least judging by a comparison with the
range at 2002, the date of publication of Wild Cats Of The World
(WoW - Sunquist ISBN-13:978-0-226-77999-7) and the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species™
(Red List) map, upon which the above is based at mid-2009. There is
little difference between the two maps. This is not always the case.
In words, the range extends from the coastal lowlands in the north of
Mexico to the northern most parts of Argentina and to Uruguay,
thousands of miles to the south. In between, the range passes
through Central America. The margay does not apparently occupy a large
north eastern part of Brazil known as the Caatinga, which provides an
unsuitable habitat of semi-arid scrub.
The reason the margay range is as shown is because it is closely
associated with primary forest. Primary forest is old growth forest
that shows great biodiversity. It is excessively logged throughout the
world to the detriment of forest dwelling wild cats and the world
generally. It is also called ancient forest, virgin forest,
primeval forest, frontier forest. The margay prefers to live between
sea level and 1,500 metres above sea level. The margay shares its
territory with the ocelot. The
margay range also includes, jaguarundi
and jaguars.
The list of countries where it can be found is: Mexico,
then in Central
America: Costa
Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama. And in South America:
Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, Argentina, Belize,
Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador. The Red List
says its presence in the United States is uncertain. WoW says that its
inclusion in the fauna of the North America comes from a shot margay as
long ago as 1852!
Threats - Conservation
This cat is rated NT or Near Threatened by the Red List. This
means, species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened
with extinction in the near future. WoW says it is rare throughout its
range. The threats come from all sides and are man made: deforestation
(habitat loss), habitat fragmentation, habitat conversion to
plantations and pastures, road kills, illegal trade in pets and skins,
and being shot because they prey on poultry. Please consider what you
are doing and the alternatives before killing this wild cat.
Throughout the margay range it has been heavily exploited for the
production of fur coats etc. Skins were mainly imported
into Western Europe, primarily France, Italy and Germany. The
bad years (from the cat's point of view) were the '70s and '80s, it
seems, with 30,000 skins traded in 1977. A total of 125,547 skins were
reported to CITES in their trade network for the period 1976 - 1985.
The skins are ranked first amongst neotropical (tropical area of South
America) cats in the trading1.
The margay is "protected" (I am skeptical about the concept of
protection of the wild cat as I don't see much effective protection) by
being listed in CITES Appendix I and prohibitions on hunting over a lot
of but not all of the margay range. CITES Appendix I means:
"species
that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals
and plants...They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits
international trade in specimens of these species except when the
purpose of the import is not commercial"
Description
The margay is also known as: monkey cat, tree ocelot, cauce, gato
montes, gato
pintado and tigrillo1.
If people are to notice this rare and endangered cat they have to
recognise it. People will be extremely lucky to spot one as it occurs
in low numbers throughout the margay range. This is a small wild cat
with a long tail. The skull has been described as "smooth". The margay
looks like the oncilla and ocelot and is in between these cats in terms
of size. All three cats occupy a similar range (distribution).
Cat
Size
Oncilla
1.5
to
2.8 kg
Margay
3
to 4
kg
Ocelot
6.6
to
16 kg
Domestic
cat
about
4 kg
The margay is smaller and slimmer than the ocelot In fact, it is the
smallest indigenous Mesoamerican1
(an area that extends from about central Mexico to Honduras and
Nicaragua) feline. While the margay is
bigger than the oncilla, its tail and legs are longer and the margay's
spots are "open". Open spots have holes in the middle as found on the
domestic Bengal
cat, for example. But the colour
and markings are similar. The camera trap photo above, I think, is very
representative. The margay's fur is dense, soft and of medium length.
The ground or background colour is yellowish/brown and the undersides
more white to buff. The pattern is made up of spots, which are dark
brown or black. The tail has about 12 rings with a dark tip. The ear
flaps have the usual "pinnae" (ear spots that look like eyes, used as a
defensive measure and for communication in an encounter). The
eyes are very large and round, a noticeable feature. The large eyes
allow the margay to watch birds with precision. WoW reports on a margay
that could see a fly at 30 feet, leaping in the air to catch it and
place the fly in its mouth before returning to the ground!
People should note
that this cat is not attacking this
person. The cat is just excited
Athletic Ability
The margay is athletic
and acrobatic; probably the most agile and arboreal (tree dwelling) in
the New World1. This is mainly due to its
extremely flexible ankle joints and small size. The clouded
leopard also has flexible ankle joints. The joints can swivel
through 180ยบ. This allows for rapid change in direction and movement up
and down trees. Agility aids hunting. The Sunquists (Wild Cats of the World) recite
feats of
acrobatics observed in
captivity
that are startling - these cats:
can jump 8 feet
straight into the air (the domestic F1 Chausie
has a similar skill - this is Jungle cat hybrid). However, it is said
that captive margays have been seen to leap 18 feet vertically1.
can jump 12 feet
horizontally (alternative source: 26 feet horizontally1).
are monkey like and
can hang from a branch with their hind feet while holding an
object with their front feet. They "ricochet" (bounce) off
objects when climbing. If they fall they grab hold of a
branch with one paw and reclimb.
...see margay
cats
for information other than margay range, i.e. hunting, behavior,
mating, development etc.
Malayan Culture
Because of the margay's small size and docile nature, it was possibly
domesticated (perhaps semi-feral, semi-domesticated) by the ancient
Maya and other ethnic groups1 (see Margay
and Mayans) The Maya
peoples still form sizeable populations in the Maya area (the
mountainous regions of the Sierra Madre to the semi-arid plains of
northern Yucatan2). The Mayan peoples may
have hand raised margays. Margays may have lived in and around their
houses and temples protecting tree crops (fruits and nuts) by hunting
prey such as rodents and bats that fed on these crops.
This was a symbiolic relationship (one in which both species, human and
feline, benefit). This relationship may have resulted in the margay
population being at its peak at the time of this ancient civilisation
particularly the classic period (c. 250 AD to 900 AD).
It is
suggested that margays might have been encouraged to live in the Mayan
"orchards". Of course the margay would need little encoragement
as the orchards would be the habitat of the margay's prey. The margay
makes a good house cat companion when hand reared.
The
distribution of the margay (
