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Margay

Mammals

The margay is a small wild cat native to the forests of Central and South America, closely resembling the larger ocelot but built for a more fully arboreal life. Its ankles can rotate nearly 180 degrees, an adaptation shared with few other cats, allowing it to climb down tree trunks head first and even hang from branches by a single hind foot while pursuing prey. It hunts mainly at night, preying on small mammals, birds, lizards, and insects, spending much of its life in the forest canopy rather than on the ground. Its spotted, ocelot-like coat has made it a historical target of the fur trade, and ongoing deforestation across its range continues to threaten its population.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Carnivore 1
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 2
Threats
Biological Resource Use 2
Relationship to People
Hunted or Fished 2
Living or Extinct
Yes 3
Comparison
NatureServe Rank
G4 Apparently Secure 4
CITES Appendix
Appendix I 5
Scientific Name
Leopardus wiedii 3
Conservation Status
Near Threatened 2
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Leopardus, Taxa
Source Margay (Wikidata)

In Biome

Tropical Rainforest, Biomes
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Leopardus wiedii (Animal Diversity Web)
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Argentina

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Belize

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Bolivia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Brazil

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Colombia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Costa Rica

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Ecuador

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

El Salvador

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Guatemala

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Guyana

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Honduras

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Mexico

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Nicaragua

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

North America

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Panama

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Paraguay

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Peru

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

South America

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Suriname

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Uruguay

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Venezuela

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
2. Wikipedia: Margay
  • threat (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
    Until the 1990s, margays were hunted for the wildlife trade, at which point the killing of the species was outlawed in most countries; however, years of hunting resulted in a notable population decrease.
  • human-interaction (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
    Until the 1990s, margays were hunted for the wildlife trade, at which point the killing of the species was outlawed in most countries; however, years of hunting resulted in a notable population decrease.
  • system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
    A solitary and nocturnal felid, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest.
  • Infobox: status2
    CITES_A1
  • Infobox: status
    NT
View the Source
3. Margay (Wikidata)
Wikidata
  • Wikidata Q192421 (P225 taxon name)
  • Statements section, habitat (P2974): Terrestrial
    Wikidata habitat statement (P2974) resolves to a terrestrial habitat type.
  • Statements section, conservation status (P141)
    IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): near threatened.
  • Child Taxon Of: Leopardus, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q318414 (Leopardus)
View the Source
4. NatureServe Explorer: Leopardus wiedii
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)
Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "G4"
View the Source
5. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Leopardus wiedii (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
  • Conservation Status: CITES
    CITES Appendix I
  • In Biome: Tropical Rainforest, Terrestrial Biomes
    Terrestrial Biomes forest forest rainforest rainforest
View the Source
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