The diminutive Guiña (Leopardus guigna) of South America is a forest dependant cat species occurring primarily in the country of Chile and also known as the Kodkod or Chilean Wild Cat.
The cat weighs under 3 kilograms and is the smallest cat species in the Americas and among the smallest cat species in the world.
Threats include logging of natural forests and fragmentation of the landscape for agriculture.
Leopardus Lineage
1. Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)
2. Geoffroy’s Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi)
3. Andean Cat (Leopardus jacobita)
4. Margay (Leopardus wiedii)
5. Pampas Cat (Leopardus colocola)
6. Northern Tiger Cat (Leopardus tigrinus)
7. Southern Tiger Cat (Leopardus guttulus)
8. Guiña or Kodkod (Leopardus guigna)
Key Facts about Guiñas / Kodkods
~ Smallest wild cat of the Americas ~
~ Smallest range of all cats of the Americas ~
~ Found primarily in one country - Chile ~
Guiña / Kodkod (Leopardus guigna) Classification
The Guiña or Kodkod cat belongs to the genus Leopardus and the full taxonomy or scientific classification of the Guiña or Kodkod species is:
Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Phylum: Chordata (vertebrates)
Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Carnivora (carnivores)
Suborder: Feliformia (cat-like)
Family: Felidae (cats)
Subfamily: Felinae (small cats)
Genus: Leopardus
Species: Leopardus guigna (Guiña / Kodkod)
Subspecies:
L.g. guigna
L.g. tigrillo
The scientific name for the Guiña or Kodkod cat is Leopardus guigna which is also known as the binomial name, species name, latin name, biological name or zoological name. Some use the term 'botanical name' however that term is only applicable to the plant kingdom (botany) and not the animal kingdom (zoology).
Classification Chart
This Guina classification chart shows where this cat fits into the Felidae family and in particular the Leopardus genus.
Permission to use for personal or educational use.
Credit: www.WildCatFamily.com.
Guiña / Kodkod(Leopardus guigna) Subspecies
Lower classification
Two subspecies of Guiñas have been described in the past:
- Leopardus guigna guigna - south Chile and south west Argentina (darker and smaller)
- Leopardus guigna tigrillo - north and central Chile (paler and larger)
These two subspecies are confirmed in the current Felidae taxonomy revision.
Guiña / Kodkod Conservation
The global conservation status for the Guiña / Kodkod is Vulnerable (VU) and populations are declining.
The following organizations are dedicated to research and conservation of the smaller cats of Latin America:
Institute Pro-Carnivores - Wild Cats of Brazil
Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation - Global
Please support these organizations with their important work if you can. No matter the size of your contribution, every bit helps!
Guiña / Kodkod Facts and Information
These organizations have well researched and authoritative information on Guiñas / Kodkods:
- Guiña / Kodkod Status and Distribution Map - IUCN Red List
- Guiña / Kodkod Detailed Information - IUCN Cat Specialist Group
- Guiña / Kodkod Academic Literature pdf - IUCN Cat Specialist Group
- Guiña / Kodkod Information - Int. Soc. for Endangered Cats (ISEC)
- Guiña / Kodkod Fact Sheet - Wildscreen ARKive
Guiña Research
For a list of papers on Guiñas view articles on Leopardus guigna in the IUCN Cat Specialist Group database. (Scroll down once the library page is loaded to see the list.)
Consider joining the Friends of the Cat Specialist Group to access the full articles and receive their journal Cat News covering the latest wild cat research.
