The amazingly agile Margay (Leopardus wiedii) occupies the dense forests of Latin America. Due to their flexible joints and long tail the Margay navigates the tree tops almost like a monkey. Similar in markings to the Ocelot, the Margay was once heavily exploited for the fur trade, but more recently deforestation of its primary habitat has become the biggest threat to this cat's survival.
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 Margays
~ Arboreal cat of Latin American forests ~
~ Hind feet can rotate 180° ~
~ Slow reproductive rate ~
Margay (Leopardus wiedii) Classification
The Margay cat belongs to the genus Leopardus and the full taxonomy, scientific classification or higher classification of the Margay 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 wiedii (Margay)
Subspecies:
L.w. wiedii
L.w. vigens
L.w. glauculus
The scientific name for the Margay cat is Leopardus wiedii 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).
Margay (Leopardus wiedii) Subspecies
Up to eleven subspecies of Margays have been described in the past:
- Leopardus wiedii wiedii - south Brazil, south Colombia
- Leopardus wiedii amazonicus - Amazonas Brazil
- Leopardus wiedii boliviae - Bolivia, north Argentina
- Leopardus wiedii pirrensis - Panama
- Leopardus wiedii vigens - lower Amazon Brazil, Guianas
- Leopardus wiedii glauculus - Mexico
- Leopardus wiedii nicaraguae - Nicaragua
- Leopardus wiedii oaxacensis - Oaxaca mountains Mexico
- Leopardus wiedii salvinia - Guatemala, Belize
- Leopardus wiedii yucatanicus - Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
- Leopardus wiedii cooperi - Texas USA, north-east Mexico
However the last Felidae taxonomy revision in 2017 based on genetic studies proposed three subspecies, pending further research:
- Leopardus wiedii wiedii - South America south of the Amazon
- Leopardus wiedii vigens - South America north of the Amazon
- Leopardus wiedii glauculus - Central America
Margay Conservation & Research
The global conservation status for the Margay is Near Threatened (NT) 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!
Margay Facts and Information
These organizations have well researched and authoritative information on Margays:
- Margay Status and Distribution Map - IUCN Red List
- Margay Detailed Information - IUCN Cat Specialist Group
- Margay Academic Literature pdf - IUCN Cat Specialist Group
- Margay Cat Information - Int. Soc. for Endangered Cats (ISEC)
- Margay Fact Sheet pdf - Wildscreen ARKive
