Margay, Leopardus wiedii

Margay, Leopardus wiedii. Photograph taken within the confines of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona, February, 2022.

The Margay, Leopardus wiedii, is a member of the Felidae family of Cats. The Felidae family consists of two subfamily with forty members placed in fourteen genera. There are eight species in the Leopardus genus, that are primarily found throughout Central and South America.  The Margay is also known as the Tiger Cat and in Mexico they are known as Caucel, Gato Tigre, Maracayá and Tigrillo. In Portuguese, they are called Gato-Maracajá, or simply Maracajá.  

Margays are small cats, like most other members of the Leopardus genus, measuring approximately 48 (19 inches) to 79 cm (2 feet 7 inches) in snout-to-vent length with a 33 cm (13 inch) to 51 cm (20 inch) tail. They weigh between 2.6 kg (5 lbs 11 oz) and 4.0 kg (8 lbs 13 oz). They have large, dark brown eyes that appear to be bulged, giving their muzzle a more narrow and delicate appearance. Their legs are long with distinctly large feet that are specially adapted for climbing and jumping from limb to limb in the trees. They have soft and thick tan to yellowish-brown fur with rows of dark brown or black markings. These markings include streaks, spots, and open rosettes with a light brown center. Their underside is pale with buff or white fur. The backs of their ears are black in color with a large white spot in the center. Two dark stripes extend from their nose, along the inside corners of their eyes, and over their forehead. Their tails have a black tip and are marked with broad, dark, irregular bands. Melanism in Margays is rare and appears to be confined to a small part of their overall range. Melanistic Margays are black, or nearly black, in color due to a recessive gene.

Margays are serially monogamous, forming temporary pair bonds during the breeding season. After mating, pairs may stay together throughout the breeding season, sometimes even hunting together. Their natural mating season occurs from October to January, although individuals in the deep tropics can mate year-round. Females remain in heat for 4 to 10 days during an estrus cycle of 32 to 36 days. During this time, they make a moaning call to attract potential partners. Males respond by producing trilling sounds or yelping and shaking their heads side to side. Copulation typically takes place in the trees and may occur several times when the female is in estrus. The male leaves before the kittens are born, so all parental care is provided by the female. Gestation lasts for approximately 76 to 85 days and females give birth to 1 to 2 kittens between March and June. The kittens are altricial, being born blind and weighing only 3 to 6 ounces. Kittens open their eyes when they are about 2 weeks old, and begin to venture outside of their den at around 5 weeks of age. They are weaned after 7 to 8 weeks and become independent at 9 to 12 months old. However, it will take the young Margays another year or two to begin to reproduce. Females are believed to give birth once every two years. Margays have lifespans of twelve to fourteen years in the wild and over twenty years in captivity. 

Margays are solitary animals, interacting with one another only during the breeding season. They are primarily, but not exclusively, nocturnal or crepuscular. Margays are highly arboreal and excellent climbers. They can run head first down trees like squirrels, and can hang from branches by a single back leg due to their flexible ankles that rotate up to 180 degrees outward. They rest and sleep in trees, making their nest in hollows, and are regarded as being more arboreal and better adapted to living in trees than other species of cats. However, they hunt and travel mostly on the ground. Both males and females maintain a territory that is marked with urine, feces, and secretions from their scent glands that are located on their face and between their toes. Males have additional scent glands located on their tail for this purpose. Their territories may overlap to some extent, but individuals keep their distance from one another. While Margays are omnivores, meat makes up the majority of their diet. They consume a variety of terrestrial and arboreal prey including sloths, small monkeys, small birds and their eggs, mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, tree frogs, and lizards. Occasionally they will also feed on fruits, grasses, and other vegetation. Margays are known as intelligent and tricky hunters. They have been observed mimicking the calls of young Pied Tamarins, Saguinus bicolor, in order to lure adults. 

The Margay is strongly associated with forest habitat, from continuous forests to small forest fragments in savanna ecosystems. They occur in both evergreen and deciduous forests. 

Margays may be confused with the Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis (larger and more robust with smaller eyes and legs with a short thinner tail that is equal to the length of their hind legs).

From a conservation perspective the Margay is considered to be Near Threatened due to declining populations throughout their range. Several populations are considered Threatened due to loss of native habitat loss by human development of agriculture, fragmentation, construction of roads, illegal trade, and retaliatory killing due to depredation of livestock. The Margay has been one of the most heavily exploited Latin American cats. They first appeared in international trade at a time of concern over the level of exploitation of the Ocelot. Illegal hunting for domestic markets and the underground skin trade has been reported to be a continuing problem in some areas. Additionally, Margays are a small component of the pet trade. Populations, especially outside of the Amazon Basin, are severely fragmented and susceptible to disease outbreaks. [/lgc_column]