Margay

The margay , known as also tiger-cat , ( Leopardus wiedii , in the past Felis wiedii ), is small cat-like meeting in the tropical forests and the mediums broussailleux of Central America and the Southern.

Characteristics

It on average weighs from 2 to 4 kg.
The male S measure from 50 to 80 cm and their tail reaches 50 cm. The Femelle S do not exceed 60 cm and their tail measures on average 40 cm.
The longevity of this animal borders that of the Chat domesticates Felis catus (Linnaeus, 1775) or Felis silvestris (Schreber, 1775) and reached 20 years in captivité.
Its short and soft peeling, of color brown-yellow, becomes white on the belly, the chest and the nape of the neck. Sunk marks, similar to those of the Ocelot, raise the back and the sides, while the tail is ringed. The top of the ears, black, presents spots claires.
The margay is small cat-like (subfamily of the Felinae ): the bone Hyoïde constituting the Arc hyoïdien is completely ossified in opposition to that of large cat-like (subfamily of the Pantherinae ). It cannot howl by making it vibrate, but simply hum continuously thanks to the Respiration.
One of its particular physical characteristics resides in its extreme flexibility, intrinsically dependant on its behavior Arboricole. For example, its posterior legs can swivel until close to 180°, enabling him to go down from a tree or a branch the head the first without leaping.

An Arboricolous cat

Secrecy and reducing, the margay passes most of its time in the trees, where it nourishes Oiseau X and from Lézard S. It awaits the night to undertake its forwardings on the ground, where it drives out the Rongeur S, the young people Cervidé S and the Volaille S.

Statute and conservation

Mainly threatened by the poaching and the traffic of fur, the margay is however not referred by the UICN (International union for its resource and nature conservation) because too ignored.

Few measurements taken made it possible only to reduce the number of individuals driven out or sold like exotic pets, but the illegal traffic remains and out of many margays are still killed.

In spite of this relative protection of the species on its surface of distribution, these measurements are only very recent even late in many states.

Subspecies

  • Leopardus wiedii cooperi (Goldman, 1943)
  • Leopardus wiedii glaucula (Thomas, 1903)
  • Leopardus wiedii nicaraguae (J.A. Allen, 1919)
  • Leopardus wiedii oaxacensis (Nelson and Goldman, 1931)
  • Leopardus wiedii pirrensis (Goldman, 1914)
  • Leopardus wiedii Salvinia (Pocock, 1941)
  • Leopardus wiedii wiedii (Schinz, 1821)
  • Leopardus wiedii yucatanica (Nelson and Goldman, 1931)

External bonds

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