May Species Spotlight: Margay

Alongside our Facebook Group the Small WildCat Resource Group will be showcasing one of the 32 species of small cats every month as our 'Species Spotlight'.

The Margay - Overview & Distribution

Last month for May our chosen cat was the Margay. The margay is a small cat native to South America, it is lightly built with large eyes for its size. Their colour varies from tawny to pale grey with large black and brown rosettes with a dark edge and a lighter interior. Melanistic forms have been reported throughout it range, although sightings are very rare. Among other closely related cats are their larger cousin the Ocelot, Geoffrey's Cat, Guina, Oncilla and the Pampas Cat all of which are part of the Leopardus genus.

Since 2017 the IUCN Cat Classification Task Force has recognised three subspecies:

• Southern Margay Leopardus wiedii wiedii

  Found throughout Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Wild range is south of the Amazon river.

• Northern Margay Leopardus wiedii vigens

  Found throughout Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. Wild range is north of the Amazon river.

• Central American Margay Leopardus wiedii glauculus

  Found throughout Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. Found throughout Central America.

  
  

This cat has a very wide range throughout the majority of South America from Argentina up to Central America. They are found largely throughout both evergreen and deciduous forested ecosystems and may be found in more open areas as along as there is fragmented forest present. They have been found to tolerate agriculatral landscapes as long as they are densely vegetated plantations, whereas more open areas of agriculture have caused them to disappear from those areas. They are incredibly arboreal and used to life off the floor. The ankles on the rear legs can rotate through 180 degrees which allows them to move head first as they come down the trees.

Diet

Their diet consists largely of small mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Due to their arboreal lifestyle they are more than capable of hunting arboreal species when up in the trees. Hunting normally takes place dusk, dawn or at night. The largest prey species are thought to be agouti and small primate species.

Natural Behaviour

The margay are solitary cats and unlike our previous species spotlight cat the Pallas's cat their home ranges are much smaller due to the much denser habitat and the larger number of prey species within. Home ranges are thought to be anywhere between 4.1km2 to 10.9km2. Unlike other small cats, home ranges between different genders are thought to be open to a fair amount of overlap, especially when you consider their solitary nature. South America is home to many different smaller cat species and studies have shown that in higher areas of Ocelot concentration, margay numbers have decreased. Margay have no specific breeding season and have a gestation of 76-86 days with only 1 or 2 kittens normally present. Like many small cats their size they reach sexual maturity and around 2 years old.

Margay Husbandry and Care

With a focus on the United Kingdom, success and breeding of the Margay has been seen in a number of different zoos throughout the country. Most notably in Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks who have triumphed with their small cats since the 70's. Other zoos such as Shaldon, Welsh Mountain and Banham Zoo have also held and bred this cat in recent years. They are kept in a small number of zoos throughout the UK.

Often kepy in 'aviary style' enclosures due to their small size and agile nature, they thrive best in well vegetated areas with plenty of cover, as a tropical cat they also require indoor areas. Solitary cats require lots of options and even though some may live comfortably with other individuals in captivity having the space to seperate if required is incredibly important to succesful care and husbandry of this species.

One of the last places to breed these cats in the UK was the Welsh Mountain Zoo, this collection has bred 8 kittens since 2017! An article relating to the birth of twins in 2024 can be be found here on the BIAZA website. Incredibly rare Margay twins born at Welsh Mountain Zoo | BIAZA

Diets in captivity can vary with most collections feeding at least once, sometimes twice a day or more. Common food items include chicks, quail, mice, rats and other rodent species. Whole food items are crucial as they give the cat access to bones and all body parts they are important nutritionally.

Margay Conservation

The Margay is an incredibly elusive but agile cat and their arboreal lifestyle is dependant on the survival of their forest habitat. Therefore the work of organisations like the World Land Trust are very important, by saving the forest in which the Margay lives it can only have a positive impact on the conservation of this elusive small cat. They are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List but regionally they are listed as Vulnerable in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Margay also suffer from the fur trade and were once one of the most heavily exploited cats in the region. Because of their small size it would take at least fifteen individuals to create one fur coat! Luckily legislation has severely reduced this risk but illegal hunting still takes place. As habitat fragmentation and the growth of human populations has continued to push more species together they also suffer as previously discussed from their larger cousin the Ocelot, which will likely kill margay to eliminate any competition.

For more information on the work of the World Land Trust in areas where Margays live in the wild please look on this website. Margay (Tree Ocelot) (Leopardus wiedii)

The IUCN Cat Specialist Group also has a very interesting page focussing on Margays in the wild which can be found on this website. Living Species - Margay | IUCN CatSG

Understanding and supporting these wild populations has never been so important and if your zoo is not involved in supporting this species and you do hold them, we at the SWCRG urge you to make the connection with researchers and conservation organisations!