The Margay may be one of the smaller wildcats, but they are essential to their forest ecosystems. Credit: Roberto Pedraza Ruiz
The spotted, slender, impossibly agile Margay (Leopardus wiedii), stalking the forests of South and Central America, is one of nature’s most elusive wildcats. One of the smaller cats and sometimes mistaken for an Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), the Margay can be found in the cloud forests of Mexico’s Sierra de Xilitla. Here, our partner Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG) is protecting highly biodiverse forests with support from our Carbon Balanced programme. Rangers were able to capture sightings of Margay and the other species that share its home on hidden camera traps.
Read on to learn more about these remarkable predators:
- They are masters of the tree-tops. Margays are one of the few cat species that can rotate their hind ankles 180 degrees which lets them swiftly climb headfirst down tree trunks.
- Their long tails are often as long as their body. Essential for helping them leap between high branches, the tail acts as a balance to stop them tumbling to the ground.
- Margays have been seen imitating the calls of prey such as smaller monkeys to lure them closer.
- They are nocturnal hunters who, once grown, prefer to move throughout the forest alone, using the cover of darkness to slip silently through the canopy.
- Unlike many other cats, Margays typically have only one kitten per litter. This makes their population recovery slow if their numbers decline and conservation of their habitat essential for them to thrive in peace.
- As predators, their presence signals a healthy, intact forest ecosystems as they can only remain in a place if there is abundant prey to hunt.
- Due to losing their habitat, Margays have been left Near Threatened and protecting the forests in which they live and hunt is imperative for their survival.
There are lots of ways for you to make an impact with us.
You can make a regular donation to our Action Fund as a WLT Friend; support a core programme like Keepers of the Wild; balance your emissions through Carbon Balanced; or even Buy an Acre or Plant a Tree on behalf of a loved one.
