Is it an ocelot?….no it's too small, is it a baby ocelot?…no it's too agile and smart. Only to be found in some rainforests, what is it? It’s a Margay, also known as a tree ocelot.
 

    The Margays are one of the smallest cats in the cat family. Weighing between 450-800mm, 2-3 kg, making it very light. Along with its long slender body, strong paws and claws it is the best cat climber. Some may mistake it for an ocelot because of their similar colors and patterns; yellowish-brownish with spotted and ringed black spots with white fur that runs along its belly up to its throat.  imgres The main characteristics to look for would be a long tail and a black stripe along both cheeks, below its large eyes. A length of 26 inches and an extra 16 inches for its tail. The Margay is truly an extraordinary feline in its habitat.
                                                                   

    The Margay lives in the canopy area of the rainforests, from Mexico down to Argentina. Living in the canopy for their whole life made lives of Margays start to adapt. Canopy life would need some way of getting up to the trees easily. Birds fly, but the Margay learned to climb. Their strong paws and nails allow it to climb with ease and not tire out. Margays are the only mammals that have ankle joints that can rotate 180degrees!!! They allow it to hang of a branch with one leg, like a monkey, and climb right down a tree headfirst!!! Their long tails stabilizes the cat as it moves on the ground or on trees. But most importantly the cats colors that camouflage it in the night and day and its large nightvision eyes allow it to hunt for food without much effort.
                                                                                    

    Eating mainly tree rates and tree frogs. But also including insects, monkeys, birds, opossums, porcupines, marmosets, capuchins, three-toed sloths, fruits (rarely) in its diet. The Margay is a deadly predator, but it still has its disadvantages.

    The Margays adaptations also help them protect itself. By sleeping on tree branches it protects itself when sleeping, strong legs help it climb up trees in daylight incase of trouble. Because of their small size, they are picked on and are targeted meals for bigger and stronger jaguars. Yet jaguars aren't their only enemy.
                                                                    

    Humans are one of their most dangerous enemies. Humans led Margays to become extinct in Texas and they now are threatening Margays in their home, the rainforest. They do this when they cut down trees and by illegal poaching. There are only around 10,000 Margays left in the wild. Their beautiful fur was and is the main reason why they were being poached, and now they are endangered, luckily new laws in countries are protecting them from poaching. Both when adults and when they are young they are in constant danger.

    The danger of being killed is very high, so adult and young Margays have learned to do many important things very early.

A big problem is that a Margay only has 1-2 kittens per year and they are being killed in larger numbers. Making each new generation smaller than the previous one.

    Margays are sexually mature when they are about two years old, and gestation takes between 75-85 days. Unlike many other animals, their cubs are taught to hunt very early. They are already able to hunt when they are only 8 weeks old, though they hunt smaller harmless insects and small frogs. Mother Margays teach them that useful skill to protect them if they ever were separated. Mothers are always somewhere near their cubes just incase. Along with hunting, kittens start climbing, each time getting stronger and better skilled.

    By doing this report and researching about the Margay I have learned many facts and became even more interested in my animal, the Margay. One last fact that I would like to write is that wild Margays often live up to 15 years in the wild, but in captivity they can live up to 20 years. The Margays are truly a well-suited and dangerous yet interesting cat in its habitat. I now would like to see one in its habitat, hunting and climbing like it was meant to do.
 
 

Bibliography:

http://www.belizezoo.org/zoo/zoo/mammals/mar/mar1.html, http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/agarman/margay.htm

http://web.ask.com/redir?bpg=http%3a%2f%2fweb.ask.com%2fweb%3fq%3dmargay%26o%3d0&q=margay&u=http%3a%2f%2ftm.wc.ask.com
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http://www.wildlifeeasyst.com/margay.htm

http://www.belizezoo.org/zoo/zoo/mammals/mar/mar1.html

http://www.belizezoo.org/zoo/zoo/mammals/mar/mar1.html

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/agarman/margay.htm

http://www.wildcatconservation.org/cats/factsheets/southamerica/margay/index.shtml

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/8569/mmon.html

http://images.google.com.pe/imgres?imgurl=www.wildcatsanctuary.org/jpegs/for%2520web/margay1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/catalog/smallc
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http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/agarman/margay.htm

http://www.wildcatconservation.org/cats/factsheets/southamerica/margay/index.shtml

http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/margay.html

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/agarman/bco/margay.htm

http://web.ask.com/redir?bpg=http%3a%2f%2fweb.ask.com%2fweb%3fq%3dmargay%26o%3d0&q=margay&u=http%3a%2f
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