Margays - Facts for Kids

Basic Information

The margay (Leopardus wiedii) is a small wild cat that comes from Central and South America, making it one of the best cat climbers in the Americas.

Margays belong to the family Felidae (the cat family), the genus Leopardus, and the species wiedii, putting them in the same family as house cats but in a different group.

A group of margays is called a “destruction,” although these cats that live alone rarely come together in groups except when a mother is raising her babies.

Margays live in tropical forests from Mexico through Central America and into South America as far south as Uruguay and northern Argentina, covering 20 different countries.

In the wild, margays usually live 12–14 years, but in zoos, they can live up to 20 years when given proper care and food.

Adult margays weigh between 5–11 pounds (2.3 to 4.9 kg), making them about the size of an average house cat but smaller than a bobcat.

Margays measure about 18 to 31 inches (46 to 79 cm) in body length, with an extra 12 to 20 inches (31 to 51 cm) of tail, giving them excellent balance for tree-climbing.

A male margay is called a “tom,” a female is called a “queen,” and baby margays are called “kittens,” just like house cats.

Margays are meat-eaters, meaning they eat only meat, and they hunt small animals, birds, lizards, and even some bugs.

The scientific name of the margay, Leopardus wiedii, honors Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, a German explorer and nature scientist who studied South American wildlife in the early 1800s.

The margay’s scientific name puts it in the same group (Leopardus) as the ocelot, oncilla, and Andean mountain cat, all small spotted cats of Central and South America.

In some South American countries, margays are called “tree ocelots” or “painted cats” because of their beautiful spotted coats and tree-living habits.

The name “margay” comes from the Tupi word “maracaja,” used by native people of Brazil to describe this spotted forest cat.

The oldest margay fossils are about 45,000 years old, showing that these cats have been climbing in American forests for a very long time — long before most people were around!

The margay’s closest wild relative is the ocelot, which looks similar but is nearly twice the size and spends much more time on the ground.

Physical Features

Margays have very large eyes compared to their head size, which helps them see clearly at night when they do most of their hunting.

Margays have bendable ankle joints that can turn up to 180 degrees, allowing them to run head-first down trees like squirrels, which no other wild cat can do.

The margay’s tail is very long, measuring up to 70% of its body length, which helps it balance when jumping between branches high in the forest.

Margays have spotted coats with dark rings and stripes that help them blend into the dappled light of the forest, making them nearly invisible to both predators and prey.

A margay’s paws are bigger than those of most cats, with special padding that gives them better grip when climbing on branches.

Margays have retractable claws, meaning they can pull their sharp claws inside their paws when not in use, keeping them sharp for climbing and hunting.

The margay’s fur is short, soft, and brownish-yellow to grayish in color, with black spots, rings, and stripes covering most of its body.

A margay is about the size of a large house cat, standing only 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) tall at the shoulder, making it one of the smaller wild cats in the Americas.

Margays have special toe pads that can spread wide apart, helping them grab onto branches and stay balanced while climbing.

The margay’s pupils can open very wide, letting in much more light than human eyes do. This helps them see really well at night, so they can hunt safely in the dark forest.

Margays have 30 teeth specially designed for cutting meat, with long canine teeth that help them deliver a quick killing bite to their prey.

A margay’s whiskers (called vibrissae) can be as long as 3 inches (7.6 cm) and help them navigate through dense vegetation in the dark by sensing objects before touching them.

A margay’s paw prints are about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide, roughly the size of a golf ball.

Margays can use objects with their paws almost like hands, using their skillful toes to pick up food and look at it.

A margay’s heart beats about 120–140 times per minute when resting, nearly twice as fast as a human heart.

Margays can open their mouths up to 70 degrees, much wider than humans can, which helps them deliver a powerful bite to prey.

Margays have special smell glands between their toes that leave chemical messages for other margays when they scratch trees or the ground.

A margay’s hearing is so good it can hear the high-pitched squeaks of mice from over 200 feet (61 meters) away.

Margays have special parts in their eyes, including a shiny layer called the tapetum lucidum that gives them a green glow when light hits their eyes at night.

A margay’s brain is about the size of a walnut but has special areas for understanding what they see and controlling their amazing balance.

Margays have rough tongues with tiny backward-facing spines that help them scrape meat from bones and clean their fur.

Margays have twice as many light-sensing cells in their eyes as humans do, allowing them to see clearly in light levels 6 times darker than what humans need.

A margay’s claws that go in and out can be pushed out to over half an inch (1.3 cm) in length, giving excellent grip when climbing or catching prey.

Margays have special paw pads that can grip both smooth and rough surfaces, allowing them to walk across narrow branches or climb straight up tree trunks with ease.

A margay’s body temperature is about 101.5°F (38.6°C), slightly higher than a human’s normal body temperature of 98.6°F (37°C).

Margays breathe about 20–30 times per minute when resting, which goes up to over 100 breaths per minute during hard activity like chasing prey.

Behavior & Intelligence

Margays are loners that mark their territory with scent from special glands and usually avoid contact with other adult margays except during mating season.

Margays are mostly active at night, meaning they hunt and move around mostly when it’s dark, while spending their days sleeping in tree holes or thick plants.

Margays can copy the sounds of their prey to trick them into coming closer, including the squeaking call of a baby pied tamarin monkey, showing amazing hunting smarts.

A margay can jump sideways up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) between tree branches, about six times its body length, without losing balance or falling.

Margays spend about 90% of their time in trees, making them one of the most tree-living of all cat species, even sleeping and hunting among the branches.

Each margay has a special patterned coat, like a fingerprint, which scientists can use to tell individual cats apart when studying them in the wild.

Margays are usually quiet cats, but they can make up to 13 different sounds including meows, growls, purrs, and a special bird-like chirping sound.

A margay can hang from a branch using only its back feet, leaving both front paws free to catch prey above or below it, showing amazing body control.

Each margay keeps a home area of about 15 square miles (38.8 square kilometers), which they patrol regularly to defend against intruders.