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Cesar Paniamogan, Jr. | all galleries >> Galleries >> Nica Cats > Lucky the Margay
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04-DEC-2005 Cesar

Lucky the Margay

San Juan del Sur

Leopardus wiedii • The margay is about two feet tall from feet to shoulders, three feet long and weighs about five to twelve pounds. It has gray to golden-brown fur with black and brown spots. The spots on its sides are often different shapes and are often black with a brown center. Its undersides are white. The margay has a small head, large ears and eyes and a long tail. • The margay eats a wide-variety of food including birds, bird eggs, small mammals, reptiles and fruit. It hunts primarily in trees. • The margay can be found from Mexico to Argentina. It was once found in the United States in Texas. The last margay seen in the United States was spotted in Texas in the 1850s. • Margays mate year-round. Females give birth to one or two young three to four months after mating. The kittens begin to eat meat when they are about eight weeks old. • The margay is nocturnal. It is a very good climber and jumper. It has joints in its ankles that rotate 180 degrees. This helps it climb down vertical trees headfirst. It is the only cat in North America that can do that! It can also hang from tree limbs by one hind foot. It spends most of its time in the tree canopy hunting for birds, small mammals, reptiles and eggs.


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Justin 31-Jan-2012 19:27
"and owning one contributes to their decrease in numbers" .. ah I see. Now I understand why there are no more cats or dogs in the world ... so so sad. On the other hand if you made it LEGAL and then there wouldn't be an illegal trade and hordes of money would go into breeding them (instead of poaching). Actually if you really wanted to save them you'd farm them for food (like we have bison for example).
Guest 21-Jan-2010 14:09
nice
Guest 20-Aug-2009 03:23
To those of you who asked about owning one, margays are endangered, and owning one contributes to their decrease in numbers by supporting the illegal pet trade and perpetrating the idea that it is okay to own one. There are not enough in the wild to just capture without discretion, and there is a fifty percent mortality rate for newborns in captivity, so it is unlikely for you to find a pet margay that is not wild-caught. Also, it is listed on CITES appendix I, so it is illegal to import margays. If you love these beautiful cats, please help to protect them and their habitat rather than keeping one as a pet
Sun Hazan 03-Jun-2009 00:11
I was a margay in a past incarnation. Everything we were, we retain. So I am a margay still.
I thought we were well hidden from the human animal, but it is changing. Mankind claims to love us. But everything humans purport to love, they destroy.
Joseph 12-Apr-2009 16:05
Hey, omg shes soooo cute. I love these cats! Can you own one in the US?
katie 10-Mar-2009 01:29
OMG this is adorableee. im doing a writing test on endangeredd animals and im going to do the margay.
Amy 12-Nov-2008 19:06
My Lady Margay says Hi. She's five years old, very pretty but very moody too, and she thinks this little margay's cute. Just like when she was younger. (hee hee)
All the best. ^^
Owner of a TORA the Margay in Belize.
Guest 18-Dec-2007 23:06
I can't belive how cute this is!!!!!!!! I love it eyes and cute little ears. I just want to pull it out of the screen and play with it.
erika 20-Nov-2007 21:05
omg there so cute! i love its eyes
Guest 16-May-2007 23:19
So cool these are my favorite animals because of their awesome fur and nocturnal eyes.
bsd 10-May-2007 00:49
My elementary school library is doing a segment on unusual animals. Thanks for the great website - the kids will love it!
hhi 22-Mar-2007 16:30
love them!!!! i am doing a project on them
Andrew 15-Nov-2006 15:16
Ahhhhhhh. So cute. I want one.
Karen 23-Sep-2006 01:19
These are beautiful animals, and they are very interesting.
Veronica Fresh17-Dec-2005 05:31
I've heard about the Margay but never really saw one before. Are they domesticated? I thought they were only jungle residents. What a beautiful creature she is. You've done a nice job with the eyes... they are really expressive.
Veronica
Linda Willets06-Dec-2005 01:43
very interesting.. didnt know about them.
Donutrun05-Dec-2005 23:41
Incredible -- I've never seen one.
Dan05-Dec-2005 23:10
Very nice!