The second birth of the rare Margay small cat was celebrated at the Biopark M’Bopicuá in Uruguay on November 1.
Juan Villalba, the specialist in charge of the M’Bopicuá Biopark – Responsabilidad Social y Medio Ambiente – announced the wildlife centre’s delight at the birth and explained what a unique, special wild cat the Margay is. . .
The Margay is a small cat that’s native range extends from southern Mexico, through Central America and South America, included Uruguay..
It is a mostly nocturnal creature. Since their habitat is in forested areas, it has been reported that the cat has the ability to achieve all of its hunting for prey entirely in trees. Indeed, it is one of only two cat species with the ankle flexibility necessary to climb head-first down trees (the other being the clouded leopard). It is remarkably agile; its ankles can turn up to 180 degrees, it can grasp branches equally well with its fore and hind paws, and it is able to jump up to 12 feet (3.7 m) horizontally. There have also been reports of Margays using auditory mimicry in an attempt to lure their prey: small mammals, birds, eggs, lizards and tree frogs.
Gestation, for the Margay, lasts about 70 -75 days, and generally results in the birth of a single kitten. Kittens weigh 3.0 to 6.0 oz. (85 to 170 grams) at birth. This is relatively large for a small cat, and is probably related to the long gestation period. The young open their eyes at around two weeks of age, and begin to take solid food at seven to eight weeks.
The Margay is listed as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List and is officially listed as priority species for conservation in Uruguay. Remaining populations are declining due to habitat loss from forest conversions, and, until the 1990s, Margays were hunted illegally for the wildlife trade.

Credit: Montes del Plata/Biopark M’Bopicuá/ WENN.com

Where: Uruguay
When: 13 Nov 2014
Credit: Credit: Montes del Plata/Biopark M’Bopicuá/ WENN.com

**WENN does not claim any