Margay - long-tailed cat: species description

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

As many animal lovers say, there are no ordinary cats, and the proof of this is not only the inhabitants of the wild, but also pets that surprise with a variety of colors, habits and habits. But the American long-tailed margay cat deserves special attention, since its exotic appearance cannot leave anyone indifferent. In addition, this predator is on the verge of extinction and is often kept at home or in zoos.

What a long-tailed cat looks like

Pretty cute predators can simply fascinate everyone with thick soft hair and an unusual pattern on the body. It consists of rosettes of various shapes and brownish-ocher, dark brown or reddish-gray spots with a sheen (large ones are located along the spine, small ones are on the paws, and wide half-rings are on the tail). The belly of these mammals is painted in a lighter color.

The weight of adults ranges from 4 to 8 kg. The long-tailed cat living in the wild impresses with surprisingly large eyes withlenticular-shaped pupils, which are very effectively edged with black and white stripes.

The animal differs from its relatives in large erect oval ears, fluffy white mustache, large nose with a dark tip, and short hair. The body length of males and females is from 60 to 80 cm. At the same time, their tail cannot be called short, since it is about 50 cm long.

It is worth noting that the description of the long-tailed cat indicates that this is a rather large animal and is very similar to an oncilla or ocelot.

Long-tailed cat habitat

For the first time, a predatory mammal was noticed by Prince Maximilian Wied-Neuwied, who collected specimens of animals in Brazil. At the moment, these cats can be found in the dense, humid and evergreen forests of Central and South America. They are found in Cuba, Belize, Ecuador, Panama, Uruguay, Brazil, Guyana, Peru, northern Colombia, eastern and northern Paraguay, and northern Argentina.

With caution, the long-tailed cat belongs to light forest and does not tolerate cold. Sometimes wanders to coffee plantations. The individual territory of one individual occupies from 12 to 16 square kilometers, but occasionally they partially overlap.

It is noteworthy that the margay is excellent at climbing trees, so it is often possible to notice it in a dense crown.

Wild American cat lifestyle

Long-tailed freestyle predators spend most of their time in trees, wherenot only rest, but also hide from enemies, and also hunt. Sometimes they equip a shelter in abandoned burrows or hollows. They lead a solitary lifestyle, and males are supportive of females only during the mating season - the rest of the time they drive cats out of their possessions, treat them with caution.

Usually, males, looking for a partner for procreation, follow special scent marks and after mating are in no hurry to leave the female. They hunt with her, and leave only before childbirth and do not take part in the upbringing of offspring. Kittens are born 80 days after conception in a special pre-equipped, well-camouflaged den. It can be located in dense foliage on trees or forest thickets. Babies go hunting with their mother only at the 2nd month of life, and begin to lead an independent life from 10 months. The mortality of young animals is above 50%.

Like many members of the feline family, margay cubs are born blind and begin to see only after 2 weeks.

How it gets its own food

Due to its unique anatomical features, the margay or long-tailed cat is excellent at climbing trees, jumping from branch to branch with ease. It is in the dense crown that she looks for birds, small rodents and reptiles. Sometimes it does not disdain the fruits of fruit trees, grass, lizards, frogs, destroys bird nests and attacks porcupines or small monkeys. On thehunting leaves after midnight, tracking down the victim from an ambush, and returns to the lair by 5 o'clock in the morning. However, some subspecies living in Brazil are active almost around the clock.

Life in captivity

Some South Americans prefer to keep a margay as a pet, despite the fact that it is quite difficult. Animals are also kept in many European and American zoos, but they breed extremely poorly there, since only 50% of the cubs live up to a year.

In specialized catteries, a long-tailed cat is sold absolutely legally. In addition, she can be tamed and gets along with a person, but other small domestic animals simply become her prey. To keep the predator, it is recommended to create a warm and spacious enclosure with tree trunks, branches and green spaces. In the daily diet of the beast, you should definitely include meat with bones (from 300 to 500 grams), calcium supplements and vitamins. In captivity, predators live for about 20 years, while in freedom - only 10.

It's interesting to know

American cats have amazing abilities, their long tail is not only an ornament. It is with its help that margay can land perfectly on 4 paws, and also easily jump from branch to branch, like a squirrel. An interesting fact is that the hind limbs can rotate in the ankle area around the longitudinal axis by 180 degrees, and thus the animal frees its front legs while moving alongtree. Therefore, often in the photo a long-tailed cat is depicted hanging on a branch upside down (it is held only by its hind limbs or even with one paw).

Scientists in 2005 managed to find out that margay can successfully imitate the sounds of baby tamarins. By making the calls of monkeys, she successfully attracts the attention of curious animals while hunting.

At the present time, the main enemy of this spotted predator is man. The margay population is drastically reduced due to deforestation and poachers who kill animals for beautiful fur. For these reasons, the long-tailed cat is on the verge of extinction and hunting for it is strictly prohibited by interstate agreements. It is also not allowed to trade in products made from representatives of the species. The illegal capture of cats for the purpose of selling exotic animals on the black market is also punished.