Margay
Small wild cat / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The margay (Leopardus wiedii) is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal felid,[3] it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest.[4]
Margay | |
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Margay in Costa Rica | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Felinae |
Genus: | Leopardus |
Species: | L. wiedii[2] |
Binomial name | |
Leopardus wiedii[2] (Schinz, 1821) | |
Distribution of the margay, 2015[1] | |
Synonyms | |
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Until the 1990s, margays were hunted for the wildlife trade, at which point the killing of the species was outlawed in most countries; however, years of persecution resulted in a notable population decrease.[5] Since 2008, the margay has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, as the population is thought to be declining due to loss of habitat and deforestation.[1]
The scientific name Felis wiedii was used by Heinrich Rudolf Schinz in 1821 in his first scientific description of the margay, named in honour of Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, who collected specimens in Brazil.[6]