|
|
Leopardus wiedii
– Least Concern
Taxonomy
|
Kingdom:
|
ANIMALIA
|
|
Phylum:
|
CHORDATA
|
|
Class:
|
MAMMALIA
|
|
Order:
|
CARNIVORA
|
|
Family:
|
FELIDAE
|
|
Scientific Name:
|
Leopardus wiedii
|
|
Species Authority:
|
(Schinz, 1821)
|
|
Common Name/s:
|
| English | — | MARGAY, TREE OCELOT |
| French | — | MARGAY |
| Spanish | — | CAUCEL, GATO MONTÉS, MARGAY, TIGRILLO |
|
Assessment Information
|
Red List Category & Criteria:
|
LC ver 3.1 (2001)
|
|
Year Assessed:
|
2002
|
|
Assessor/s:
|
Cat Specialist Group
|
|
Evaluator/s:
|
Nowell, K., Breitenmoser, U., Breitenmoser, C. & Jackson, P. (Cat Red List Authority)
|
|
Justification:
|
Based on estimates of density and geographic range (Nowell and Jackson 1996), the margay’s total effective population size is estimated at greater than 50,000 mature breeding individuals, but with a declining trend due to degradation of its habitat and prey base.
|
|
History:
|
| 1982 | - | Vulnerable as Felis wiedii (Thornback and Jenkins 1982) |
| 1986 | - | Vulnerable as Felis wiedii (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986) |
| 1988 | - | Vulnerable as Felis wiedii (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988) |
| 1990 | - | Vulnerable as Felis wiedii (IUCN 1990) |
| 1994 | - | Insufficiently Known (Groombridge 1994) |
| 1996 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (Baillie and Groombridge 1996) |
|
Geographic Range
|
Range Description:
|
A Central and South American species.
|
|
Countries:
|
Native:
Argentina; Belize; Bolivia; Brazil; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ecuador; El Salvador; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Suriname; United States; Uruguay; Venezuela
Uncertain presence and origin:
French Guiana
|
Population
|
Population Trend:
|
|
Habitat and Ecology
|
Habitat and Ecology:
|
The margay is more strongly associated with forest habitat, both evergreen and deciduous, than any other tropical American cat (Nowell and Jackson 1996). It appears to be less tolerant of human settlement and altered habitat than its close relatives, the ocelot and oncilla, although it has been occasionally reported outside forested areas (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
|
|
System:
|
Terrestrial
|
|
List of Habitats:
|
| 1.5 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry |
| 1.6 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland |
| 1.9 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane |
|
Threats
|
Threats:
|
The margay has been one of the most heavily exploited Latin American cats. Margays began to appear in international trade at a time of concern over the level of exploitation of the ocelot, and species of spotted cats in trade were rarely verified. Illegal hunting for domestic markets or for the underground skin trade has been reported to be a continuing a problem in some areas (Nowell and Jackson 1996). However, deforestation is now the primary threat to reduced populations now that international trade has virtually ceased (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
|
|
List of Threats:
|
| 1.3.3 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood (ongoing) |
| 3.4.2 | Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Materials - Sub-national/national trade (ongoing) |
| 3.4.3 | Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Materials - Regional/international trade (past) |
|
Conservation Actions
|
Conservation Actions:
|
Included on CITES Appendix I. This species is protected across most of its range, with hunting and trade prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
|
|
List of Conservation Actions:
|
| 1.2.2.1 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - International level (in place) |
| 1.2.2.2 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - National level (in place) |
|
Bibliography
|
Bibliography:
|
Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Cat Specialist Group. For more information, see the Specialist Group website Groombridge, B. (ed.) 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1986. 1986 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1988. 1988 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. IUCN. 2002. 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 8 October 2002. Nowell, K. and Jackson, P. (compilers and editors) 1996. Wild Cats. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. (online version) Thornback, J. and Jenkins, M. 1982. The IUCN Mammal Red Data Book. Part 1: Threatened mammalian taxa of the Americas and the Australasian zoogeographic region (excluding Cetacea). IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
|
|
|
