Margay, one of the 5 wild cats found in Belize
Until the 1990s, margays were hunted illegally throughout their range for the wildlife trade, which resulted in a large population decrease. Since 2008, the margay has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because the population is thought to be declining due to loss of habitat by deforestation.
Margays in Belize are uncommon to rare throughout their range, and only in very few areas can they be called relatively common. Generally population densities are between 1-5 individuals per 100 kmē. Only in a very few areas it seems to reach densities of up to 15-25 cats per 100 kmē.
The beautiful margay is primarily a nocturnal cat. It is a skilled and agile climber with the ability to grab branches with its paws. Only the margay and the clouded leopard have the ankle flexibility to enable them to climb down trees head first. Most of its life is spent in the canopy, where it preys on birds and monkeys. The cat also eats lizards, tree frogs, small mammals, grass, fruit and vegetation.
Earlier this year, while camped with my son in Southern Belize, a margay ambled, without a sound, past our campfire, wafted effortlessly up a nearby tree and disappeared into the canopy, ignoring the stunned look on our faces. That Belize still has some healthy populations of this wild cat attests to the ecological health of some of our forests, something all Belizean should be proud of and help to maintain.
Photograph by Tony Rath
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