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| Scientific Name: Oncifelis guigna |
Size: Head and body 15-19 inches (39-49cm);
tail 7.5-9 inches (19-23cm) |
| Weight: 4.5-6.5 pounds (2-3kg) |
| Distribution: South American cat found
only in central and southern Chilie and in Andean lakes of Argentina |
| Habitat: Scrubland, moist coniferous
forests, wooded areas, and semi-open habitats. |
| Diet: Feeds mainly on small mammals
and birds. |
| Reproduction: After a gestation period
of 72-78 days, female gives birth to 1-3 kittens. |
| Status: Vulnerable |
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| This little known cat is one of the
smallest felines in the New World. It has a spotted coat with dark markings on
a gray-brown background. The tail has black rings, and there are also black bands
on the chest region. As with several other species of small cats, there are "eye-spots"
on the backs of the ears. Black individuals have been recorded on a number of
occasions. The most unusual feature of the Kodkod, apart from its very small body
size, is to be found in its feet. It has disproportionately large claws. This
suggests either that it has specialized in catching a particular type of prey
that requires improved |
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| grasping
duringing the kill, or that the cat is, for some reason, an improved climber of
difficult trees. At present, we have no direct observations of this species in
the wild to help us answer this question. In some areas, it favors scrubland -
semiopen country where there are occasional bushes and trees for cover. In others,
it is found in moist, coniferous forests. It hunts small mammals and birds. There
is an early report by a German naturalist that "parties of Kodkods raided
chicken houses at Valdivia." Based on this isolated case, some authors have
rashly proposed that this is a "pack-hunting" species. This idea is
so out of keeping with the behavior of small cats all over the world, that it
requires further verification. |
| KODKOD
PHOTOS |
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