# Margay (*Leopardus wiedii*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/margay  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The margay (Leopardus wiedii), also called the tree ocelot, is a mammal in the family Felidae and the genus Leopardus, within the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized carnivore with an adult body mass of 3.25 kg, and the highest value reported by our sources is 3.6 kg. The margay is a nocturnal, scansorial animal of forest habitats. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.25 kg – 3.6 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 21 years – 24 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 79 days – 81.3 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 – 1.5 |
| Age at maturity | 21.6 months |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Scansorial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Felidae
- genus: Leopardus
- species: *Leopardus wiedii* (Schinz, 1821)

Synonyms: *Felis elegans*, *Felis macroura*, *Felis wiedii*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a margay?

The margay is a mammal in the family Felidae, subfamily Felinae, within the order Carnivora.

### How heavy is a margay?

An adult margay has a body mass of 3.25 kg, with the highest value reported by our sources at 3.6 kg.

### What does a margay eat?

The margay is a carnivore.

### What habitat does the margay live in?

The margay lives in forest habitats, where it is nocturnal and scansorial.

### Is the margay endangered?

No. The margay is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a margay live?

The margay has a lifespan of 21 years, and the highest value reported by our sources is 24 years.

### How many young does a margay have?

The margay has 1.5 young per litter as a representative value, with a lowest reported value of 1, after a gestation period of 81 days.

### Who named the margay?

The margay was named Leopardus wiedii by (Schinz, 1821).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Margay (Leopardus wiedii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/margay