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Margay Kitten Blends in with Mom at Bioparque M'Bopicuá

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Congratulations to Bioparque M'Bopicuá! On November 10 they welcomed the first-ever Margay kitten to be born at the breeding station. (Incidentally, this is the first Margay we've ever featured on ZooBorns!) Bioparque M'Bopicuá aids wildlife conservation in Uruguay with its protected wildlife reserve and captive breeding programs to supplement wild populations of native animals. 

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4 margayPhoto credit: Bioparque M'Bopicuá 

See a video of mother and kitten:

 

Margays are spotted cats native to Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern South America east of the Andes. Larger than house cats, they are active at night and spent most of their time in trees. Margays usually give birth to just one kitten, but very rarely have litters of two. After a gestation period of about 80 days, which is a pretty long time for a small cat, Margays give birth to a kitten that is fairly large but still helpless. Kittens open their eyes at about two weeks old, and begin to eat solid food at seven to eight weeks old. 

Margays are a Near Threatened species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. According to the IUCN, the species is at risk due to habitat loss and fragmentation, in addition to hunting for the cat's beautiful spotted fur. 

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