Please click on the audio file below to hear how you pronounce ‘margay’. Just add an ‘s’ to make it plural! It is exactly as expected. It may surprise you as to why I did this but it is a Google search term which means someone is asking. The name of this cat is interesting; more interesting than the pronunciation of its name! It is believed that the 18th century naturalist Georges Buffon was the first person to use the name ‘margay’, which is probably derived from the Guarani mbaracayá which means ‘wild cat’ (source: TG Oliviera – Leopardus wiedii. Mammalian Species 1998 page 579). Guarani are a group of culturally-related indigenous peoples of South America.
Margay Range – this covers all aspects of the margay. It should be said that we don’t know a lot about this small wild cat species. Their most notable characteristic is that they do most of their hunting in trees living off birds, rodents (climbing rat), fruit and insects. Most of their prey is nocturnal and arboreal. It can turn its ankles up to 180 degrees, so it can grasp branches equally well with its fore and hind paws; an adaptation to tree dwelling. It is a super-skilled climber.
Below the audio file there is a list of articles on this diminutive yet highly athletic and monkeys-like small wild cat species that loves to live in the trees.
SOME MORE ON THE MARGAY:
