Kodkod – comprehensive treatise

Overview: The kodkod is, with the oncilla, the smallest wild cat in the Western Hemisphere and smaller than the average domestic cat. It is a spotted cat that inhabits montane and coniferous forests on the slopes of the Andes Mountains in Chile and Argentina. It feeds on rodents, lizards and birds and is classified by the IUCN Red List™ as Vulnerable at 2011. The main threat to survival is the loss of its habitat due to logging and the spread of pine forests.

This article is split into several sections for technical reasons with links at the base of each section to the next.

Name

The first topic of conversation in relation to the Kodkod is the name of this rare, small, wild cat. Jim Sanderson Ph.D. who is acknowledged as one of the top researchers of small cats and who works for Conservation International (and incidentally has his own charity, Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation) says that the common name that we use, Kodkod, is unheard of in the area where the cat is found. Jim cited the name Guigna and no one knew what he has talking about when he used the name Kodkod. People do not search for the less common names on the internet, hence the use of the name in this article.

Above: Kodkod – photo copyright Jim Sanderson Ph.D. Please respect copyright.

‘Guigna’ is name is the one used by the Araucanian Indians. The name in Chile is Guiña (see below). Jim says that the locals use the name, Guigna which means ‘thief’. I presume that this is after the cats ability to take food from under their noses or it may relate to livestock losses (it is reported to raid hen houses). This name incidentally is the French name (Guigna) [src: IUCN Red List]. Other names for this wildcat are:

• Codcod
• Chilean Cat
• Guiña
• Guina (Spanish name)

The latter name and the local name seem to reflect the scientific name: Leopardus guigna (another scientific name [a synonym] is Oncifelis guigna). There are two subspecies. I don’t know if this is significant but the scientific name was given by the naturalist and scientist, Juan Ignacio Molina b. 20 July, 1740, at Guaraculen near Talca (Chile); d. 23 Oct. (12 Sept.?), 1829) in Italy. Italy was his second home. In Italian the word “giugno” means “June”. It might be reasonable to suggest that this cat species was discovered in June 1782.

Kodkod reproduced from Wikimedia Commons library (see license). Wikipedia user: Lycaon.cl. Genetic tests confirm that this cat is closely related to Geoffroy’s Cat. One visual difference between the two can be seen on the head. The markings on the head of Geoffroy’s cat are usual distinct stripes, whereas on the Kodkod the markings are sometimes broken streaks.