Margay, << MAHR gay, >> is a wild cat that lives in Central and South America from northern Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil. Its reddish or grayish fur is thickly marked with black spots and streaks. Its tail is longer than the head and body. The margay is 21/2 to 4 feet (76 to 122 centimeters) long and weighs 10 to 20 pounds (4.5 to 9 kilograms). It resembles the ocelot but is smaller, more slender, and has a longer tail. The margay’s name may have come from an Indigenous (native) term meaning little ocelot. Zoologists know little about its habits.
