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Kodkod

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Kodkod
CITESAppendix II(CITES)[1]
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Leopardus
Species:
L. guigna
Binomial name
Leopardus guigna
(Molina,1782)[2]
Subspecies
  • L. g. guigna(Molina, 1782)
  • L. g. tigrillo(Schinz, 1844)
Distribution of the Guigna, 2015[1]
Synonyms
  • Oncifelis guigna

Thekodkod(Leopardus guigna), also calledgüiña,is the smallestfelidspecies native to theAmericas.It lives primarily in central and southern Chile, as well as marginally in adjoining areas of Argentina. Since 2002, it has been listed asVulnerableon theIUCN Red Listas the total population may be less than 10,000 mature individuals; it is threatened by persecution, andhabitat lossand prey base.

Characteristics[edit]

The kodkod's fur color ranges from brownish-yellow to grey-brown. It has dark spots, a pale underside and a ringed tail. The ears are black with a white spot, while the dark spots on the shoulders and neck almost merge to form a series of dotted streaks.Melanistickodkods with spotted black coats are quite common. It has a small head, large feet, and a thick tail. Adult kodkods are 37 to 51 cm (15 to 20 in) in head to body length with a short 20–25 cm (7.9–9.8 in) tail and a shoulder height of about 25 cm (9.8 in).[3]Weight ranges between 2 and 2.5 kg (4.4 and 5.5 lb).[4]

Melanistic phenotype[edit]

Themelanisticphenotypeis caused by thedeletionof a singlecysteineresidueat position 126 ofAgouti-signaling protein.This disrupts one of the fourdisulphide bondsin the normal protein, altering itstertiary structureand reducing its ability to bind to themelanocortin 1 receptor.[5]Normally this interaction upregulates the production of orangepheomelaninand downregulates the production of blackeumelanin,however, in the mutated form, this interaction is prevented, resulting in darkercoat colorthan normal.

Taxonomy[edit]

Felis guignawas thescientific nameused in 1782 byJuan Ignacio Molinawho firstdescribeda kodkod from Chile.[6] Felis tigrillowas the name used in 1844 byHeinrich Rudolf Schinz.[7]

ThegenusLeoparduswas proposed in 1842 byJohn Edward Gray,when he described two spotted cat skins from Central America and two from India in the collection of theNatural History Museum, London.[8] The subgenusOncifeliswas proposed in 1851 byNikolai Severtzovwith theGeoffroy's catastype species.[9][10] The kodkod was subordinated toLeopardusin 1958,[11]and toOncifelisin 1978.[12]

Today, the genusLeopardusis widely recognized asvalid,with two kodkodsubspecies:[13]

  • L. g. guigna(Molina, 1782) occurs in southern Chile and Argentina
  • L. g. tigrillo(Schinz, 1844) occurs in central and northern Chile

Distribution and habitat[edit]

The kodkod is strongly associated with mixedtemperate rainforestsof the southernAndeanand coastal ranges, particularly theValdivianandAraucariaforests of Chile, which is characterized by the presence ofbambooin the understory. It prefersevergreentemperate rainforesthabitats todeciduoustemperatemoist forests,sclerophyllousscrub andconiferous forests.It is tolerant of altered habitats, being found in secondary forest and shrub as well as primary forest, and on the fringes of settled and cultivated areas.[4] It ranges up to the treeline at approximately 1,900 m (6,200 ft).[14]In Argentina, it has been recorded from moist montane forest, which hasValdivian temperate rain forestcharacteristics, including a multi-layered structure with bamboo, and numerous lianas andepiphytes.[15]

Ecology and behavior[edit]

Kodkods are equally active during the day and during the night, although they only venture into open terrain under the cover of darkness. During the day, they rest in dense vegetation in ravines, along streams with heavy cover, and in piles of deadgorse.They are excellent climbers, and easily able to climb trees more than a meter in diameter. They are terrestrial predators ofbirds,lizardsandrodentsin the ravines and forested areas, feeding onsouthern lapwing,austral thrush,chucao tapaculo,huet-huet,domesticgeeseandchicken.[3]

Male kodkods maintain exclusive territories 1.1 to 2.5 km2(0.42 to 0.97 sq mi) in size, while females occupy smaller ranges of just 0.5 to 0.7 km2(0.19 to 0.27 sq mi).[16]

Reproduction[edit]

Thegestationperiod lasts about 72–78 days. The average litter size is one to three kittens. This species may live to be about 11 years old.[4]

Threats[edit]

The kodkod has been listed asVulnerableon theIUCN Red Listas the total population may be less than 10,000 mature individuals.[1]It is threatened foremost bylogging,which entails the spread ofpineforest plantations andagriculture,particularly in central Chile.[4]In 1997 to 1998, two out of fiveradio-collaredkodkods were killed onChiloé Islandafter raiding chicken coops.[17]

The Photo Ark[edit]

  • On May 15, 2020,National Geographicannounced that the kodkod was the milestone 10,000th animal photographed forThe Photo Ark,bringing the project about two-thirds of the way toward completion.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdNapolitano, C.; Gálvez, N.; Bennett, M.; Acosta-Jamett, G.; Sanderson, J. (2015)."Leopardus guigna".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2015:e.T15311A50657245.Retrieved24 January2022.
  2. ^Wozencraft, W. C.(2005)."SpeciesLeopardus guigna".InWilson, D. E.;Reeder, D. M. (eds.).Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference(3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 538.ISBN978-0-8018-8221-0.OCLC62265494.
  3. ^abSunquist, M. & Sunquist, F. (2002)."KodkodOncifelis guigna(Molina, 1782) ".Wild cats of the World.Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 211–214.ISBN0-226-77999-8.
  4. ^abcdNowell, K. & Jackson, P. (1996)."KodkodOncifelis guigna(Molina, 1782) ".Wild Cats: status survey and conservation action plan.Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. pp. 115–116. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-11-12.
  5. ^Schneider, Alexsandra; Henegar, Corneliu; Day, Kenneth; Absher, Devin; Napolitano, Constanza; Silveira, Leandro; David, Victor A.; O’Brien, Stephen J.; Menotti-Raymond, Marilyn; Barsh, Gregory S.; Eizirik, Eduardo (19 February 2015)."Recurrent Evolution of Melanism in South American Felids".PLOS Genetics.10(2): e1004892.doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1004892.PMC4335015.PMID25695801.
  6. ^Molina, G. I. (1782)."La GuignaFelis guigna".Saggio sulla storia naturale del Chilli.Bologna: Stamperia di S. Tommaso d’Aquino. p. 295. Archived fromthe originalon 2019-06-08.Retrieved2019-02-10.
  7. ^Schinz, H. R. (1844)."F. Tigrillo. Pöppig".Systematisches Verzeichniss aller bis jetzt bekannten Säugethiere, oder, Synopsis Mammalium nach dem Cuvier'schen System. Erster Band.Solothurn: Jent und Gassmann. p. 470.
  8. ^Gray, J. E. (1842)."Descriptions of some new genera and fifty unrecorded species of Mammalia".Annals and Magazine of Natural History.10(65): 255−267.doi:10.1080/03745484209445232.
  9. ^Severtzow, M. N. (1858)."Notice sur la classification multisériale des Carnivores, spécialement des Félidés, et les études de zoologie générale qui s'y rattachent".Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée.2e Série.X(Aout): 385–396.
  10. ^Pocock, R. I. (1917)."The Classification of existing Felidae".The Annals and Magazine of Natural History.Series 8.XX(119): 329–350.doi:10.1080/00222931709487018.
  11. ^Cabrera, A. (1958). "Dos felidos argentinos ineditos (Mammalia, Carnivora)".Neotropica.3(12): 70–72.
  12. ^Hemmer, H. (1978). "The evolutionary systematics of living Felidae: Present status and current problems".Carnivore.1(1): 71−79.
  13. ^Kitchener, A. C.; Breitenmoser-Würsten, C.; Eizirik, E.; Gentry, A.; Werdelin, L.; Wilting, A.; Yamaguchi, N.; Abramov, A. V.; Christiansen, P.; Driscoll, C.; Duckworth, J. W.; Johnson, W.; Luo, S.-J.; Meijaard, E.; O’Donoghue, P.; Sanderson, J.; Seymour, K.; Bruford, M.; Groves, C.; Hoffmann, M.; Nowell, K.; Timmons, Z. & Tobe, S. (2017)."A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group"(PDF).Cat News(Special Issue 11): 57−58.
  14. ^Miller, S.D. & Rottmann, J. (1976).Guia para el reconocimiento de mamiferos chilenos[Guide to the recognition of Chilean mammals] (in Spanish). Santiago: Editora Nacional Gabriela Mistral.
  15. ^Dimitri, Milan J. (1972).[The Andean-Patagonian forest region: general synopsis](in Spanish). Colección científica del Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria 10.
  16. ^Freer, R.A. (2004).The spatial ecology of the Güiña in southern Chile(PDF)(PhD). Durham: Durham University.
  17. ^Sanderson, J. G.; Sunquist, M. E. & Iriarte, A. W. (2002)."Natural history and landscape-use of guignas (Oncifelis guigna) on Isla Grande de Chiloe, Chile ".Journal of Mammalogy.83(2): 608–613.doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0608:NHALUO>2.0.CO;2.
  18. ^O'Neal, A. (2020)."Joel Sartore photographs the 10,000th species in the National Geographic Photo Ark, records rare audio of the species".National Geographic.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2020.Retrieved15 May2020.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLeopardus guigna.
Wikispecieshas information related toOncifelis guigna.
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