Kodkod Leopardus guigna

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Kodkods are the smallest wild cats in the western hemisphere, and rival the Black-footed CatFelis nigripesand Rusty-spotted CatPrionailurus rubiginosusas the smallest felid in the world. They are similar in appearance to the Geoffroy’s CatLeopardus geoffroyiwith which they share part of their range, but are smaller, have a smaller face and a thicker tail. Local people call them the Guiña (pronounced gween-ya).

The ground colour of the coat varies from light grey and grey brown to buff or dusky brown, marked with small, roundish black spots. There are a few narrow black bands on the neck and crown, and the underparts are whitish. Their head is small with indistinct lines above the eyes and on the cheeks, and a white area around the eyes. The ears are relatively large and rounded, with blackish backs marked with a white central spot. Their legs are short, and the foot pads fairly large with black soles. The tail is short, only about one third of the head-body length, and marked with 10-12 conspicuous black rings, and a black tip. It is very bushy, and grows wider towards the tip. Melanistic individuals are known to occur.

There appear to be two distinctive forms. The race which occurs in central Chile is plain in coloration with no spots on their feet, and are larger than the race living in the southern part of their range. The southern animals are also more brightly coloured and have spots on their feet.

The Kodkod, or Guiña, has the smallest distribution of any South American cat, being found primarily in central and southern Chile and marginally in adjoining areas of Argentina. It is the only small felid found over most of its range but on the eastern limit, in Argentina, it shares its range with the Geoffroy’s cat. It is also found on the large island of Chiloe off the coast of southern Chile.

The species is strongly associated with the moist temperate mixed forests of the southern Andean and Coastal ranges, characterized by the presence of bamboo in the understory. It ranges up to the treeline at approximately 1,900 to 2,500 m. In Argentina, the species has been recorded from moist montane forest, including a multi-layered structure with bamboo, and numerous vines. This tiny cat is also tolerant of altered habitats, and can be found in secondary forest and shrub on the fringes of settled and cultivated areas.

Relative to Neotropical cats and felids in general, Guiñas have an unusually restricted area of occurrence. Although they can occur at high densities (one per km² in southern Chile), their distribution is patchy, particularly in the north of their range.

On Chile's Chiloe Island, in a largely agricultural landscape, home ranges were found to be 6.5 km² and 1.2 km² for females. A study in two national parks in southern Chile reported smaller home ranges of 1.3 km² for males and 1 km² for females.

Kodkods are nocturnal only in the presence of humans, and are naturally active day and night if undisturbed. They are terrestrial for the most part, although they have well developed climbing abilities, sheltering in the trees during the day and when pursued. Prey items are small mammals such as mice and rats, birds, insects and reptiles. One field study found a high diversity of mouse sized rodents, but few larger mammals. This is another example of animals adjusting to a particular niche, as these little cats inhabit areas where larger carnivores are scarce.

On Chiloe Island off the southern tip of Chile, subsistence farmers have cleared much of the land, and Kodkods are found only in small corridors of brush left standing to divide fields and along roads. They will cross the roads only when the trees cast dark shadows. In this heavily fragmented landscape, males must roam further and further to locate females, which brings them into increased contact with humans.

Guiñas in southern Chile fed primarily on small mammals, especially rodents, but birds were also frequently taken. They scavenge opportunistically on carrion. The larger males often take free-ranging chickens and geese. There is no record the females taking domestic poultry, living instead on small rodents and insects.

Little is known of their reproductive behaviour. Gestation is thought to be 72-78 days, and one to three kittens are born. One female reached sexual maturity at 24 months, and they have been known to live over 11 years in captivit

In fragmented areas in central Chile, Kodkods were estimated to number approximately 2,000 individuals in 24 subpopulations. Of these, 22 (90%) are estimated to hold fewer than 70 individuals, and 13 (44%) less than 10. Their status in southern Chile is more secure, where human activity is less and there are several large protected areas. The population in Argentina is considered small.

The major threat to the Guiña is logging of its temperate moist forest habitat, and the spread of pine forest plantations and agriculture. Lower densities have been found in plantation forest, which was only used if it was close to native forest or had native forest regeneration in the understory.

Kodkods are also viewed negatively as poultry killers, with 81.4% of families interviewed in a rural area of southern Chile considering them "damaging or very damaging", although there was only one recent report of a Guiña killing 12 hens in a henhouse. On Chiloe Island, two out of five radio-collared cats were killed while raiding chicken coops during the first study of this species.

Researchers found that the local people believed this little cat was a vampire, sucking the blood of its prey. This error resulted from their finding two puncture marks on the neck of domestic poultry, which were actually the punctures from the cats’ canine teeth. By talking to the schools and farmers, researchers did much to dispel this myth.

Involving the local people in the research did a great deal to increase their respect for these tiny cats. Few of them had actually seen a live Guiña. When they realized just how tiny they were and learned they ate mice and rats, the people became their staunchest defenders.

It is recorded in 16 protected areas in Chile, but many are too small to support viable populations. It is known from three national parks in Argentina, although densities may be low. The most important conservation measure for this cat is providing wildlife corridors between native forest patches. It is also important, in areas such as Chiloe Island where they are considered livestock pests, to improve chicken coops and reduce conflict.

Updated August 2010