Güiña

About the Güiña

The kodkod (Leopardus guigna), also called güiña, is the smallest felid species native to the Americas. It lives primarily in central and southern Chile, as well as marginally in adjoining areas of Argentina. Between 1996 and 2002, it was listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List as the total population was thought to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals; it is threatened by persecution, habitat loss and prey base.

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. Melanistic kodkods 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). Weight ranges between 2 and 2.5 kg (4.4 and 5.5 lb).

The melanistic phenotype is caused by the deletion of a single cysteine amino acid at position 126 of Agouti-signaling protein. This disrupts one of the four... Wikipedia →