Research overview: the kodkod as the smallest cat in the Americas

The kodkod holds the distinction of being the smallest wild cat in the Americas, and this overview reviews the biology associated with its diminutive size. Weighing only a couple of kilograms, the species exploits small prey and dense cover, moving easily through thick understory and climbing well. Its small body shapes its energetic needs, prey selection, and vulnerability to larger predators. The kodkod compact form suits the dense temperate forests it inhabits, where agility and concealment matter more than size. Documenting the biology of such a small felid contributes to understanding the lower limits of the cat body plan in the Neotropics and the ecological strategies that allow a tiny predator to persist in cool, wet southern forests.