Research overview: margay distribution in Neotropical forests

The margay is a small, large-eyed cat of Neotropical forests, ranging from Mexico through Central America into the Amazon basin and as far south as northern Argentina. This overview compiles records linking the species closely to continuous, structurally complex forest, including evergreen and deciduous tropical forest and cloud forest, where it spends much of its life in the trees. The margay is far more forest-dependent than the closely related ocelot, and its distribution contracts sharply where forest is fragmented. Mapping its occurrence is complicated by confusion with the ocelot and by its arboreal, secretive habits. Accurate distribution data matter because the species reliance on intact forest makes it a sensitive indicator of deforestation across the Neotropics.