5 Fascinating Facts About the Kodkod: This Feline Has Eyes on Its Back

The kodkod is the smallest wild cat native to South America. It is primarily found in central and southern Chile, as well as neighboring areas of Argentina. According to the Red List, it is classified as vulnerable.

The name “kodkod” comes from the Mapuche people, also known as the Araucanian Indians, but it is also called “guiña”. Let’s take a look at some interesting facts about this seemingly fluffy, kitten-like wildcat!

1.) Rare as a White Raven

Small wild cats are typically secretive and reclusive by nature. For the kodkod, this is compounded by the species’ significant threats, so it’s no surprise that we know very little about this spotted feline. Scientists have struggled to uncover much about its mating habits, litter size, or communication; most information is still based on speculation.

What is certain is that the loss of its habitat and prey, as well as hunting, significantly strain its population. The kodkod is also affected by the shrinking rainforest areas due to human expansion. Additionally, farmers frequently kill them as the kodkod, due to its shrinking habitat, increasingly preys on poultry. This situation is particularly sad because, in the wild, the kodkod helps control rodent populations, which is highly beneficial to humans.

2.) Family Ties

The kodkod belongs to the genus Leopardus, just like the pampas cat, Geoffroy’s cat, Andean mountain cat, ocelot, oncilla, and margay. These relatives are characterized by having 36 chromosomes instead of the typical 38 found in cats, a coat with black spots on a brownish background, rounded ears, and a prominent nose. Their ancestor migrated across the Bering land bridge during the late Miocene period, 5.33-11.6 million years ago.

3.) The Mystery of the Black Kodkod

Many small wild cats have a melanistic, or completely black variant in the wild. For the kodkod, researchers believe there are numerous jet-black individuals. The melanistic phenotype is caused by a modification in a single protein (agouti-signaling), leading to a decrease in the production of brownish-orange pheomelanin and an increase in black eumelanin, resulting in dark fur.

Melanistic kodkod:

4.) Active Day and Night

Observations have revealed that the kodkod is neither strictly crepuscular nor nocturnal. This wild cat can be active both day and night, although it often rests in a safe shelter during the day. It hunts in open areas only at night, otherwise prowling the rainforests, catching small prey. The kodkod is very small, about the size of a domestic cat, and thus its prey is also small. It typically catches birds, rodents, and lizards.

It is an excellent climber, capable of easily scaling trees with a diameter greater than one meter despite its small size, thanks to its relatively large paws and thick tail.

In the following video, David Attenborough narrates how a kodkod hunts for a moth:

5.) Eyes on the Back

Many small wild cats (and big cats too) have a light spot or dot on the back of their ears. Opinions vary on the function of this mark. Some researchers believe it helps the young follow their mother when they are very small. Others think it plays a role in displaying aggression toward conspecifics. Still, others speculate that it makes the animal appear more intimidating to other predators and prey, as it looks like it has eyes on both the front and back.

However, some believe the spot serves no purpose. While this is possible, it would be a remarkable coincidence that it appears in so many small wild cats, such as the serval, Geoffroy’s cat, ocelot, margay, and oncilla.