Oncille

		Oncille
		He is a wild animal


Origin			Central and South America
Translation			Francis Vandersteen

The possession of this animal is not authorized Royal Decree establishing the list of mammals not kept for production purposes that may be kept (M.B. 24.08.2009)

The Oncille, also known as tiger cat and spotted cat, is a felid of the genus Leopardus that inhabits the tropical forests and woodlands of Central and South America. It is sometimes mistakenly called Oncifelis tigrinus or Felis tigrina. In Spanish-speaking America, it is known as Oncilla, Tigrillo or Cunaguaro. It is a close relative of the Ocelot and the Margay.

Oncillas have fawn-colored coats, with lighter undersides spotted with black. The spots become ocelots on the flanks. The long tail is ringed with black and has a black tip. The back of the ears is black, marked with a white spot. This mottled pattern prevails in the majority of oncillas. But melanism is a widespread mutation in this species, particularly in the rainforest. It is estimated that around 1 oncilla in 5 has a black coat.

The oncille is essentially a forest cat. It is found in tropical forests such as the Amazon, from Costa Rica to northern Argentina. The oncille appreciates mountain forests more than its cousins the margay and the ocelot, and it is in this environment, in the foothills of the Andes, that it is most widespread. It has been observed at altitudes of up to 4,500 meters, as long as there are trees left. The Brazilian oncilla doesn't just live in the forest: it can be found in the Atlantic rainforest, as well as in the cerrado, Brazil's tropical savannah.

A small feline, the Brazilian oncilla only preys on small animals. It hunts small mammals, lizards, birds, frogs and insects, and also eats eggs when it finds them. Sometimes it even feeds on plants. It hunts mainly on the ground, but is also a skilled climber. Mostly nocturnal, it has however been observed hunting during the day in a region where its main diet consisted of diurnal lizards.

The oncille is one of America's smallest felines. It is similar in size to a domestic cat, but thinner and lighter. It measures from 60 cm to 1 meter in length, with a tail of 20 to 42 cm and a withers height of around 25 cm. It can weigh from 1.5 to 3 kg.

The oncille's mottled coat is a formidable camouflage in the play of light and shade of the rainforest. Unfortunately, its beauty also attracts human covetousness. In the 1970s and 1980s, the oncille was one of the 4 most hunted small cats. Thousands were killed. Today, the classification of the oncilla on CITES Appendix 1 and as a vulnerable species by the IUCN does not guarantee its consideration. Four countries (Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guyana and Peru) still authorize its hunting, and poaching remains widespread elsewhere. Deforestation is another significant threat.