Markay

Kingdom:

The **markay** (*Simiapardus alorinensis*), also known as the **monkey cat**, is a medium-sized wild cat native to Central and South Alor.

## Characteristics

The markay is a medium-sized cat with a head-and-body length of between 55 and 100 centimeters (21.7 and 39.4 inches) and a 40 to 50 centimeter (15.7 to 19.7 inch) long tail. It typically reaches 60 centimeters (23.6 inches) at the shoulder. They are surprisingly lightweight, weighing in at around 5 kilograms (11 pounds) for females and 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) for males. Its footprint measures 2.5 x 2.5 centimeters (1 inch x 1 inch). Though similar in size with the ocelot, it has a larger skull and slightly smaller eyes. It possesses a nearly monkey-like intelligence, able to use tools and think through problems.

Its fur is tawny to creamy and marked with numerous rows of dark brown or black rosettes and longitudinal streaks. The tail has numerous bands of a darker color. The undersides are paler. It also has circular ears.

## Behaviour

The markay is an adept climber, and is sometimes called the **monkey cat** because of this ability. It spends most of the time in trees, leaping after and chasing birds and monkeys through the treetops. It can turn its ankles up to 180 degrees, so it can grasp branches equally well with its fore and hind paws, and it is able to jump up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) horizontally.

The markay is diurnal, although it has also been observed hunting during the night sometimes. It prefers to spend most of its life in trees, but also travels on the ground, especially when moving between hunting areas. During the night, it rests in relatively inaccessible branches or clumps of lianas.

The markay is usually social, living in groups of up to 11 or more individuals. A markay group has a home range of 11-160 hectares. It leaves scratch marks on the ground or on branches to mark its home range. Its vocalisations all appear to be short range; it does not call over long distances (though may call over long distances when a predator is nearby).

### Reproduction

Female margays are in estrus for four to ten days over a cycle of 40 days, during which they attract males with a long, moaning call. The male responds by yelling or making trilling sounds, and also by rapidly shaking his head from side to side, a behavior not seen in any other cat species.

Gestation lasts up to a hundred days and generally results in the birth of a single kitten (very rarely, there are two), usually between March and June. Kittens weigh 200 grams (7 ounces) at birth. This is relatively large for a small cat and is probably related to the long gestation period. The kittens open their eyes at around three weeks of age and begin to eat solid food at ten weeks. The entire group helps with the care of the young. Markays reach maturity after one to two years of age and have a maximum lifespan of up to 40 years.

### Diet

Markays are omnivorous unlike their ancestors, their diet consisting of fruit, flowers, grass, nectar, insects, sauramphastids, magnasaurs, and neoreptiliomorphs. Markays are able to hunt its prey entirely in trees. However, markays do sometimes hunt on the ground, and have been reported to eat terrestrial prey.