Researchers have found that margay cats in south america mimic the sounds of their prey, in this case, baby monkeys, to attract monkeys. This indicates intelligence and learning ability. Its far more advanced that how the wt portrays animals; ruled by divinely endowed animal instincts. My cat sometimes made really wierd sounds, like she was trying to tell me something. A girl i knew, told me that one of her cats would bring her cherry tomatoes, when she was in a tough situation.
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In the course of our field research on felids, we interviewed local Amazon jungle inhabitants (woodsmen and mestizo Indians) in different regions of central Amazonia to learn about the biodiversity of local habitats, and in particular, the natural history of Neotropical cat species, including their prey capture techniques. Interestingly, several of the interviewees described a common predation strategy by Neotropical cats as attracting their prey by mimicking the prey species' vocalizations. More than a dozen reports of Puma concolor, Panthera onca and Leopardus pardalis mimicking vocalizations of agoutis (Dasyprocta spp.), tinamous or nambus (Crypturellus sp.) and solitary tinamous or macucos (Tinamus sp.) were made in different river basins (Madeira, Juruá and Purus) (Table 2). Until now, no scientific observations of this type of behavior have been published for Neotropical felids. Here we report the first field observation of margay mimicking behavior, recorded during field research on the primate pied tamarin (Saguinus bicolor) at the Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke (59 56′ 15,71556″ W, 02 56′ 25,75037″ S) in Manaus, Brazil (for a description of the area, see Ribeiro et al., 1999 ). In this brief report we suggest that L. wiedii uses a mimicking strategy to capture its prey. Our record confirms the reliability of the information provided by the local Amazonian inhabitants.
On October 12, 2005, at 9:13 am, a group of eight pied tamarins monitored by telemetry was feeding in a Moraceae (Ficus sp.). A large vine at 15 meters height connected the surrounding trees to the fig tree. At 9:18 am, a margay attracted the attention of a tamarin sentinel ( Gordo et al., 2005 ) by producing calls similar to those emitted by pied tamarin pups. The adult male sentinel climbed up and down the tree to investigate the calls coming from behind the liana tangles. It assumed a surveillance position and, using specific calls, warned the group about the foreign calls. At 9:22 am we observed movements in the vine and keep hearing the call imitations. At 9:29 am three pied tamarin individuals were feeding on Ficus sp. while the tamarin sentinel was keeping surveillance. At 9:40 am, four pied tamarins climbed up and down the Moraceae in response to the repeated aggressive calls from the tamarin sentinel. At that moment, was observed a cat with small body but big feet, huge eyes and a long tail walking down the trunk of a tree (like a squirrel); it quickly jumped to a liana that was connected to the fig tree and moved toward where the tamarins were feeding, about 15 meters away. At this moment, the sentinel emitted a high scream as the predator approached the group; and the group fled immediately.
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http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1896/044.016.0107
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