Leopardus

Leopardus is a genus consisting of small spotted cats mostly native to Middle and South America. Very few range into the southern United States. The genus is considered the oldest branch of the part of the cat family to cross into the Americas, followed by the genera Lynx and Puma. (The Jaguar is the other extant cat native to the Americas.) The largest species in Leopardus is the Ocelot; most of the other species resemble domestic housecats in size, with the Kodkod (L. guigna) being the smallest cat in the Americas. The Margay (L. wiedii) is more highly adapted to arboreal life than any other cat in the Americas.