What is it about small animals that makes them so darn cute? Maybe it is an evolutionary thing where smaller animals evolve to be cuter so that they aren’t hunted as often. Who knows, but whatever the case, the Kodkod is one of the cutest animals in the world.

As the smallest member of the cat family in the Americas, it is much beloved in its home area of Chile and part of Argentina. It weighs just 2-3 kilograms (4-6 lbs), with males being a little bigger than the females.

For those interested, the only members of the cat family that are smaller in the world are Geoffroy’s Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) and the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), which live in Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal.

If you’re looking to see the Kodkod, you will have to have sharp eyes. They are nocturnal animals, and they like to live in heavily forested areas.

Their grayish-brown fur and white belly help them to blend in with the trees, so they are difficult to see. Rarely, they can also have all black fur. This helps them when hunting rodents, birds, lizards, and other small prey.

Their natural habitat in Chile and Argentina is quite small. In fact, this is the cat with the smallest overall range of habitat in the Americas as well as being the smallest member of the species.

Fortunately, the animal is doing quite well, being listed by the IUCN as a species of Least Concern. There are anywhere from 26,000 to 100,000 mature Kodkod in the wild.

Of course, as with any animal that lives in a relatively small area, it does have some serious threats. If deforestation becomes rampant in the area, it would immediately put them in danger, as would fires.

Overall, however, the Kodkod is thriving in their habitat and continuing to enjoy their life as the smallest feline in the Americas, and maybe the cutest too.

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