Editing Kodkod (section)

==Characteristics==
The kodkod's fur color ranges from brownish-yellow to grey-brown. It has dark spots, a pale underside and a ringed tail. The ears are black with a white spot, while the dark spots on the shoulders and neck almost merge to form a series of dotted streaks. [[Melanism|Melanistic]] kodkods with spotted black coats are quite common. It has a small head, large feet, and a thick tail. Adult kodkods are {{cvt|37|to|51|cm}} in head to body length with a short {{cvt|20|-|25|cm}} tail and a shoulder height of about {{cvt|25|cm}}.<ref name=WCoW>{{cite book |author=Sunquist, M. |author2=Sunquist, F. |name-list-style=amp |year=2002 |title=Wild cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |pages=211–214 |chapter=Kodkod ''Oncifelis guigna'' (Molina, 1782) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IF8nDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA211 |isbn=0-226-77999-8}}</ref> Weight ranges between {{cvt|2|and|2.5|kg}}.<ref name=iucn_cat>{{cite book |last1=Nowell |first1=K. |last2=Jackson |first2=P. |name-list-style=amp |title=Wild Cats: status survey and conservation action plan |location=Gland, Switzerland |publisher=IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group |year=1996 |chapter=Kodkod ''Oncifelis guigna'' (Molina, 1782) |chapter-url=http://lynx.uio.no/lynx/catsgportal/cat-website/catfolk/guigna01.htm |pages=115–116|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081112021649/http://lynx.uio.no/lynx/catsgportal/cat-website/catfolk/guigna01.htm |archive-date=2008-11-12 }}</ref>

===Melanistic phenotype===
The [[melanism|melanistic]] [[phenotype]] is caused by the [[deletion (genetics)|deletion]] of a single [[cysteine]] [[amino acid|residue]] at position 126 of [[Agouti-signaling protein]]. This disrupts one of the four [[disulphide|disulphide bonds]] in the normal protein, altering its [[protein structure|tertiary structure]] and reducing its ability to bind to the [[melanocortin 1 receptor]].<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Alexsandra |last1=Schneider |first2=Corneliu| last2=Henegar |first3=Kenneth |last3=Day |first4=Devin |last4=Absher |first5=Constanza |last5=Napolitano |first6=Leandro |last6=Silveira |first7=Victor A. |last7=David |first8=Stephen J. |last8=O’Brien |first9=Marilyn |last9=Menotti-Raymond |first10=Gregory S. |last10=Barsh |first11=Eduardo |last11=Eizirik |title=Recurrent Evolution of Melanism in South American Felids |date=19 February 2015 |doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1004892 |journal=PLOS Genetics |volume=10 |issue=2|pages=e1004892 |pmid=25695801 |pmc=4335015 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Normally this interaction upregulates the production of orange [[pheomelanin]] and downregulates the production of black [[eumelanin]], however, in the mutated form, this interaction is prevented, resulting in darker [[Cat coat genetics|coat color]] than normal.