They may look cute. But pocket-sized kodkods, a species of wild cat, are actually ruthless killers that often prey on chickens. This has put them on top of locals’ hit list, and now they're threatened with extinction.
Kodkods are so elusive, some call them the ghosts of the forest.
"You may well be standing just a few meters away from one but because of their size and the way they move you could spend a lifetime walking past them but not seeing them. Many kodkod researchers have never seen one alive," said researcher Fernando Vidal.
For the series Patagonia, Vidal spent four days combing through Laguna San Rafael National Park for tracks and signs of kodkods, but the tiny cats always seem one step ahead.
Finally, on the fifth and final day of the shoot, Vidal spotted the rarest of the rare: a melanistic – or black – kodkod. This is almost certainly the first time a melanistic kodkod has been filmed in the wild.
"Today is a very exciting day. This is a gift. I couldn’t be happier," said Vidal.