The ocelot is the best known small cat of the Americas, as far as the public is concerned, largely because of the beauty of its coat. Its pelage is short and close (less plush than the similarly patterned margay), and marked with both rosettes and spots which tend to run in parallel chains along the sides of the body. The ground color varies from whitish or tawny yellow through reddish gray to gray. The underside is white, and the backs of the ears are black with a central yellow spot. The ocelot can grow up to 100 cm (3'2") in length, plus 45 cm (1'6") tail length, and weighs 10-15 kg (about 20-33 pounds), making it the largest of the generally dainty Leopardus wild cat genus. |
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The Ocelot is found in very diverse habitats including rain forest, mountain forest, thick bush, semi-deserts, coastal marsh, and along river banks, but it is never found in open country. It occupies almost every country south of the United States. The ocelot's known range was extended 350 km southwards when its presence was confirmed in Uruguay (Ximénez 1988). |
The ocelot does most of its hunting at night. It rests in trees or dense brush during the day. It has a home range of between one and four square miles. Mating can occur during any time of the year that is suitable for kittens to be born in. The female is receptive for mating for 5 days. Gestation periods last for three to ten days, and mating is accompanied by domestic catlike yowling. Gestation lasts 70-82 days. One or two are born in a den 2.5 months after mating. The male ocelot helps to raise the young by bringing the mother food. They are weaned at seven weeks. Young often disperse from their natural territory at 2 years. |
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The Ocelot is a terrestrial hunter and active during the night (nocturnal), and the mainstay of its diet are nocturnal rodents, such as cane mice, and marsh, spiny and rice rats, opossums and armadillos. They will also take larger prey such as lesser anteaters, deer, squirrel monkeys and land tortoises. They will also take advantage of seasonal changes and the abundance of fish and land crabs during the wet season. Occasionally, the will take birds and reptiles. However, the majority of prey items for this cat weigh less than 1-3% of its body weight. |
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The Ocelot's appearance is similar to that of the domestic cat. Its fur resembles that of a Jaguar and was once regarded as particularly valuable. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Ocelots have been killed for their fur. Once they were
listed on Appendix I of CITES as an endangered animal they numbers began
to increase once again. Ocelots are no longer endangered species but
they are still, however, extremely rare in their range and are no longer
existent in their former range in southern United States. |
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Created by Albert Diaz de Leon