 |
 |
 |
Enhance your computer
desktop with the FREE
big cats screen saver! |
|
|
|
 |
 |
| Scientific Name: Leopardus pardalis |
Size: Head and body 27.5-35.5 inches
(70-90cm);
tail 12-18 inches (30-45cm) |
| Weight: 24-35 pounds (11-16kg) |
| Distribution: Southern Texas through
parts of Mexico and Central America into South America as far as Argentina. |
| Habitat: Tropical and subtropical
habitats including tropical evergreen forests, dry deciduous forest, dry scrub,
and seasonally flooded savannas. |
| Diet: Rodents, small mammals, birds,
fish and lizards. |
| Reproduction: After a gestation period
of 79-82 days, female gives birth to 1-2 kittens. |
| Status: Least
Concern |
|
|
| Its scientific name, pardalis, means
literally, "related to the leopard" - presumably because the Ocelot
looks like a smaller version of that species. The name Ocelot itself was originally
given to the animal by the French, who took it from a local (Nahuatl) name for
the Jaguar: ocelotl. A medium-sized, spotted cat from the American tropics,
the Ocelot has one of the most beautiful coats in the entire cat family, a fact
that has led to its mass slaughter for the fur trade. A nocturnal, ground-dwelling
cat, it will occasionally take to the trees, but prefers to move around on the
forest floor. It is reported to be a strong swimmer. The Ocelot is much larger |
 |
|
than
its tree-dwelling relative, the Margay Cat,
and has a shorter tail. The spotting of the coat is extremely variable. Each spot
has a pale interior ringed with dark edges, but these spots are frequently joined
together to make long, horizontal chains that almost become stripes. On the back
of each ear there is a vivid white patch surrounded by a black ring, creating
the impression of an eye-spot.
The prey consists largely of medium-sized rodents, hares, and small deer. Smaller
rodents, birds, and reptiles, including iquanas, are also taken. Ocelots are usually
solitary hunters, employing great stealth. According to some authorities, the
male Ocelots live in pairs with the females and assist in feeding the young, bringing
food to the den where the mother is caring for her litter. Others have failed
to observe this and doubt whether it occurs, suggesting instead a social system
of overlapping male and female territories, with the females solely responsible
for parental care. There does not appear to be a breeding season, or, if one does
exist locally, it varies considerably from region to region.
The importation of Ocelot skins into the United States was banned in 1972, which
may have helped to slow down its decline in the wild. It is recorded that, in
1969 alone, the United States imported 133,069 pelts. With that figure representing
only part of the annual slaughter for the fur trade, is it surprising that the
species has not already become extinct. In some parts of the world, as late as
the 1980s, Ocelot fur coats were selling for up to $40,000 each. However, the
outcry against the killing of wild felines has since reached such proportions
that fur coats are no longer as popular as they once were, and the wild populations
of the Ocelot may yet thrive again - assuming that there are any untouched forests
left for them in the American topics.
The Ocelot has been reported from the southernmost parts of the United States,
in southern Texas, along the border of Mexico, but is extremely rare there. A
1986 survey reported that only 120 wild Ocelots still existed in the United States
at that time. It is also extremely rare in Mexico, where it is thought that fewer
than 1,000 now survive. Its range spreads right through the tropics of Central
and South America, as far south as northern Argentina, but it is common nowhere
today. Ironically, the recent craze for keeping pet Ocelots in the United States,
which has depleted the wild population even more, has had one unexpected side-benefit:
pet escapes (or releases) in Florida have led to a small, wild-living population,
which is apparently growing in size, becoming established there. |
| OCELOT
PHOTOS |
|
 |
| |
| |
|
