SECTION 2
Natural History
Information on range, natural history, status in the wild.

SECTION 3
Personal insight by

SECTION 4
Further reading:

l. Did you know...

• that ocelot fossils have been discovered in Florida.

• the state of Texas has the only population group of ocelots in the United States.

• that it is probably the best known of the small cats because of its beautiful coat and popularity in the pet trade in years past.

• that it is found in every country South of the U.S. except Chile.

• that ocelots are excellent swimmers.

2. Natural History

The Ocelot

The ocelot, one of the most beautiful wild cats, has short golden fur marked with black or dark brown rosettes and spots which tend to run in chainlike rows along the sides of the body. The rather large head has two black cheek stripes on each side surrounding an almost white area, topped by black rounded ears with a white spot in the center. The eyes are brown or golden. The ocelot's stomach is snowy white with black spots, while the tail is ringed with black on top and white underneath.

Ocelots are nocturnal, solitary and territorial. Females defend a territory of about fourteen square km, while males maintain a territory twice as large which overlaps that of several females. Ocelots feed on a wide variety of small and medium sized mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. They also consume a large amount of grass, up to twenty percent of their daily food. They are excellent swimmers and climbers.

Ocelots have one or two kittens in a den within a dense thicket after a 70-80 day gestation. A female ocelot reaches maturity a about a year and a half, while the males are mature at two and a half years. They breed year round in the tropics but show a fall breeding peak in their more northern habitats. The lifespan of an ocelot is usually 7-10 years, although they can live to be 20 years old.

Ocelots have been held in many zoo collections with a fairly good breeding record. But because of unregulated breeding many zoos have an overabundance of ocelots of unknown lineage. Many ocelots are also owned by private breeders for sale as pets.

Distribution

Ocelots are found in every country south of the United States, except Chile. At one time they ranged across much of the southern United States, including Florida, where ocelot fossils have been found. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats from humid tropical forests to dry scrub, savannas and swamp forests. Requiring dense cover, ocelots completely avoid open country. It is one of the few small cats to be studied in several habitats.

During the l970's and 80's, the ocelot was the spotted cat most hunted for its fur. As many as 200,000 ocelots were killed for their fur each year, almost destroying ocelot populations in some areas such as Venezuela. Although it is now protected in most of its range, Ecuador, El Salvador and Guyana still allow hunting. Some ocelot populations are increasing in protected areas. Protection status is CITES appendix I.

Primary Problems for the Wild Population of Ocelots

Although the ocelot has been labeled "one of the most successful forms of mammalian life in the Amazon region" for its tolerance of disturbed habitat, its population is declining because of the effects of hunting, habitat destruction and the resulting loss of prey species. As the wild populations of ocelots continues to fall, zoos are faced with unwanted cast-off pets, inbred animals and offspring of unknown lineage.