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Ocelot Natural History
Scientific Name: Felis pardalis
Local Name: Ocelot, Tiger Cat
Size and Appearance
The Ocelot is much larger than its cousins the Margay (Felis wiedii) and the
Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), although they bear a striking resemblance.
The Ocelot weighs between 17-24 pounds, stands 16-20 inches tall, and
reaches body lengths of 48-64 inches. Its coat tends to be more blotched
than spotted, and the chain-like blotches and spots are bordered with black,
but have a lighter colored center. The coloration and patterning helps the
animal to be well camouflaged when hunting.
Distribution
They may be found in Southern Texas, every country south of the U.S.A. in
Central and South America (except Chile) and Trinidad and Tobago.
Habitat
The Ocelot is highly adaptable and inhabits in very diverse habitats
including rainforest, montane rainforest, thick bush, coastal marsh, and
along riverbanks, but it is never found in open country. In Trinidad it is
found in all types of forest, both pristine and disturbed, and is also found
on agriculture estates with a canopy, which are mainly abandoned cocoa and
coffee estates.
Reproduction and Offspring
After a gestation of 79-85 days they produce a litter of 1-2 young. Each
weighs approximately 8.5 ounces at birth. Females mature at around 1½ years
of age, while males take around 2 ½ years. Each sex become independent at
around 1 year of age, but seem to be tolerated in their natal range for up
to another year.
Social System and Communication
Ocelots are solitary and sexually territorial. A female defends her
exclusive territory against consexuals. Her home range is usually 1 sq.
mile in Trinidad. A male's territory is larger, usually 3 sq. miles in Trinidad
and overlaps that of 1 to 3 females. However home ranges vary dependent on prey
availability and can be as large as 35 sq. miles in
extreme conditions. Typical of felids ocelots mark their territories by use
of scent markings, which also communicates to the resident male when a
female is ready for mating. During this period females also use by vocal
communications such as meows and yowls. Neither sex is known to have any
migratory patterns.
Behavior
Primarily a nocturnal cat, ocelots are generally solitary animals. Ocelots
hunting during the day are very secretive, keeping to areas of dense brush
or other heavy cover. They tend to be solitary except when mating or in the
case of a female with cubs.
The Ocelot is primarily a terrestrial hunter and active during the night
(nocturnal), while the mainstay of the diet consists of nocturnal rodents,
such as cane mice, and marsh, spiny and rice rats, opossums and armadillos.
They will also take larger prey such as anteaters, deer, monkeys, land
tortoises and the unwary bird or reptile. Ocelots also take advantage of
seasonal changes and the abundance of fish and land crabs during the wet
season. Occasionally, they will take birds and reptiles. The majority of
prey items for this cat weigh less than 1-3% of its body weight.
Status
The Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture considers the Ocelot as
Endangered and as a result it is illegal to hunt or capture them. The
current population in Trinidad is estimated to be less than 400, though this
is largely conjecture as a definitive study is yet to be done. The Ocelot
has been extirpated from Tobago since the middle of the eighteenth century.
Principal Threats to Survival
The principal threats to Ocelot's survival are loss of habitat and hunting
for its fur and meat. Coupled with these threats, life history
considerations such as a small litter size, long gestation and slow
maturation among the small felids, and a high infant mortality rate. Add
the difficulty in sustaining its population with deforestation and habitat
destruction.
Miscellaneous
Although illegal ocelots are a prized boast of the local hunter who use dogs
to hunt it because it is so rarely seen. A recent study of Ocelots in
Trinidad had to use cameras with infrared triggers to photograph them, since
they are so secretive and difficult to find. This cat is among the best
known of the South American cats because of its pelt being the mainstay of
the fur trade, and for the fact that it was frequently kept as a pet. Due
the fact that Ocelots are high strung, unpredictable, comedic little cat,
humans de-fanged, de-clawed, de-scented, and altered these cats in order to
make them conform to the "pet" industry. Like all exotic cats, these
creatures, male or female, altered or not, spray a foul smelling urine on
everything they wish to mark as their including their keepers. In the 1980's,
Ocelot fur coats sold for $40,000.00 and the live animal as a pet sold
for $800.00. At one time, more than 200,000 ocelots per year were killed for
their coats. Today, with international laws prohibiting hunting for the fur
trade, there are no Ocelot coats for sale, and the "pet" Ocelot is a thing
of the past.
If you wish to assist us in our effort to develop the Ocelot Conservation
Project either financially or otherwise please contact
Courtenay Rooks at rooks@pariasprings.com.
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