OcelotLeopardus-pardalis75

endangered cats

  • HB Length: 50-101 cm (20-40″)
  • Tail Length: 30-50 cm (12-20″)
  • Height: 40-50 cm (16-20″)
  • Weight: 8-15 kg (17-33 lbs)
  • Pop. Trend: Decreasing

Ocelots Leopardus pardalis are one of the more beautiful feline species. Their coat is short and soft, forming two whorls on the shoulder, the hairline on the neck being directed towards the crown. Ground colour varies from whitish or tawny yellow to reddish grey. Markings run into chain-like streaks and blotches, forming elongate spots bordered with black enclosing an area darker than the ground colour. The head is rather large with two black cheek stripes on each side surrounding an almost white area. Irises are brown or golden. The underside is snowy white with black spots, and the tail is ringed or barred with black on the upper side, whitish on the underside, and black tipped. Relatively short, stout legs, with large padded feet, are marked with solid black spots and bars. Like most wild cats, the backs of the rounded ears are black with a white central spot.

Distribution

ocelot range map
Click for larger image

The distribution range of the Ocelot is large. Currently, it spans from southern Texas in the U.S. to Mexico throughout Central and South America south to north-eastern Argentina, southern Brazil and occasionally into northwestern Uruguay. It does not occur in Chile. In 2010, an Ocelot was recorded in Arizona, where it occurred historically.

The Ocelot reaches the highest densities of all Neotropical wild cat species, with an average of 31.1 individuals per 100 km². Ocelot densities vary from 2.5-160 individuals/100 km². The highest recorded density was detected at the Barro Colorado Island in Panama. The lowest densities were detected at the Pine Forest of Belize, the Caatinga in Brazil and in dry areas of Mexico.

This is one of the few small cat species that has been studied in several different habitat types. Home range sizes vary from 4-90 km² for males to 1-75 km² for females. Male ranges overlap those of several females.

Habitat

Throughout its vast range, the Ocelot occupies a large variety of different habitats. It lives from mangroves to high altitude cloud forest, but tends to be more commonly associated with areas of thick vegetative cover. Ocelots were also recorded in mosaic habitats where the native vegetation has been partially replaced by pine plantations or agricultural fields. The Ocelot is very adaptable to disturbance if its main habitat features are present: sufficient amount of cover as well as a high prey density. They have been associated not only with dense cover but also use adjacent open areas, including boundary areas of agricultural fields where the rodent density is high. Ocelots generally avoid open areas and seem to venture into them only on cloudy days or moonless nights. They typically occur at elevations below 1,200 m and have occasionally been recorded up to 3,800 m.

A camera trap study found much higher densities in wildlife corridors, which are used by the cats to move between forest fragments. In disturbed landscapes they were much more likely to use riparian corridors, relying on the shrubs and trees alongside rivers for protective cover.

Ocelot density studies report estimates vary from 2.9 individuals per 100 km² in Mexican tropical deciduous forests up to 94.7 individuals per km² in the northern Peruvian Amazon.

Ecology

Ocelots are opportunistic carnivores, eating whatever they can catch. They prey on a variety of small to large sized prey. They were thought to rely mostly on small mammals such as small rodents and marsupials like cane mice, marsh, spiny and rice rats, and opossums. However, it has been recently been shown that Ocelots could be dependent on larger prey like agoutis, pacas, armadillos, monkeys, sloths and even deer.

Birds and reptiles (snakes, small and very large lizards, like iguanas and tegus, and tortoises) are also taken. In some areas, Ocelots take advantage of seasonally available resources like fish and crabs.

The Ocelot generally hunts on the ground, but is known to take down arboreal species like monkeys and sloths. Its hunting behaviour varies, taking advantage of seasonal changes in prey abundance. It is a good swimmer and excellent climber, escaping into trees when it is threatened.

Primarily nocturnal, these powerfully built cats are solitary and territorial.  Active 12-14 hours per day, they rest during the day in brushpiles, clumps of vines or amid the roots of large trees. Although they are generally more active at night, some daytime hunting occurs during the wet season, particularly on cloudy or overcast days.

They spend the majority of their time walking slowly throughout their range, often strolling down game trails looking for prey. They are also ‘sit and wait’ predators, sitting motionless for 30-60 minutes at a den or burrow site, then moving rapidly to another site where they sit and wait again.

Researchers have found that these cats cross and re-cross their home range in search of prey, sometimes covering their entire range every two to four days. Males generally travel twice as far as females due to their higher energy requirements, and the need to check on the sexual condition of the females within their range.

Ocelot densities do not seem to be impacted by the presence of the larger Jaguar Panthera onca and Puma Puma concolor which also share much of the same range. In Costa Rica, one scat study during the rainy season found that Ocelots were the second most common prey species eaten by Jaguars, while a follow up survey in the dry season found no predation by the larger cats.

Reproduction

After a 70 – 80 day gestation, one to three kittens are born in a dense thicket or among the roots of a fallen tree. The young remain in and around the den for several weeks, and remain dependent on their mother for several months. Sexual maturity is reached at about a year and a half for females and two and a half years for males. They disperse from their mother’s range at about two years. Wild Ocelots may breed year round in the tropics, however the Texas cats show a fall breeding peak which could be a factor limiting their expansion into more northern habitat. Longevity has been reported at 27 years in a captive situation.

Threats

  • habitat destruction and fragmentation due to logging
  • loss of prey base and cover
  • illegal fur trade
  • taken for the pet trade
  • retaliatory killing due to depredation of livestock
  • killed by traffic

Conservation

Classed as Least Concern by the IUCN, the Ocelot is protected in most countries of its distribution range. Hunting is prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela and regulated in Peru.

This species has always been exploited in the wild by the pet trade, with the usual method of capture being to kill the mother to obtain the kittens. These cats can still be found in local markets in Central and South America for sale to the tourists as pets, although it is illegal to transport them without permits.

From the early 1960’s to the 80’s the Ocelot population declined heavily due to the extensive fur trade. In this time period more than 566,000 ocelot pelts were officially sold. After the implementation of new protection measures in 1989 and by putting import bans on all spotted cat species the trade slowed down.

One of the greatest threats to the species in Texas has been the automobile. Patches of suitable habitat are widely spaced and the migration of juveniles looking for their own territory result in the death of many animals as they cross roads. In Texas, measures to mitigate Ocelots killed by traffic are now in place. In many regions the Ocelot could recover and in November 2009 an individual was observed as far north as Arizona, where it historically roamed.

The Ocelot has generally been considered to be tolerant to disturbed habitat. Recent studies however depict a more specialized animal operating under rather harsh environmental constraints. The number of Ocelots is not known exactly but it is presumed to be declining across its range.

Watch these videos on the Texas Ocelots or compare these cats to the very similar Margay.

Range map IUCN Red List 2018

Updated 2018

30 Responses

  1. Dee M

    I see you mentioned there is a Reference section to expand at the end of the article, but I do not see one. Is it now missing or is the website not optimized for Google Chrome? Thanks for any information!

  2. Pat Bumstead

    All of our website information comes from the IUCN Cat Specialist Group and you can find their ocelot info here – http://www.catsg.org/index.php?id=88

    At the bottom of this page it shows References. Click on that word and it will show all 204 references used to write the ocelot fact sheet. There should be many excellent references for you in that list!

  3. Jessie R

    Hi, thank you for your excellent post! We are now working to stop the fur smuggle in Bolivia. Would you mind telling me the resource of the information that “From the early 1960’s to the 80’s the Ocelot population declined heavily due to the extensive fur trade. In this time period more than 566,000 ocelot pelts were officially sold”?

  4. lmartinezedtech

    For those who would like to help out in the conservation efforts for the ocelots in South Texas, where they are mostly found but in low numbers, is to add Friends of Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge to your charity on Amazon shopping. Every time you purchase a small amount will go to this wildlife refuge that works to conserve the ocelot population. You can also go to their website and buy products or donate. You may also want to add them to your social media accounts.

  5. Laura Sabatino

    I am seeking grant money ($10,000) to fund the building of a large, safe enclosure for 4 ocelots who were destined for euthanasia but have now been rescued. The ocelots are being temporarily housed in a monkey sanctuary in Puyo, Ecuador. A Swiss-Ecuadorian non-profit organization owns the land and runs the sanctuary on a very small budget and is supported by volunteer work and donations obtained through their education programs. However the enclosure for monkeys and ocelots is quite different! Any advice or assistance that you can offer to help them raise the needed funds would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

  6. Pat Bumstead

    No one knows how many ocelots are in the world in any year. They range from southern USA to South America and would be impossible to count.

  7. Bambi Miller

    If I wanted to become involved (volunteer) with a project to save the oselot who should I talk to?

  8. Pat Bumstead

    No there isn’t. Ocelots range from northern Mexico, through South America and down to northern Argentina. No one knows how big their population is, but it covers many different countries and would be impossible to study them all.

  9. Pat Bumstead

    It’s impossible to come up with a number. It depends on so many things – what country is the study, how big an area are they covering, what kind of study is it, what are the study conditions, how many staff and volunteers will be needed etc.

  10. Claire

    Hi, this is for a school project. How much money can you estimate it would take to fund a project to help the ocelots, including food, etc?

  11. Pat Bumstead

    We do not have any projects of our own. We fund other researchers who have set up their own studies.

  12. Anna Lawless

    Hi! I’m wondering if you take research assistants for your projects?

  13. Pat Bumstead

    The best way to save ocelots, or any wild cat, is to protect their habitat. Whether the cats live in rainforest or grasslands, humans are increasingly destroying their homes and eliminating their prey species. Yes, we are a very credible source for your research and that is a very good question to ask.

  14. CR

    This was very helpful but I am actually looking for how to save ocelots sadly I did not find that here.Also is this a credible source for my research?

  15. Pat Bumstead

    It’s possible these small cat are in Florida but we don’t know that for sure. We hear rumors of jaguarundi in Florida but have never seen any proof of them being there. Many years ago we also heard rumors about ocelots but haven’t heard anything on them for years, and we have no proof of them either. They are elusive small wild cats and if they want to hide in that thick habitat they could really disappear from sight!

  16. Swamp Thing

    Why no mention of ocelots in Florida? They were pretty common in the areas from Central Florida on south, and particularly in the Everglades and surrounds. I personally saw a couple as a Boy Scout in the Loxahatchee preserve. I don’t know about now as I left that area for northern Florida years ago. Seems kind of incredible that they’re no longer in the state though. In the Tate’s Hell swamp there’re jaguarundi seen regularly, and that’s not even an indigenous species! But no mention of ocelots here. Go figure.

  17. Pat Bumstead

    I believe there have been bobcat x ocelot hybrids reported along the Texas/Mexico border. You might want to check with the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in southern Texas, as that is where the US population of ocelots is found, and they would have more details.

  18. Russell

    Is it possible for a bobcat and ocelot to have hybrid offspring?

  19. Fauna are Fun-a | The Forest Online

    […] ocelot, but when they do, it is either two of the same sex cat-napping in the trees, or mating. Reproduction is fairly slow, as the young remain with their mother for roughly two years before venturing out to […]

  20. A-Z of animals : Manatee to Otter

    […] Ocelot: swims well and although not as adept in climbing as the Margay, will hunt for birds and also sleep in the lower tree branches in its forest habitat of Central America and the northern countries of South America. Ocelots weigh up to 14 kg and have a lifespan of 8-11 years. […]

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