OCELOT Species Spotlight - Big Cat TV. San Diego Zoo's Animal Bytes: Ocelot. An ocelot family is made up of an adult female and her young. After breeding, the male and female ocelots go their separate ways. The female is pregnant for a little over two months before she gives birth in a hollow tree, rocky bluff, cave, or secluded thicket to usually one but sometimes up to four kittens. The mother protects her kitten, feeds it, and cares for it all by herself. She may move her baby to alternate den sites one to five times, depending on her sense of security. Young ocelots are fully marked with spots at birth, but their coat is gray, their lower limbs are dark, and their eyes are blue, changing to brown at around three months of age. By the time it is eight months old, the youngster’s adult teeth are in, and it can hunt for itself, but may stay in the mother's home range for up to two years. Ocelots communicate with each other using body language, scent marking, and vocalizations.
Ocelot. Body Length(mm) - 550-1000 Weight (kg) - 9-14 average Litter Size - 2 average Life Span - 8-11 years Status - Least Concern L.p.aequatorialis - Northern Andes L.p.albescens - Texas, Mexico L.p.maripensis - Venezuala to Guiana L.p.mitis - S.Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina L.p.pseudopardalis - Columbia, Venzuela L.p.pusaeus - Ecuador L.p.sonoriensis - Arizon, Mexico L.p.steinbachi - Bolivia The fur of the Ocelot, with its dark brown irregular shaped spots and stripes, edged with black on a yellow/tawny background give this lithe, medium size cat a most distinctive appearance.
The ocelots hunting technique is varied and is carried out mostly by night - its prey includes small deer, rabbits, rodents, reptiles and when available, fish. As far back as the ancient Aztec civilisation, the ocelot has been hunted and prized for its fur and today, along with deforestation in much of its habitat, has led to the cats virtual extinction in some of its range.
. © 1997 Andrew Garman. Ocelots, Ocelot Pictures, Ocelot Facts. Twice the size of the average house cat, the ocelot is a sleek animal with a gorgeous dappled coat. These largely nocturnal cats use keen sight and hearing to hunt rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, and frogs. They also take to the trees and stalk monkeys or birds. Unlike many cats, they do not avoid water and can swim well. Like other cats, ocelots are adapted for eating meat. They have pointed fangs used to deliver a killing bite, and sharp back teeth that can tear food like scissors. Ocelots do not have teeth appropriate for chewing, so they tear their food to pieces and swallow it whole. Their raspy tongues can clean a bone of every last tasty morsel. Many ocelots live under the leafy canopies of South American rain forests, but they also inhabit brushlands and can be found as far north as Texas. Ocelots' fine fur has made them the target of countless hunters, and in many areas they are quite rare, including Texas, where they are endangered.
Ocelot. The ocelot (/ˈɒsəlɒt/; Leopardus pardalis), also known as the dwarf leopard, is a wild cat distributed extensively over South America including the islands of Trinidad and Margarita, Central America, and Mexico. It has been reported as far north as Texas.[1][3] North of Mexico, it is found regularly only in the extreme southern part of Texas,[4] although there are rare sightings in southern Arizona.[5] The ocelot is similar in appearance to a domestic cat. Its fur resembles that of a clouded leopard or jaguar and was once regarded as particularly valuable.
As a result, hundreds of thousands of ocelots were once killed for their fur. Etymology[edit] The name ocelot comes from the Nahuatl word ōcēlōtl (pronounced [oːˈseːloːt͡ɬ]), which usually refers to the jaguar (Panthera onca) rather than the ocelot.[6][7][8] Taxonomy[edit] Subspecies[edit] The following are the currently recognized subspecies of ocelot:[1] Physical characteristics[edit] Profile.
Behavior[edit] Ocelot in Bolivia As pets[edit]