ocelot

Ocelot[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Genus:	Leopardus
Species:	L. pardalis
Binomial name
Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Ocelot range

Ocelot fur coat

The Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), also known as the Painted Leopard, McKenney's Wildcat, Jaguatirica (in Brazil), Jaguarete (in Paraguay and Argentina), Tigrillo (in Ecuador), Cunaguaro (in Venezuela), or Manigordo (in Costa Rica and Panama) is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Arkansas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean. North of Mexico, it is only found regularly in the extreme Southern part of Texas, although there are rare sightings in Southern Arizona.^[3]

The Ocelot's appearance is similar to that of the 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 have been killed for their fur. The feline was classified a "vulnerable" endangered species from 1972 until 1996, but is now rated "least concern" by the 2008 IUCN Red List.

Etymology

The name ocelot comes from the Nahuatl word ōcēlōtl (pronounced [oːˈseːloːtɬ]), which usually refers to the Jaguar (Panthera onca) rather than the Ocelot.^[4][5][6]

Taxonomy

The Ocelot's genus Leopardus contains a number of other similar species such as Geoffroy's cat and the Margay which are also endemic to South and Central America.

Subspecies

The following are the currently recognized subspecies of Ocelot:^[1]

• Leopardus pardalis pardalis, Amazon Rainforest
• Leopardus pardalis aequatorialis, northern Andes and Central America
• Leopardus pardalis albescens, Mexico, southwestern Texas
• Leopardus pardalis melanurus, Venezuela, Guyana, Trinidad
• Leopardus pardalis mitis, Argentina, Paraguay
• Leopardus pardalis nelsoni, Mexico
• Leopardus pardalis pseudopardalis, Colombia
• Leopardus pardalis puseaus, Ecuador
• Leopardus pardalis sonoriensis, Mexico
• Leopardus pardalis steinbachi, Bolivia

Physical characteristics

It can be up to 1 m (3'2") in length, plus 45 cm (1'6") tail length, and weighs 11.5–16 kg (25–35 pounds),^[7] making it the largest of the generally dainty Leopardus wild cat genus. While similar in appearance to the Oncilla and Margay, which inhabit the same region, the Ocelot is larger. The Ocelot has the lowest resting body temperature of any feline.^{[citation needed]} It has a tawny to reddish brown coat marked with black spots and rosettes. The fur is short, and lighter beneath. There is a single white spot on the back of each of its ears, and there are two black lines on either side of its face. It has a black-banded tail.^[8]

Behavior

The ocelot of Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington.

The Ocelot is mostly nocturnal and very territorial. It will fight fiercely, sometimes to the death, in territorial disputes. In addition, the Ocelot marks its territory with especially pungent urine. Like most felines, it is solitary, usually meeting only to mate. However, during the day it rests in trees or other dense foliage, and will occasionally share its spot with another Ocelot of the same sex. When mating, the female will find a den in a cave in a rocky bluff, a hollow tree, or a dense (preferably thorny) thicket. The gestation period is estimated to be 70 days. Generally the female will have 2–3 kittens, born in the autumn with their eyes closed and a thin covering of hair.

The Ocelot will sometimes take to the trees. Ocelots hunt over a range of 18 km² (7 sq mi), taking mostly small mammals (deer, various rodents), reptiles and amphibians (lizards, turtles and frogs), crab, birds and fish.^[8] Almost all of the prey that the Ocelot hunts is far smaller than itself. Studies suggest that it follows and finds prey via odor trails, but the Ocelot also has very good vision, including night vision. The white rings around the Ocelot's eyes help to reflect extra light into the eye at night.

Distribution and habitat

Moche Ocelot. 200 A.D. Larco Museum Collection Lima, Peru

The Ocelot is distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean. Countries in this range are: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, United States and Venezuela. It's likely extinct in Uruguay.^[2]

The Ocelot once inhabited the chaparral thickets of the Gulf Coast of south and eastern Texas, and was found in Arizona. In the United States, it now ranges only in several small areas of dense thicket in South Texas. The Ocelot's continued presence in the U.S. is questionable, as a result largely of the introduction of dogs, being shot by ranchers, the loss of habitat, and the introduction of highways. Young male Ocelots are frequently killed by cars during their search for a territory. The feline was classified a "vulnerable" endangered species from 1972 till 1996, but is now rated "least concern" by the 2008 IUCN Red List.^[2]

Salvador Dalí

Salvador Dalí and his pet Ocelot

Like many wild cats, it is occasionally kept as a pet. Salvador Dalí frequently traveled with his pet Ocelot, even bringing it aboard the luxury ocean liner, SS France.^[9] Musician Gram Parsons kept an ocelot as a pet in the back yard swimming pool area of his family's Winter Haven, Florida home during his teens, in the mid-1960s. ^[10]

The Moche people of ancient Peru worshiped animals and often depicted the Ocelot in their art.^[11]

The musical band Phish has a song titled "Ocelot" whose lyrics describe perceived Ocelot behavior and an Ocelot's stripes.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leopardus pardalis

Wikispecies has information related to: Leopardus pardalis

• CSG Species Accounts: Ocelot
• Ocelots Index, by Ken Anderson
• Ocelot Behavior & Care, by Mindy Stinner