A nocturnal wildcat (Felis pardalis or Leopardus pardalis) of the brush and forests of the southwest United States and Central and South America, having a grayish or yellow coat with black spots.
[French, from Nahuatl ocelotl.]
Dictionary:
oc·e·lot (ŏs'ə-lŏt', ō'sə-) ![]() |
A nocturnal wildcat (Felis pardalis or Leopardus pardalis) of the brush and forests of the southwest United States and Central and South America, having a grayish or yellow coat with black spots.
[French, from Nahuatl ocelotl.]
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Leopardus (Felis) pardalis
SUBFAMILY
Felinae
TAXONOMY
Felis pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758), Mexico.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Ocelot; German: Ozelot; Spanish: Tigrillo, ocelote, gato onza.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Length 26–38 in (65–97 cm); tail 11–16 in (27–40 cm); weight 18–35 lb (8.5–16 kg). Ocher to orange yellow coat in forest animals, grayer in arid scrub, striped and spotted black, white underside. Ringed tail.
DISTRIBUTION
Southeast Texas to north Argentina.
HABITAT
Varied, including tropical forest, savanna, marshes, mangroves. Needs dense cover. Tolerates disturbed habitat and human settlement.
BEHAVIOR
Territorial and strongly nocturnal. An excellent climber and swimmer. Homes range of 0.8 to 12 mi2 (2 to 31 km2), depending on habitat. Population also includes significant numbers of nonbreeding transients.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Small mammals, birds, reptiles. Prey varies seasonally, may take spawning fish and land crabs in wet season. May follow prey odor trails.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Polygamous. Gestation 79–85 days, litter one to three. Young independent at one year, but may be tolerated in adult's range for another year.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by IUCN. Hunting and trapping severely reduced populations in some parts of range, but populations may now be recovering and recolonizing.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Heavily exploited for fur trade from early 1960s to mid-1970s, when up to 200,000 a year were trapped. International trade fell from mid-70s and ceased in late 1980s.
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One of the nine species in the group of New World cats in the family Felidae. Called also Panthera pardalis and painted leopard. It has a small, 3 ft long body, golden to silver color with dark metallic spots on the body and stripes on the head and neck.
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Ocelot range
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The Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), also known as the Painted Leopard, McKenney's Wildcat, Jaguarete (in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina), 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 Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean.
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.
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The name ocelot comes from the Nahuatl word ōcēlōtl (pronounced [oːˈseːloːtɬ]), which usually refers to the Jaguar (Panthera onca) rather than the Ocelot.[3][4][5][6]
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.
The following are the currently recognized subspecies of Ocelot:[1]
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]
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, frogs, and turtles), 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.
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.
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, due largely to the introduction of dogs, 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 until 1996, but is now rated "least concern" by the 2008 IUCN Red List.[2]
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]
The Moche people of ancient Peru worshiped animals and often depicted the Ocelot in their art.[10]
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![]() | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
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