Details
Leopardus pardalis
The ocelot is a beautifully marked small cat of the Americas. It hunts alone at night, taking small mammals, birds, and other prey.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It ranges through the Neotropics into the southern Nearctic, using forest and grassland. Dense undergrowth, riparian forest, and brushy cover are especially important.
Length 55-100 cm; weight 7-18 kg. The tawny coat is patterned with black spots and chainlike markings, with a white belly. Rounded ears carry pale spots behind.
Nocturnal and solitary, it usually travels on the ground but can climb and swim. Scent marks define its territory.
A carnivore, it catches rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and other small animals. It moves quietly through dark cover and pounces at close range.
Females den in rock crevices, hollow roots, or dense cover and raise small litters. Young stay with the mother while learning to hunt.
It is listed as Least Concern, though it was heavily hunted for fur in the past. Forest fragmentation and road mortality remain local issues.
