the ocelot is the best known small cat of the Americas, as far as the public is concerned, largely because
of the beauty of its coat. Its pelage is short and close (less plush than the similarly patterned margay),
and marked with both rosettes and spots which tend to run in parallel chains along the sides of the body.
It is also the best studied. Average weight of adult ocelots is 30 to 40 pounds. Ocelots generally
are about 18 inches tall at the shoulder, and about 4 foot in length, including their 13 to 15 inch tail.
after approximately 75 days of gestation, the female ocelot will give birth to a litter of 2 to 4
kittens. The kittens will stay with their mother until they are about one year of age. The female ocelot
will reach sexual maturity at about 15 months and the male at about 18 months of age. In the wild, ocelots
can live to be about 12 years old. In captivity, they live to be about 16 years old.
Studies
have found terrestrial and nocturnal rodents to be the mainstay of the ocelot's diet. Most frequently
taken prey species were those of relatively high abundance, and included cane mice and marsh, spiny,
and rice rats, opossums, and armadillos. Ocelots will also take larger prey, including lesser anteaters,
red brocket deer, squirrel monkeys, and land tortoises. However, most prey taken weighs less than 10%
of an ocelot's body weight. For larger prey species (such as paca and agouti), juveniles are typically
taken. Ocelots also vary their hunting behavior to take advantage of seasonal changes in prey abundance,
such as spawning fish and land crabs in the wet season.
Ocelots are strongly nocturnal, resting
in trees or dense bush in the daytime; some resting spots are used repeatedly. Ocelots are generally
active for more than half of each 24-hour period.
The ocelot is found in every country south
of the United States, except Chile, and occupies a wide spectrum of habitats, including mangrove forests
and coastal marshes, savanna grasslands and pastures, thorn scrub, and tropical forest of all types (primary,
secondary; evergreen, seasonal, and montane -- although it typically occurs at elevations below 1,200
m). Availability of sufficient amounts of dense vegetative cover is the common factor linking the various
habitat types where ocelots are found. Ocelots generally venture into open areas only on moonless nights
or cloudy days.
The ocelot's known range was extended 350 km southwards when its presence was
confirmed in Uruguay. at the northern end of its range, only two significant ocelot populations are
believed to persist in the south -eastern corner of Texas. ocelots have been extirpated from Arkansas,
Louisiana, eastern Texas and Arizona, although individuals may occasionally cross into Arizona from Mexico.
