| Where
in the world?
Ocelots inhabit a narrow set of micro-habitats that include dense
cover in South and Central America and in a small portion of North
America. Ocelots hunt on the ground and use trees as resting sites
during the daytime. They are strong swimmers with the ability to
cross rivers and move between patches of high ground during seasonal
flooding. They are active primarily at night.
What are some behaviors?
While hunting, ocelots use one of two techniques, the slow “hunting-walk”
or the “sit and wait.” When using the slow “hunting-walk”
technique, the ocelot moves very slowly and watches and listens
for prey. When something is seen or heard, it stops. A quick pounce,
bite and shake and a meal has been captured. When using the “sit
and wait” technique, the ocelot travels to a location where
it sits and waits for thirty minutes to an hour or more. Then, it
quickly moves to another location to sit and wait again. The ocelot
travels two to three times faster when moving between these locations
than when using the slow hunting technique. Whether an ocelot lives
in the semi-arid desert or the dense forest, a hunting ocelot takes
advantage of all available cover and the camouflage of their coat
to conceal their approach from their prey.
Ocelots do not seem to be able to survive where
forest or thick brush have been eliminated. It is a species that
is tied to dense cover. The deforestation of both South and Central
America has endangered this beautiful cat.
What about offspring?
The gestation period of the ocelot varies between 79 and 85 days.
They give birth to a small litter size of one or two. A litter size
of three is a rare occurrence. Females provide all the care of the
young. Females may spend 17 out of every 24 hours hunting for food.
The long gestation period and small litter size with slow maturation
may be adaptations for living under conditions where food is hard
to find and where a mother needs to spend much of her day hunting
in order to meet her normal daily requirements, as well as, her
kittens.
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What does it eat?
Since they hunt on the ground and primarily at night, the ocelot’s
diet consists of small to medium-sized terrestrial and nocturnal
prey that is in high abundance, such as, cane, marsh and spiny mice,
rice rats, opossums and armadillos. However, ocelots will take on
larger prey, such as, lesser anteaters, red brochet deer, squirrel
monkeys, and land tortoises. Ocelots will also vary their hunting
to take advantage of seasonal changes in prey abundance, for instance,
spawning fish and land crabs.
Is it threatened
or endangered?
Although the ocelot was placed on the endangered species list of
the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN) in 1989 due to its dwindling numbers, it continues
to be hunted for its fur.
The ocelot is protected by the Lacey Act which
makes it illegal to transport, import, export, sell, receive, acquire
or purchase any wild animal that is taken in violation of the law.
In the United States, the ocelot is also protected
by the Recovery Plan for the Listed Cats of Arizona and Texas. The
primary objective of this plan is to maintain the ocelot’s
population in Texas.
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