OCELOT

The ocelot is a small nocturnal cat found in North and South America.  The pattern and color of its coat allow it to blend in with its scrubland and forest habitats.  The ocelot is classified as a small cat, belonging to the genus Felis, but it is one of the larges cats in this genus.  Like other small cats, it has a bare nose and long, sensitive whiskers; but unlike a domestic cat, it will run swiftly from danger rather than bolt up a tree.

HABITAT

The ocelot inhabits both scrubland and forest.  Forest-dwelling ocelots have rich, golden-colored coats that blend in with the golden-brown hue of the trees.  Ocelots that live in scrubland have duller, grayish-colored coasts that provide camouflage from predators.
An agile climber, the ocelot spends much of its time resting in trees.  Unlike domestic cats that can run down trees headfirst, the ocelot climbs down backward.
The ocelot is territorial and marks it the boundaries of  its territory by spraying trees with urine.  Most ocelots are solitary, but some form pairs.

BREEDING

Before the kittens are born two months later, the female makes a well-hidden nest.  This is sometimes lined with soft down plucked from her underside.
Two to four kittens are born.  As each one arrives, the mother breaks the birth sac to free the kitten.  She bites off the umbilical cord and licks the newborn clean and dry, then eats the afterbirth.
The kittens are born with fur, but they are blind and helpless for several days.  Therefore, the mother will leave them only when absolutely necessary.  for the first few weeks, the kittens feed only on their mother's milk.  During this time, she will eat their droppings so as to keep the nest clean.
When the kittens are older, the mother brings them live prey and teaches them how to kill it.  Later they follow her on hunting trips to develop their skills.  Once the kittens become competent hunters, they leave the nest to find their own territories.

FOOD AND HUNTING

Although its sense of smell is highly developed, the ocelot relies more on its hearing and eyesight to detect prey, which it hunts at night.  The hearing of small cats like the ocelot is more acute than that of larger cats, and they are better able to pinpoint the location of their prey.  Its whiskers are also important to the ocelot when hunting.  They a re so sensitive to touch that they help the cat maneuver in tight spaces.
The ocelots' prey includes agoutis, hares, mice, monkeys, and birds.  Although it spends a lot of time in the trees, all hunting is done on the ground.  It will lie flat on its stomach once prey is spotted.  It will slowly creep forward in this position and then rush at the prey over a short distance before pouncing the catching it with its razor like claws.  The ocelot sharpens its claws by scratching them against tree trunks.
The prey is killed quickly with a bite to the neck.  Small prey is devoured headfirst, but with large prey, the ocelot begins eating at a soft part of the animal's body.

THE OCELOT'S COAT COMPARED WITH OTHER CATS'

Dark blotches on a rich golden or silver base.  Perfect for its equatorial forest habitat.  Each cat is suited to its environment: the leopard to the dry tropical forest, and the cheetah to the arid savanna.  The ocelot is about a third the length of the Bengal tiger.  By comparison, a domestic cat is much smaller then the other two.

KEY FACTS

  SIZE

Body length: 25-40in

Tail length: 10-16in

Weight: 25-35LBS

  BREEDING:

Sexual Maturity: 6-8 months.

Mating:  Once or twice a year, depending on location.

Gestation:  70 days.

Litter Size: 2-4 kittens.

  LIFESTYLE

Habit:  Solitary or may live in pairs.

Coat color:  Varies from rich yellow to gray, depending on habitat.  Underside speckled white.  Ringed tail.

Lifespan:  17 years in captivity.  Unknown in wild.

  RELATED SPECIES

There are 28 species of small wildcat found worldwide, with the exception of Australasia and the polar regions.

Ocelots range from Arizona in North America to Argentina in South America.

  CONSERVATION

Ocelots have long suffered from extensive hunting for their valuable pelts.  More recently, the ocelot received full protection from hunters under international law, and commercial trade is now banned.

DID YOU KNOW

• In the dark, a cat's sight is six times better than a man's.
• Cats are the most carnivorous of all the meat-eating animals.  They are therefore at the top of the food chain and have few enemies except man.
• Small cats eat by crouching over their prey, rather than lying down next to it as most big cats do.
• The ocelot sleeps lying down with its forepaws stretched out in front and its head resting on them, much in the same way that a dog does.  It is the only small cat that sleeps in this manner.
• In 1968, North American fur traders imported a total of 129,000 ocelot pelts.
• The mountain lion is the largest of the small cats.

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