Ocelot - Leopardus pardalis

Like a jaguar in miniature, the ocelot in fact gets its name from the Aztec word for jaguar, ‘ocelotl’. A long-lived feline, ocelots at Port Lympne commonly survive into their 20’s.
 
HABITAT: Widely distributed over Central and South America, the ocelot has been recorded as far north as Texas. It inhabits a wide range of habitats, from rainforest to savanna grassland, thorn scrub and coastal marshland - anywhere with sufficiently dense cover.

CHARACTERISTICS: The ocelot’s fur is beautifully patterned with irregular shaped dark brown spots and stripes, edged with black on a tawny background. The colour of the cats’ base fur varies with its habitat, being a pale creamy yellow in dry areas to a darker yellow/brown in forested habitats. About twice the size of a domestic cat, ocelots weigh between 9 - 16kg and measure 0.9 - 1.4m in length (including the tail).

BIOLOGY: A nocturnal species, ocelots spend their day asleep on the lower branches of trees in its forest habitat or in dense vegetation. Excellent swimmers and climbers, ocelots feed on a wide variety of animals including small deer, rabbits, rodents, reptiles and fish. While they are most solitary, males and females will share territories. Average litter size is one kitten, but litters up to four have been recorded.

CONSERVATION STATUS: A popular pet, ocelot populations have also declined through habitat loss and hunting. They have been particularly vulnerable to hunting in the past because of their fur but fortunately this trade has now effectively ceased. In some areas their populations are beginning to recover, though the threat from habitat destruction and their desirability as pets remains. They are currently classified as Least Concern, though certain subspecies are endangered.