Ocelots
Scientific Name: Leopardus pardalis
Habitat
Ocelots thrive in many continents, including Southern United States (Texas) and Latin America. Also, they can b found in South America, particularly near Argentina. In these areas, Ocelots live in almost any habitat you can think of, with some exceptions. They can live in tropical forests, mangrove forests, savannahs, and marshes. They sometimes can be seen in open areas, but only when they aren't illuminated by the moonlight. However, they mostly live and hunt in areas with reasonably heavy vegetation so they can stay camouflaged.
Diet
Ocelots are carnivores, so they primarily eat meat. Because of their many habitats, they can eat some unusual stuff, such as land tortoises, small ant eaters, small rodents, opossums, and armadillos. They eat the prey where they killed it and bury what's left. To hunt, they find their prey by following its odor trails.
Description
Ocelots are small spotted cats of the wild. They have standard-length legs with two crossing black stripes on the back. They also have abnormally large paws for such a small cat, but those don't seem to get in the Ocelots' way. Their coat is usually a tawny-yellow, but has been seen off-white and even gray. Their bodies are covered with black spots, and their tails are ringed. Their faces, though, have very distinct, recognizable markings. The cheeks each have 2 black stripes, 2 symmetrical black stripes going vertically across their foreheads, and very, very black ears with a single yellow spot in the center of each. Their bellies are still spotted, but the spots are faded and the fur around the spots is white.
Types
Their aren't any different types of Ocelot, though there are some subspecies:
- Leopardus pardalispardalis,Amazon Rainforest
- Leopardus pardalis aequatorialis, northern Andes and Central America
- Leopardus pardalis albescens, eastern Mexico southern Texas
- Leopardus pardalis melanurus, Venezuela, Guyana, Trinidad
- Leopardus pardalis mitis, Argentina, Paraguay
- Leopardus pardalis nelsoni, southwestern Mexico
- Leopardus pardalis pseudopardalis, Colombia
- Leopardus pardalis puseaus, Ecuador
- Leopardus pardalis sonoriensis, northwestern Mexico, southern Arizona
- Leopardus pardalis steinbachi, Bolivia
Fun Facts
- The Ocelot's name came from the Aztec word "tlalocelot", meaning "field tiger".
- Because Ocelots are very territorial, they will fight to the death in order to protect their land
- Ocelots can't chew their food because they don't have the right type of teeth to do it.
- Ocelots swallow their food whole!
- Ocelots are nocturnal.