Mammals · Carnivora · Felidae

Ocelot

Leopardus pardalis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It was one of the cats most heavily exploited by the twentieth-century fur trade — Brazil alone exported some 80,000 skins a year.

Weight

7 kg – 15.5 kg

Size

40 cm – 50 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Fun facts

The fur trade is now banned, which has allowed the population to recover somewhat.
It feeds on small mammals such as rodents, along with birds, reptiles and amphibians.
It lives in rainforest, thorn scrub, mangroves and dense secondary forest from the south-western United States to Argentina.

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Rainforest, thorn scrub, mangroves and dense secondary forest from the south-western United States to Argentina
Birth weight: Born blind and helpless
Size at birth: Born blind and helpless
Gestation / incubation: 70-85 days
Litter / clutch size: 1 to 3 young per litter (most commonly 1)

Sources consulted: A-Z Animals; Pró-Carnívoros; Wikipedia (Ocelot); PMC (Trypanosoma infections Pantanal study, comparative reference)