The High Strung. The Unpredictable. The Comedic. Ocelot. By Camille Cherry.

Description

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium sized spotted cat that looks similar to a domesticated house cat. They can range in size from that of a large house cat up to almost to almost twice that size. Its coat has very distinct markings; black rosettes, spots, and stripes contrasted against the light yellow to reddish grey top coat and a white underside. In addition to the rosettes, spots, and stripes, the ocelot also has rings that trail down their tails. The ocelot generally weighs between 17 and 24 pounds, and gets no taller than two feet, and reaches lengths up to five feet. Like most felines, ocelots are carnivores, meaning they eat meat. They hunt smaller animals such as rodents, fish, snakes, birds, and even on occasion young deer.

Geographic Range and Population

The ocelot could once be found in parts of the central southern states in the U.S. all the way to South America. It could once be found in Arkansas, Louisiana, eastern Texas and Arizona, however, sadly, it has since been extirpated. Currently, the ocelot can be found in all countries south of the United States except for Chile, 21 countries in total. There are several populations that inhabit the southeastern corner of Texas.

The ocelot is a very secretive and nocturnal creature that inhabits areas of dense vegetative cover, making it very difficult to get an accurate estimation of population size. Based on research given in the Ocelot Recovery Plan, a study conducted in Texas reported several populations with a range of 5 to 14 adult males and 9 to 17 adult females, averaging 7 females and 12 males per population. Based on additional research given, adult male ocelots have an average range size of 10.5 km squared and the average adult female range was 6.5 km squared. When it comes to the total number of ocelots left in the world, according to The International Species Information Service, there are 217 worldwide, with 108 of them making up the populations in southeastern Texas. 

Listing Date and Type of Listing

Listing Date: 08/26/2010

Listed as: Endangered

Cause of Listing and Main Threats to its Continued Existence

The main cause of listing is habitat or range destruction and/or fragmentation. The ocelots range in the U.S. has drastically been reduced over the past two centuries. 95% of the dense thornscrub and 91% of native woodlands, both of which the ocelot inhabits, have been converted to agricultural lands since the mid-1900s. Another big cause of the ocelots decline in population is overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, and educational purposes. Ocelots were heavily exploited for their coats as well as importing for the pet trade in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Salvador Dalí had a pet ocelot named Babou that, according to an article written by Daisy Woodward, “acquired Babou in the 1960s, and for a time it was seen to accompany him, on a leash and stone studded collar, almost everywhere he went.”

Description of Recovery Plan

The objectives for the Ocelot Recovery Plan are as followed:

1) Assess, protect, and restore sufficient habitat to support viable populations of the ocelot

in the borderlands of the United States and Mexico (Listing Factor A).

2) Reduce the effects of human population growth and development on ocelot survival and

mortality (Listing Factors A,E).

3) Maintain or improve genetic fitness, demographic conditions, and health of the ocelot

(Listing Factors C,E).

4) Assure the long-term viability of ocelot conservation through partnerships, the

development and application of incentives for landowners, application of existing

regulations, and public education and outreach (Listing Factors A,D,E).

5) Practice adaptive management in which recovery is monitored and recovery tasks are

revised by the USFWS in coordination with the Recovery Team as new information

becomes available.

6) Support international efforts to ascertain the status of and conserve the ocelot south of

Tamaulipas and in Sonora (Listing Factors A,B,C,D,E).

Information and pictures found at:

http://felid-tag.org/ocelot/

http://www.defenders.org/ocelot/basic-facts

http://www.anothermag.com/design-living/2472/salvador-dalis-ocelot

http://bigcatrescue.org/ocelot-facts/

http://www.wildcatconservation.org/wild-cats/south-america/ocelot/
http://revolutionaryecology.com/2013/12/06/endangered-ocelot-killed-by-capitalist-imperialist-car-culture/
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html, Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis