OCELOT
Leopardus pardalis
The fur of this wild cat ranges from pale grey to a
cinnamon color, with spots and stripes on its head and neck. The body has spots
that are elongated and create a chain of bands. The underpart of the Ocelot is
white, and the tail has incomplete rings. The Ocelot is a largely nocturnal
cat, about twice the size of a large housecat, weighing about 24 to 35 lbs. It
hunts rodents, iguanas, fish, frogs, and rabbits. Occasionally they also hunt
monkeys and birds by hunting in the trees. These cats are a solitary species,
and they are classified as a generalist species, which means that their diet
varied depending on the prey available to them at any given time. In Venezuela,
the Ocelot would feed exclusively on land crabs when there were seasonal floods.
Anywhere from 70 to 80 days is how long the gestation
period is for an Ocelot, and anywhere from one to three kittens will be born.
The mother takes care of the kittens for many months, until they reach sexual
maturity at a year and a half (females) or two and a half years (males).
Geographic
and Population Changes
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| http://defenders.org/ |
Historically, its range has been in the Arizona,
Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and in South America. It currently ranges mainly in
Mexico and the northern part of South America, or in subtropical areas. It was
estimated in Texas that over 95% of the Ocelot habitat had been converted for
human use (US Fish and Wildlife Service).
Worldwide, there are currently 800,000 to 1.5 million found, but in the US
there are only 30 isolation in southeast Texas. The Ocelot’s current range (as
of 2015) is mainly in Mexico and the northern portion of South America. Based
on a density study of the Ocelot population, the report states that there is
about 2.9 individuals every 100 km2 in Mexico, and about 94.7 for
every kilometer squared in Peru.
The Ocelot once roamed the same areas as the Margay
and the Oncilla, two other small wild cats that look very similar to the Ocelot.
The presence of the Ocelot showed a lower number of smaller cats in their territory,
which provided less competition for the Margay and Oncilla. Ocelots also shared
the same territory as the Jaguar, and was also the second most common prey eaten
by these large cats when it rained frequently. However, the density of the
Ocelot in any given area was not impacted at all by these predators, due to the
fact they were not hunted in dry seasons.
Listing
Listing
Date: March 28, 1972
Type
of Listing: Least concern
Cause
of Listing: Overhunting, habitat fragmentation/loss,
pet trade
Ocelots were listed on March 28, 1972 as an endangered
species. It became endangered after being overhunted for their fur. However,
once it became illegal to hunt Ocelots for their skins in the US in 1972, the
population stopped declining as quickly. The reason the Ocelot is still listed
as endangered is that currently, the decline of their population is due to habitat
fragmentation and habitat loss. Since this species does prefer to hide, the loss
of hiding places makes it hard for them to successfully thrive. Due to their
size and overall look, wild Ocelots were also exploited in the pet trade, and
while it is not illegal to own one, it is illegal to transport them without a
permit.
Recovery
Plan
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| https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/ |
Based on the research gathered from studying wild
Ocelots, conservationists have been able to communicate with their partners
(i.e. private landowners) to help conserve their population. In summary, the
recovery plan is to record what is known about the ocelot based on range,
address what needs to be done to improve the failing breeding program in Texas,
and conserve the wild population currently in existing areas.
What
can you do?
There
are many ways you can help to protect
the endangered ocelot.
 |
| https://secure.defenders.org/ |
Adopt
an Animal: This is a symbolic adoption, and by “adopting” an
animal, the
funds are used to help conserve these wild
animals and their habitats.
Send a message to government leaders: There
are many bills that if passed could end up being detrimental to the health of
the ocelot (or any endangered species).
Become an Advocate: Becoming
an advocate helps wildlife conservationists get the word out about how these species
need our help to survive in this ever changing world. You can communicate with
local officials, work with the media, or just spread the word within your own
community.
Other
Resources
Want to learn more and find other ways to help out? Visit some of these sites!
https://defenders.org/ocelot/what-you-can-do
https://awionline.org/cases/protection-ocelots
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/11509/0
https://wildcatconservation.org/wild-cats/south-america/ocelot
Works Cited
“Leopardus Pardalis .” Leopardus Pardalis (Ocelot), www.iucnredlist.org/details/11509/0.
“Ocelot.” International Society for Endangered Cats (ISEC) Canada, wildcatconservation.org/wild-cats/south-america/ocelot.
“Protection of Ocelots.” Animal Welfare Institute, awionline.org/cases/protection-ocelots.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Recovery Plan for the Ocelot (Leopardus Pardalis) First Revision. July 2016, www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/Documents/SpeciesDocs/Ocelot/Ocelot_Final_Recovery_Plan_Signed_July_2016_new.pdf+.
“What You Can Do to Help Ocelots.” Defenders of Wildlife, 3 Oct. 2017, defenders.org/ocelot/what-you-can-do.
It's very sad that the Ocelot has been on the endangered species list for over 30 years and they have virtually been driven out of the United States due to the conversion of their habitat for human use. - Samantha Jones
ReplyDeleteI think the Ocelot has a chance of recovery with effort to protect their habitat. Since their diet is not specialized, it will make it easier for this cat to find food and keep existing. - Kylie Kuwada
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that Ocelots did not do well in captive breeding. I do think it is a good idea for the conservationists to save a captive population as insurance, but conservationists should still focus their efforts on saving the existing populations of of Ocelots in the wild. -Allie jones
ReplyDeleteOcelots are so beautiful! Interesting that the captive breeding didn't work.-Chloe Knowd
ReplyDeleteI found it sad that 95% of the Ocelots habitat in Texas had been converted for human use. I wonder if this could soon be the fate of the remainder of its habitat in central and South America. I hope populations can be maintained in these areas, and perhaps captive breeding can bring back the species in Texas...if a habitat can be found for them. - Melanie Jenkins
ReplyDeleteYes these are a cute animal but its very sad that we felt the need to breed them in captivity. It is surprising that it wasn't a success but I can understand how it isn't in their nature to breed in captivity. -Sam Korff
ReplyDeleteI wonder why the reproduction in captivity had a low success rate? Im happy to hear that the US made it illegal to hunt Ocelots for their skins! I feel like the recovery plan is on the right track but needs to do more research and figure out a new way to help this species. - Courtney Koyama
ReplyDeleteI find it quite insane how 95% of the ocelots' habitat has been converted for human use. I enjoyed how you listed symbolic adoption as an option for helping them. - Shea Irwin
ReplyDeleteSo interesting that humans have inhabited 95% of their natural habitat in Texas. I think this really puts the spotlight on the changing of behavior humans have on these animals.- Carolyn Inglis
ReplyDelete