---
title: "What the sources say about the Ocelot | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "70 claims from the Ocelot profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/ocelot/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Ocelot (*Leopardus pardalis*)

> 70 claims from the Ocelot profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Ocelot](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/ocelot/)

## Leopardus pardalis (ocelot). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Leopardus_pardalis/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| solitary | Like many cats, Leopardus pardalis is solitary. |
| Tropical forest, mangroves, marshes and thorn scrub | Ocelots are found in a variety of habitats, including tropical forests, savannah grasslands, mangrove forests and marshes, and thorn scrub regions. |
| with dense cover | Their primary habitat requirement is dense vegetative cover. |
| cane mice and spiny rats, plus agoutis, opossums and armadillos | Their primary prey consists of nocturnal species, including cane mice (Zygodontomys), spiny rats (Echimyidae), common agoutis (Dasyprocta), opossums (Didelphimorphia), and armadillos (Cingulata). |
| Their paws are large for their body size, which is why one of their Spanish names, "manigordo," means big feet. | Relative to body-size, they have large paws, which is why their Spanish name is "manigordo", meaning big feet. (note: "one of their Spanish names": the same page lists several regional names and gives manigordo for Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela) |
| Ocelots track prey by following odor trails | Ocelots are highly skilled hunters, tracking prey by odor trails |
| from the early 1960s to the mid-1980s a coat of ocelot fur could sell for $40,000 in western Germany | From the early 1960's to the mid 1980's, there was high demand for spotted-cat furs in Western society. During this time, a coat made of ocelot fur could sell for $40,000 (U.S.) in western Germany. |
| Their facial patterns are very distinct too, so individual ocelots are easy to recognize. | Facial patterns are very distinct, permitting easy recognition of individuals. (note: "so" restates the source's own "permitting") |
| tracks prey along odor trails | Ocelots are highly skilled hunters, tracking prey by odor trails (note: vibe.reason) |

## Ocelot. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/ocelot

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Dark spots that sometimes link into chains | Mostly, the ocelot has black or dark brown spots arranged in a doughnut shape, with dark tan in the middle. Sometimes these spots link together and form chains or stripes running along the cat’s sides and back. |
| across golden fur | Its fur is golden over most of its body, with white or cream on the belly |
| night hunter | It's hard to study wild ocelots, as they are active primarily at night, especially at dawn and dusk, and are very secretive. |
| whose eyes see much better in the dark than ours | Their eyes have a layer that reflects light, so ocelots see much better in the dark than we can. |
| Eyes with a layer that reflects light | Their eyes have a layer that reflects light, so ocelots see much better in the dark than we can. |
| an ocelot can walk around at night as easily as a person walks around by day | In fact, it is as easy for an ocelot to walk around at night as it is for you to walk around during the day! |
| from the southern tip of Texas to northern Argentina | It ranges from the very southern region of Texas all the way to northern Argentina in South America. |
| Mainly small rodents | Ocelots prey mainly on small rodents |
| sometimes birds, iguanas and other lizards | Ocelots prey mainly on small rodents, but they sometimes they also eat birds, snakes, iguanas and other lizards, baby peccaries, young deer, rabbits, and even fish and crabs. |
| A Cat With Built-In Night Vision | Their eyes have a layer that reflects light, so ocelots see much better in the dark than we can. |
| Ocelots are active mainly at night, especially at dawn and dusk. | It's hard to study wild ocelots, as they are active primarily at night, especially at dawn and dusk, and are very secretive. |
| Their eyes have a layer that reflects light, so they see much better in the dark than we can. | Their eyes have a layer that reflects light, so ocelots see much better in the dark than we can. |
| walking around at night is as easy for an ocelot as walking around during the day is for you | In fact, it is as easy for an ocelot to walk around at night as it is for you to walk around during the day! |
| Their sense of smell is a lot better than ours, though not as keen as a dog's. | Their sense of smell is a lot better than ours is, but not as keen as a dog’s. |
| Ocelots are small cats. | An ocelot is a small cat from the New World. |
| gives their length as 73 to 100 centimeters, with males longer than females | Length: 29 to 39 inches (73 to 100 centimeters); males are longer than females |
| a tail of 26 to 41 centimeters | Tail length: 10 to 16 inches (26 to 41 centimeters) (note: the page lists body length and tail length separately; the text does not say whether the length includes the tail) |
| Females weigh 6.6 to 11.3 kilograms and males 7 to 15.5. | Weight: Females 14.5 to 25 pounds (6.6 to 11.3 kilograms); males 15 to 34 pounds (7 to 15.5 kilograms) |
| They are the second-largest spotted cats in South America, after jaguars. | Ocelots are the second-largest spotted cats in South America, after jaguars. |
| In human care, an ocelot's median life expectancy is 15.7 years. | Ocelots in human care have a median life expectancy of 15.7 years. |
| Mostly Small Prey | Ocelots prey mainly on small rodents |
| Larger cats such as pumas and jaguars may share an ocelot's habitat, but each cat targets different prey. | Larger cats such as mountain lions and jaguars may share ocelot habitat, but each cat targets different prey. (note: puma and mountain lion are one species, Puma concolor) |
| and may also sit and wait for prey to appear | They may look for potential food while strolling about, or may sit and wait for prey to appear. |
| They prey mainly on small rodents, but sometimes eat birds, snakes, iguanas and other lizards, young deer, and even fish and crabs. | Ocelots prey mainly on small rodents, but they sometimes they also eat birds, snakes, iguanas and other lizards, baby peccaries, young deer, rabbits, and even fish and crabs. |
| If a carcass can't be eaten in one feeding, the ocelot covers it and returns the next night to finish its meal. | If the carcass can't be eaten in one feeding, the cat covers it and returns the next night to finish its meal. |
| Very Rare in the United States | In the US, the ocelot used to be found throughout Texas and east to Arkansas and Louisiana , but due to hunting and habitat loss, it is now very rare in this country. |
| but San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says its populations are declining | Ocelots are the most numerous cats in the tropical Americas, but their populations are declining. |
| In the United States, ocelots were once found throughout Texas and east to Arkansas and Louisiana, and hunting and habitat loss have made them very rare. | In the US, the ocelot used to be found throughout Texas and east to Arkansas and Louisiana , but due to hunting and habitat loss, it is now very rare in this country. |
| People hunted ocelots for their fur. | Because the ocelot is so gorgeous, people have hunted it for its fur. |
| One coat could take as many as 25 ocelots | it can take as many as 25 ocelots to make just one coat |
| Bringing ocelots or their skins into the US and other countries became illegal in 1972 | it became illegal to bring ocelots or their skins into the US and other countries in 1972 |
| very few people buy the skins now | Since very few people buy the skins anymore, ocelots are not hunted as much as they used to be. |
| A Coat With No Repeats | Each ocelot has a different coat pattern. |
| Each ocelot has a different coat pattern, and even the patterns and color on one cat's right and left sides are not the same. | Each ocelot has a different coat pattern. The right and left side patterns and color of an ocelot’s coat are not the same. |
| An ocelot's eyes have a layer that reflects light, so it sees much better in the dark than we can. | Their eyes have a layer that reflects light, so ocelots see much better in the dark than we can. |
| walking around at night is as easy for an ocelot as walking around during the day is for a person | In fact, it is as easy for an ocelot to walk around at night as it is for you to walk around during the day! |
| each ocelot has a different coat pattern, and that the patterns and color on an ocelot's right and left sides are not the same | Each ocelot has a different coat pattern. The right and left side patterns and color of an ocelot’s coat are not the same. |
| for a night hunter | It's hard to study wild ocelots, as they are active primarily at night, especially at dawn and dusk, and are very secretive. (note: vibe.reason: the pairing now rests on the ocelot's night activity, not on place or mood) |
| tags: night-vision | Their eyes have a layer that reflects light, so ocelots see much better in the dark than we can. (note: #780: moved from deathstalker-scorpion, its only published carrier, which ADW says does not have good vision; the reflecting layer is the tapetum lucidum of the tag's definition) |

## Santos et al. (2019). Prey availability and temporal partitioning modulate felid coexistence in Neotropical forests. PLOS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213671

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 2019 study | © 2019 Santos et al |
| of camera-trap records from eight Neotropical forest sites | we combine data from long-term camera trap monitoring at eight protected forest sites across the Neotropics |
| describes ocelots as eating small to medium-bodied prey | ocelot (which consume small to medium-bodied prey [ 10 , 18 ]) |
| jaguars and pumas as mostly eating medium to large-bodied prey | jaguar and puma (which mostly consume medium to large-bodied prey [ 54 , 55 ]) |
| Across those sites, ocelots were mainly active at dawn, dusk and night, with more than 60 percent of their activity between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. | Ocelots were mainly active during crepuscular and nocturnal periods (>60% of activity between 18:00h and 06:00h). (note: crepuscular is dawn and dusk; 6 p.m./6 a.m. converted from 18:00h/06:00h) |
| at one site they were active by day as well as by night | The only exception was CSN, where ocelots showed a cathemeral pattern. (note: cathemeral: active in both daylight and darkness) |
| logs more than 60 percent of its activity between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. | Ocelots were mainly active during crepuscular and nocturnal periods (>60% of activity between 18:00h and 06:00h). (note: vibe.reason; 6 p.m./6 a.m. converted from 18:00h/06:00h; 'mainly' in the quote qualifies the dawn, dusk and night pattern, and the >60% figure that measures it is stated flat; the body gives the one cathemeral site) |

## Tewes, M.E. (2019). Conservation Status of the Endangered Ocelot in the United States - A 35-Year Perspective. 37th Annual Faculty Lecture, Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

https://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/sites/default/files/37th_annual_faculty_lecture_-_michael_tewes.pdf

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In 2019, ocelot researcher Michael Tewes wrote | Suggested Citation: Tewes, M.E. , 2019, Conservation status of the endangered ocelot in the United States |
| that the ocelot was at a high risk of extinction there | The ocelot is at a high risk of extinction within the United States. |
| with fewer than 80 believed to remain in two small groups | Fewer than 80 individuals are believed to occur in two small groups embedded in different environments. |
| The smaller, typically about 7 to 14 cats | The smaller “Refuge Ocelot Population,” which typically ranges from about 7 to 14 verified individuals |
| lived mainly on and around Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge | It occurs in a few tiny isolated habitat tracts primarily on and around the northern, or original, portion of the Laguna Atascosa NWR. |
| hemmed in by farmland, roads and growing towns | is ecologically encapsulated by a hostile landscape of open terrain (agriculture, coastal prairies), a dense and deadly road network, and a rapidly increasing human population with expanding urban areas |
| The larger lived on ranchland, mainly in and around Willacy County | The second larger population is the “Ranch Ocelot Population” located primarily in and around northeastern Willacy County. |
| held more than 80 percent of the U.S. population | The larger “Ranch Ocelot Population,” which has more than 80% of the U.S. population |
| In 2019, ocelot researcher Michael Tewes wrote | Suggested Citation: Tewes, M.E. , 2019, Conservation status of the endangered ocelot in the United States |
| that fewer than 80 were believed to remain, in two small groups. | Fewer than 80 individuals are believed to occur in two small groups embedded in different environments. |
| More than 80 percent lived in the larger one | The larger “Ranch Ocelot Population,” which has more than 80% of the U.S. population |
| on ranchland mainly in and around Willacy County | The second larger population is the “Ranch Ocelot Population” located primarily in and around northeastern Willacy County. |
| The smaller, typically about 7 to 14 cats, lived mainly on and around Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. | The smallest group which typically ranges 7 to 14 ocelots, is termed the “Refuge Ocelot Population.” It occurs in a few tiny isolated habitat tracts primarily on and around the northern, or original, portion of the Laguna Atascosa NWR. |
| He described the ocelot as at a high risk of extinction in the United States. | The ocelot is at a high risk of extinction within the United States. |

## Paviolo et al. (2015). Leopardus pardalis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T11509A97212355.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-4.rlts.t11509a50653476.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN lists the ocelot as Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). |