Wild cat of ocelots

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized Neotropical spotted cat is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico. Ocelots can be found from Arizona and southwestern Texas to every country south except Chile. The ocelot seems to prefer dense cover but can use a variety of habitats, hunting in the brushy forests and semi-arid deserts in the northern part of its range as well as the tropical forests, mountain slopes, and pampas located throughout its southern range.

It is up to 100 cm (3'2") in length, plus 45 cm (1'6") tail length, and weighs 10-15 kg (about 20-33 pounds). The ocelot, a larger member of the small cat group, is a beautiful spotted cat with short hair. Its body coloration ranges from tawny to reddish-brown. They have black markings – spots, stripes along their sides and faces, and rosettes on their back. A key feature is the parallel stripes running down the nape of the neck.

While similar in appearance to the oncilla and the margay, who inhabit the same region, the ocelot is larger.

The ocelot is mostly nocturnal and very territorial. They will fight fiercely, sometimes to the death, in territorial disputes. Ocelots sleep during daylight hours, either draped along a high tree limb or in a sheltered den, which may be a hollow tree, small cave, or a shallow depression under vegetation. The ocelot climbs, jumps, and swims well.
Wild cat of ocelots