The ocelot Leopardus pardalis is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40β50 cm Carl Linnaeus scientifically described it in Two subspecies are recognized.
The ocelot is efficient at climbing, leaping and swimming. It prefers areas close to water sources with dense vegetation cover and high prey availability. It preys on small terrestrial mammals, such as armadillos , opossums , and lagomorphs. It is typically active during twilight and at night and tends to be solitary and territorial.
Both sexes become sexually mature at around two years of age and can breed throughout the year; peak mating season varies geographically. After a gestation period of two to three months, the female gives birth to a litter of one to three kittens.
They stay with their mother for up to two years, after which they leave to establish their own home ranges. While its range is very large, various populations are decreasing in many parts of its range. The association of the ocelot with humans dates back to the Aztec and Incan civilizations; it has occasionally been kept as a pet.
Other vernacular names for the ocelot include cunaguaro Venezuela , gato onza Argentina , gato tigre Panama , heitigrikati Suriname , jaguatirica , maracaja Brazil , manigordo Costa Rica, Panama and Venezuela , mathuntori , ocelote , onsa , pumillo , tiger cat Belize , tigrecillo Bolivia and tigrillo Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru. Felis pardalis was the scientific name proposed for the ocelot by Carl Linnaeus in Several ocelot specimens were described in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including: [2] [11].
