Jon Peterson '23
Co-Executive Editor
Pictured: An Ocelot.
Credit: The Nature Conservancy.
Ocelots are a species of cats in the subfamily Felinae, meaning they are considered a part of the “small cat” grouping. However, they are one of the largest of the small cats and stand about as tall as a grown man’s knee. And considering that these cats are between twenty-nine and thirty-nine inches long and can weigh upwards of thirty-five pounds, they are certainly still fearsome predators despite their classification as small cats.[1]
Ocelots are well known for their beautiful camouflage. Each cat has its own unique pattern.[2] These patterns consist of solid black markings which create stripes, spots, and closed and open bands on a “creamy, tawny, yellowish, reddish gray, or gray background color.”[3] An interesting feature of ocelot physiology that is not exclusive to the species, but inherent in all cats, is the backwards-facing, hollow, flexible, cone-like structures on cats’ tongues, called “papillae.” These structures aid in grooming, eating, and drinking, and have even been the inspiration for new designs for combs and other grooming products, both for people and animals.[4] These are also why, if you’ve ever been licked by a cat, their tongues feel rough and sandpaper-y.
Lifestyle
Ocelots can be found in Arizona, Texas, Mexico, Central America, and all of South America except for Chile. The cats have adapted to a wide range of environments, including thorny scrublands, coastal marshes, mangrove forests, savanna grasslands, and tropical and subtropical forests.[5] The ocelot is, due in large part to its wide range and adaptability, currently listed as a species of “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[6] However, despite being listed as “Least Concern,” this doesn’t paint the full picture. The strength of ocelot populations varies widely depending on the region. In Mexico and the U.S., for example, ocelots are considered endangered.[7] In Argentina, Columbia, Brazil, and parts of the Amazon basin outside of Brazil, the cat is listed as vulnerable.[8] This is true because ocelots are heavily impacted by habitat loss and forest fragmentation from logging activities.[9] They are also negatively impacted by vehicle collisions, as well as other farming practices.[10] Not only that, but ocelots do not have a short list of predators that they need to worry about. Harpy eagles, anacondas, coyotes, and alligators would all happily eat an ocelot for dinner. And, because of habitat loss restricting territories and constricting resources, confrontations between ocelots and larger cats like jaguars and cougars are becoming increasingly common. These end at best in an escape for the ocelot, and at worst in the ocelot’s death.[11]
In order to avoid confrontations with these larger cats and other predators, ocelots are primarily nocturnal animals. During the day, these cats sleep in trees and bushes. But at night they travel between one and five miles, typically killing a prey source every 3.1 hours of traveling.[12] Ocelots typically hunt smaller prey and only need about one-and-three-quarters of a pound of food each day to satisfy their energy requirements.[13] Usually this consists of rabbits and other rodents, fish, frogs, and birds.[14] At times, however, ocelots will target larger meals like deer, sheep, peccaries (medium sized, pig-like animals), iguanas, and monkeys.[15] Their choice of diet ultimately depends on the region in which the ocelot resides.
Interestingly, ocelots are quite picky eaters. In fact, they will remove the fur or feathers from their prey before they eat it.[16] Their method of hunting is also quite fascinating. Ocelots follow scent trails to acquire prey. However, they move incredibly slowly while doing it, walking at about 0.2 miles per hour while searching. Some even sit at one spot and wait for thirty minutes to an hour before, if unsuccessful, switching locations at a faster, yet still painstakingly slow, rate of 0.5 to 0.9 miles per hour.[17]
Ocelots are typically solitary animals. Males have larger territories—about 3.5 to 46 kilometers—compared to females—0.8 to 15 kilometers. Territories rarely overlap between two ocelots of the same sex; however, it is not uncommon for one male’s territory to contain the territories of multiple females within it. Interestingly, one of the more social sides of an ocelot’s life is in their bathroom habits. Ocelots have been seen using communal sites for depositing scat (pooping), which have been termed “latrines.”[18] Kittens typically stay with their mothers for up to two years before heading out on this solitary lifestyle.
Unlike cats in the subfamily Panthera—cats capable of roaring—ocelots do not roar; instead, ocelots “chuckle” when excited and may “mutter” to one another.[19] They also employ both yowls and meows during courtship.[20] During the mating season, which varies regionally, male and female ocelots will mate between five and ten times daily.[21] Female ocelots become sexually mature between eighteen and twenty-two months of age whereas males become sexually mature around fifteen months.[22] In the wild, ocelots live around thirteen years on average,[23] and they may live to twenty years of age in captivity.[24]
Cultural Significance
While I cannot hope to cover the true cultural significance of the ocelot to Aztec and Incan cultures, I still believe it is important to note here. Ocelots were depicted across both Incan and Aztec mythology and through every artistic medium of those cultures.[25] It’s clear from the artistic and religious attention these creatures received that they were very significant. However, due to my own cultural incompetence on the subject and a limited amount of space that I’ve already surpassed, I suggest that anyone interested in learning more do their own outside research.
Interestingly, ocelots can make okay pets, although I would highly recommend against it.[26] They are energetic, playful, agile creatures. And, because of their size, even a well-intentioned attempt at play from an ocelot could leave an owner injured. However, it is true that when raised carefully, ocelots can be highly affectionate animals.[27]
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jtp4bw@virginia.edu
[1] Alina Bradford, Facts About Ocelots, Live Science, (June 15, 2016), https://www.livescience.com/55072-ocelot-facts.html. Males weigh between fifteen and thirty-four pounds, while females clock in at fourteen-and-a-half to twenty-five pounds. I would further point out that all cats are fearsome predators, regardless of their size.
[2] Just like a beautiful snowflake.
[3] Ocelot, Wikipedia, (last visited Feb. 4, 2023), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocelot.
[4] Carrie Arnold, How Cat Tongues Work–and Can Inspire Human Tech, Nat. Geo., (Nov. 19, 2018),https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/understanding-cat-tongues-papillae. An entire article could be dedicated to papillae and how they function, and, in fact, entire articles have. People more interested should watch Zefrank1’s Youtube video “True Facts: Cat’s Killer Senses.” While a bit crass at times, if you enjoy the niche humor, the video is very informative (as are all of his videos).
[5] Ocelot, IUCN, (May 10, 2014), https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11509/97212355.
[6] Id.
[7] Bradford, supra note 1.
[8] Id.
[9] IUCN, supra note 5.
[10] Id.
[11] Wikipedia, supra note 3.
[12] Ocelot, Defenders of Wildlife, (last visited Feb. 4, 2023), https://defenders.org/wildlife/ocelot.
[13] Wikipedia, supra note 3.
[14] Bradford, supra note 1.
[15] Wikipedia, supra note 3.
[16] Bradford, supra note 1.
[17] Wikipedia, supra note 3.
[18] Id.
[19] Bradford, supra note 1.
[20] Id.
[21] Jessi Kittel, Leopardus paradalis ocelot, (2011), https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Leopardus_pardalis/.
[22] Bradford, supra note 1.
[23] Id.
[24] Wikipedia, supra note 3.
[25] Id.
[26] It is, in fact, illegal in many states.
[27] Id. In fact, Salvador Dali had a pet ocelot named Babou. Id.