The Ocelot: Your House Cat’s Cooler Cousin

What is the Leopardus Pardalis?

Source: http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2010/feb/ed_2/index.phtml

The ocelot is one of the most mysterious big cats in the world. Known for its precious spotted fur, the ocelot resembles a jaguar but much smaller. The ocelot is about twice as big as a house cat and weighs 24 pounds to 35 pounds. The ocelot loves to lurk in the shadows. Its preferred area of living has dense vegetation with more than 75% canopy cover and 95% cover of the shrub layer. It operates mainly during the night, stalking all kinds of prey. Rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, frogs, monkeys, and birds satisfy its appetite. These jungle cats are well-rounded hunters as they are not afraid to climb the highest trees or swim to the lowest depths to catch a meal. Ocelot families range from two to four cats, consisting of one to three kittens. Gestation takes between 79 and 85 days and kittens typically stay with the mother for a year. Their lifespan is about 20 years, and can even adapt to human life and become domesticated. Even with a moderate family size and decent reproduction rate, these cool cats are endangered in the United States.

The Ocelot’s Home

Less than 100 ocelots are located in the United States. The ocelot can adapt to many different habitats including tropical rainforest, pine forest, gallery forest, riparian forest, semi-deciduous forest, and dry tropical forest, to savanna, shrub lands, marshlands, and thornscrub. Their range in the western hemisphere compromises northern Argentina and Uruguay through Central America and into southern most Texas and southern most Arizona, although they once ranged into northern Ohio. The current Texas population has fewer than 50 ocelots split between two separate locations, and the habitat is described as thornscrub.

Ocelots are kept under close watch in southern Texas. They live in Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. In both states the nearby Mexican cities, Taumalipas and Sonora, located on the Texas and Arizona border, respectively, contain a large amount of the North American population. Unfortunately, the Mexican populations are unable to migrate towards the American populations due to road mortalities and the international border.

Source: http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Leopardus+pardalis

When did the Ocelot Become Endangered?

The Endangered Species Act has protected the Ocelot since 1982, when it was listed as endangered. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) protects the ocelot also. The ocelot is listed on Appendix I of CITES and trade of the animal is strictly prohibited.

Ocelot Adversity
When the ocelot was first listed as endangered, it was because of its luscious fur. Ocelots were killed to make a profit off of their unique skin. Today, the fur trade is no longer the main contributor and prohibiting factor to ocelot existence. Instead, habitat conversion, fragmentation, and loss comprise the primary threats. The Lower Rio Grande Valley thornscrub has almost entirely been destroyed. It has been converted to agricultural land, urban land, or rangeland. The small population size means a greater potential for inbreeding and less genetic diversity, meaning less resistance to disease. Finally, as mentioned above, migration danger and border limitations prohibit natural migration to extirpated areas.

http://blog.nature.org/science/2014/07/09/every-cat-counts-conserving-ocelots-on-the-border/

The Road to Recovery

The first recovery plan for the ocelot was implemented in 1990, but it has been updated since then. In the revised plan, the strategy involves finding out more about the animal through its range, cover information gaps, and figuring out actions necessary to conserve the species in and of the United States. More strategy involves taking action to rebound the limited population in Texas and source population in Taumalipas, Mexico. Finally, cooperative efforts will be implemented to conserve the population in Arizona and Sonora.

Recovery objectives include preserving habitat and eliminating human influence. Considering the biggest hurdle to recovery in Texas is habitat fragmentation, conservation of land is crucial to allow faster recovery and limit population loss. In turn, human influence on ocelot habitat must be curtailed to garnish recovery.  It is imperative to work with existing landowners, foster partnerships, and use regulations, public education, and outreach to ensure long-term sustainability. The recovery team will aim to practice adaptive management and international efforts to maximize ocelot recovery. Overall, the objectives set forth will improve genetic fitness, demographic conditions, and health of ocelots to bring recovery and self-sustaining populations by 2040. To learn more about their ongoing recovery, click this link: http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/100826.pdf

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/22/santos-ocelot-cincinnati-zoo_n_4647083.html

If you wish to help this cool cat, then make sure you stay informed. Write to your government leaders. Take a symbolic adoption. Whatever you do, make sure to spread the word to your friends and family about the ocelot. We do not want to see these majestic creatures gone forever.

By Brendan Johnston

Works Cited:

"Basic Facts About Ocelots." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.

First Southwest Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Albuquerque, New Mexico. OCELOT RECOVERY PLAN (Leopardus Pardalis) DRAFT FIRST REVISION. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Pdf.

"Mammals | Ocelot." Ocelot. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.

"Ocelots, Ocelot Pictures, Ocelot Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.

U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service. "The Ocelot Leopardus Pardalis." Fws.gov. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jan. 2010. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.

"What You Can Do to Help Ocelots." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.