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By: Emily Savidge
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About Ocelots
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| Baby Ocelot |
Formally known as Leopardus pardalis, ocelots are wild cats that are equally beautiful and amazing creatures. Ocelots are primarily nocturnal and use climbing and swimming skills as well as their razor-sharp teeth to catch a variety of prey. Their habitat consists of tropical jungles, grasslands and marshes, but a vast majority of the world's ocelots have made their home in the jungles of South America. Like a very large, playful cat, ocelots are extremely active and can easily climb trees and like to conceal themselves by weaving in and out of thick shrubbery and vegetation.
Ocelots are generalists, and can eat an array of ground-dwelling small animals such as rabbits and rodents as well as fish. They are about twice the size of a house cat and are very powerful and territorial. The average lifespan of a wild ocelot is about 7-10 years, but in captivity, many ocelots have lived up to 20 years! After birth, kittens tend to become independent after a year, but most choose to be with their mothers for another year after reaching this age.
These
mammals, unlike many of their feline counterparts, are not afraid to get wet,
and can swim and hunt in the water extremely well.
Watch below two young ocelots learn how to fish at Woodland Park Zoo!
Quick Facts
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| Ocelot Geographical Range |
TYPE: Mammal (Feline)
DIET: Carnivore
SIZE: 28-38 inches
WEIGHT: 24-35 pounds
CURRENT STATUS: Endangered
LOCATION: Mexico and northern portion of South America
Click below to hear the unique inhaling growls of an ocelot!
Population Decline
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| Photo by Emily Savidge |
The ocelot population, which mainly resides in South America, Mexico, and southern Texas, began a noticeable decline from the 1960s to the 1980s when they were largely threatened by the demand for their fur coats. Ocelots are one of the least known wild cat species of the
world and is not an easy animal to recover. Currently, Texas has a population of less than 50 ocelots. There is little known information about the exact population of ocelots outside of the U.S. borders, but the estimated global ocelot population is about 800,000.
Reason For Listing and Threats
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| Ocelot Fur Used For Clothing |
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| Ocelot Fur Is Sought After By Poachers |
Ocelots
were first listed as endangered in 1972 under the Endangered Species
Conservation Act of 1969. This was primarily due to the ocelot's loss of
their homes due to many agricultural developments and the exotic fur and pet trade.
Ocelots are prey to larger cats such as jaguars and pumas, but neither
contributed to their decline. Threats include ocelot habitat loss and
fragmentation, logging, and hunting. Ocelot hunting varies in different
countries, and is actually legal in Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, and Peru.
Ocelots are
cherished due to their beautiful skins and furs. Exotic feline fur is viewed as
a sign of wealth and is often used to create various fur coats, throw pillows,
chairs, blankets, and rugs. The majority of the ocelot population resides
in South America and Mexico, where laws on poaching are difficult to impose and
hunters are difficult to track. They are just bigger than twice the size of a
domestic cat, and were a popular species for the exotic pet trade. Even famous
painter, Salvador Dali, owned a pet ocelot whom he named "Babou."
The Plan
The
original recovery plan for this species was approved on August 22nd in
1990 and was called The Listed Cats of Texas and Arizona Recovery Plan
(With Emphasis On The Ocelot). The recovery plan was later updated with
its first revision in 2010 due to many of the original recovery actions lacking
attention or effects.
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| Baby Ocelot Raised At The Zoo |
The US Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) main goals are to assess, protect, and enhance current ocelot populations and
territories within the borders of the U.S. and Mexico.
They plan to decrease the threats that humans
pose on the ocelot such as poaching, hunting, and the exotic pet trade.
Another delisting method the USFWS is doing to
help the ocelot is maintaining the animal’s overall genetic fitness,
demographic conditions, and health in border populations.
Assuring the long-term success of ocelot
conservation will occur through conservationist partnerships, landowner
incentives, community connection, and through education and
charity.
Finally, monitoring ocelot recovery would be tasked
by USFWS in coordination with recovery implementation teams when new
information becomes available.
GOAL: The revised recovery plan aims
to delist and recover the ocelot. The
most achievable goal at the time would be downlisting the ocelot from endangered to
threatened status. If the
recovery plan goes perfectly, the conservation team predicts that the ocelots
may be delisted by 2030, but more
realistically, closer to 2040. This plan, if executed perfectly, would cost over $60 million. But, reviving a species as majestic as the ocelot, is priceless.
Click here to read the full recovery plan.
What Can YOU Do To Help?
Spotlight organization: Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
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| Custom License Plate Proceeds Help Ocelots |
This non-profit organization is dedicated to conserving
endangered wildlife primarily in Texas. They have a special program for ocelots
called “Adopt An Ocelot” where you can send money to the organization and
receive a certificate of adoption for one or a family of ocelots. You can also
buy a custom ocelot license plate for $22 each, where 100% of the proceeds go
directly to ocelot conservation efforts.
More Ways To Advocate For Endangered Species
A d o p t !
Similar to "Adopt An Ocelot" there are hundreds of "adoption" programs where you can actively be a part of saving one or many animals lives through your generosity.
B e A P o w e r f u l V o i c e !
Make your voice heard by sending a letter to government leaders and powerful position-holders who's voices can help make a difference for the entire population.
S t a y C o n n e c t e d !
Follow wildlife conservation blogs and social media sites to learn more about how to help endangered species become delisted and what personal ways you can become more environmentally conscious.
Let's Get an OceLITTLE Back to an OceLOT!
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References
Beautifully executed blog! I really enjoyed reading through it and learning a little bit more about this beautiful species. It's sad knowing what is happening to their habitat and in turn to this species. I thought the video of them catching fish was adorable!#BIO227Fall2015
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