The Oh-So-Cute and Important Ocelot (Leopardus Pardalis)

The Ocelot

Saving and Recovering the Endangered Ocelots.  

A Brief Background

Physical Description: The Ocelot “belongs to the genus Leopardus,” family, with 11 subspecies of Ocelot (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Size: The Ocelot is considered a medium sized cat and typically weighs between 15-35 lbs, although the male usually weighs more than the female. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Color: Of a light gray color to a orange cinnamon color  (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Spots/Features: “Black stripes on cheeks…neck…body…tail,” and underparts are “white, spotted with black,” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

 Range: Within the United States, fossils of the Ocelot have pointed to the existence of the Ocelot in the states of California, Arizona, and Florida (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).  Currently, most are found in the U.S. in Texas and Arizona.  Their geographic range extends into Mexico and South America

Habitat: The Ocelot “occupies a wide spectrum of habitats including mangrove forests and coastal marshes, savanna grasslands… thorn scrub…tropical forest of all types,” (Caso). Ocelots require dense vegetation, a forest cover of greater than 75 percent is usually wanted.   (Note the thicker cover in the background)

Geographic and Population Changes: The ocelot has seen to be “widely distributed from Mexico through Central and South America south to NE Argentina and southern Brazil and Uruguay, found in every country except Chile,” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The population in the U.S above the Rio Grande is roughly between 80-120 Ocelots, and “In Mexico it has disappeared from much of its historic range,” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Listed on the ESA on August 26th, 2010, classified as Endangered

Threats to Ocelot: The recovery plan was following a study done that suggested the incredible low numbers of the population of Ocelots.  The main threats to Ocelots continued existence are the threat of human population growth, particularly in destroying or degradation of the Ocelots habitats.  Since Ocelots require thicker vegetation and are slow reproducers (once every two years, with only one offspring each time), they are limited in their population growth.  Degrading habitats for agriculture reasons has left a lot of Ocelots without a suitable habitat.  It remains difficult to regrow their population because they are considered K selected species.  

Current Recovery Plan: The goal is to “Assess, protect, and enhance,” the Ocelot populations left in Texas.  However, what I take to be the most important part of the plan is reducing the effects of human development and population growth on Ocelots. Landowner incentives are mentioned as private property is huge in Texas and likely Ocelot populations will occur on property an thus need extra protection. Borderland populations are also emphasized to “Maintain or improve genetic fitness, demographic conditions, and health of the ocelot,” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). 

Summary: While the Ocelots population declined to less than 100 in the United States, there is hope.  Ocelots are a tricky species to recover due to their critical habitat and their slower reproduction cycle.  In addition, human growth and development continues to limit or hamper recovery progress for the Ocelot.  The goal is to have the species delisted in the next 15 years, but it may take a little while longer to recover the population than that.  One thing the ocelot has going for it in its recovery is appearance, these animals are so appealing and cute how could you not want to save them?

Works Cited

Caso, A., Lopez-Gonzalez, C., Payan, E., Eizirik, E., de Oliveira, T., Leite-Pitman, R., Kelly, M. & Valderrama, C. 2008. Leopardus paralis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2010. Draft Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) Recovery Plan, First Revision. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region,  Albuquerque, New Mexico.