Stats

Lifespan: 8-13 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Nocturnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Central and South America
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Live Birth
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Uncommon

About

The ocelot is a sleek wild cat of the Americas whose rosette-spotted coat is unique to each individual—no two patterns are alike. Heavily hunted through the mid-20th century, a single fur coat required the skins of roughly 40 ocelots, pushing the species to the brink before trade bans helped populations recover.

Life cycle

1.
newborn cub
A blind, helpless cub nurses constantly and depends on its mother for warmth and protection.
2.
juvenile
A lanky young cat learns to stalk and pounce, following adults to practice hunting.
3.
adult
Fully grown, holding territory and hunting on its own.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Leopardus
Species: Leopardus pardalis