Ocelot

Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia
 * [[image:44_4_312f3.jpg width="300" height="342" align="left"]]Ocelot;** //Leopardus pardalis//


 * __Size:__** 28-35 inches tall, twice the size of your average house cat. 24-35 pounds.
 * __Location:__** South America and can be found as far north as Texas.
 * __Habitat:__** Leafy canopies of rainforests and brushlands.
 * __Life Cycle:__** Female ocelots have litters with up to three kittens. In the far north, mothers den in the fall, where as tropical climate breeding seasons are not fixed. Ocelot kittens start hunting with their mothers at about 3 months of age, and are dependent on her for the first year of their lives. Ocelots can live 10-13 years in the wild, and up to 20 years in zoos.
 * __Males & Females:__** Ocelots are very territorial and will become aggressive of their 3 sq.mi. of territory. Ocelots will kill over their territory, but seem to be okay with the same gender during the day when not competing for food. Male and female cats can share the same territory, but males will travel much farther than females, overlapping other female territory. Ocelots are solitary animals and only meet to mate. In some cases, male and female ocelots will form pairs, hunting together and even producing mewing sounds to stay in touch. Male ocelots tend to way more than 5 pounds than females, making them slightly bigger.

-They are great swimmers. -They are carnivorous. -They are nocturnal and have keen sight and hearing. -They can deliver a killer bite and have back teeth that can tear food like scissors. Their teeth are not, however, appropriate for chewing. So they tear off chunks and swallow them whole. -An ocelot's tail takes up 1/3 of its entire body. -Ocelots have big eyes, giving them eyesight 6x better than an average human. -The ocelot's dappled coat allows it to camoflogue itself. -Ocelots have powerful legs, making it one of the fastest cats. -An ocelot's smell is better than a human, but not as good as a dog.
 * __Interesting Facts__**
 * __Human Impact:__** Humans are destroying the habitat of the ocelot and are constantly hunting them for their fur. The AZA and SSP are trying to help the population of the ocelot.
 * __Protection Status:__** Threatened in South American, Endangered in North America; They are high in demand for the fur industries in Europe and Asia. They are at loss of habitat due to destruction and traded at the black market pet trade. They are becoming exceedingly rare in several areas. There are less than 100 ocelots in the US.

__Internet Information Resources:__ __[]__ __[]__ __[]__ __Internet Picture Resources:__ [|felidaefund.org] [|en.academic.ru] [|animal.discovery.com] media type="youtube" key="2AtwPh0iKW0" height="349" width="425" align="center"
 * __Zookeeper Taylor Cebuly:__**