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Ocelot Facts & Worksheets

Formerly Felis pardalis, the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat of the family Felidae.

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Formerly Felis pardalis, the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat of the family Felidae. Currently classified as a least concern species by the IUCN, the ocelot faces population decline due to habitat destruction, hunting, and traffic incidents.

See the fact file below for more information on the Ocelot or alternatively, you can download our 28-page Ocelot worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Etymology and Taxonomy

  • The term “ocelot” is derived from the Nahuatl word ōcēlōtl, which generally denotes a jaguar instead of an ocelot. Another possible origin for the species’ name is the Latin word ocellatus, meaning “having little eyes” or “marked with eye-like spots”, based on the ocelot’s spotted coat.
  • In 1758, Swedish botanist, zoologist, and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus proposed its first scientific name, Felis pardalis. It was in 1842 when British zoologist John Edward Gray suggested that the species belonged to the genus Leopardus, in reference to a number of spotted cat skins in the curation of the National History Museum in London.
  • 11 different ocelot specimens were described in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1919, American zoologist Joel Asaph Allen grouped the specimens in the genus Leopardus and discovered nine subspecies as valid taxa according to their colors and spot patterns.
  • In 1941, British zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock reviewed the skins in the collection of the Natural History Museum and reclassified them into nine different subspecies, also based on colors and spots. 
  • In 1998, results of the mtDNA control region analysis of ocelot specimens revealed that there are four major ocelot groups, one each in Central America, northwestern South America, northeastern South America, and southern South America south of the Amazon River. 
  • In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group suggested that up to four subspecies can be accepted, but identified only two as valid taxa. These last two display different morphological features and are distributed separately due to the Andes mountain ranges.

Characteristics

  • Medium-sized, the ocelot is the largest member of the Leopardus genus, with a head-and-body length approximately between 55 and 100 cm, and a tail that reaches 30 to 45 cm. It usually stands 40 to 50 cm at the shoulder. Its footprint measures 2 cm by 2 cm.
  • Each ocelot has a distinct color pattern, which can be used to trace individuals. Solid black markings are extensively scattered on an ocelot’s creamy, tawny, yellowish, reddish-gray, or gray fur. Spots on the head and limbs are typically small, but those found on the back, cheeks, and flanks are open or closed bands and stripes. 
  • A few dark stripes extend across the back of its neck up to the tip of its tail. Its neck and undersides are white, and the insides of its legs are covered with some horizontal streaks. Its ears are round, marked with a bright yellow spot. 
  • It has brown eyes which reflect a golden hue when flashed with light.
  • It is the same size as a bobcat (Lynx rufus).
  • It may be confused with the margay (Leopardus wiedii) and the oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), though the ocelot is obviously larger with a shorter tail. While all three wild cats have rosettes, or rose-like markings, on their coats, the ocelot has a distinctive blotched pattern and the oncilla has dark spots on its underbelly. 
  • The ocelot has 28 to 30 teeth.

Distribution and Habitat

  • The ocelot is distributed across southwestern United States to northern Argentina, up to 3000 m above sea level. It thrives in tropical forests, thorn forests, mangrove swamps, and savannas. 
  • A 2019 research in the Brazilian Amazon suggested that the ocelot prefers environments with abundant availability of prey and water, and seems to stay away from its predators. It also favors regions with dense forest cover and water sources, those that are distant from roads and human settlements, staying away from steep slopes and high elevations due to scarcity of prey.

Ecology and Behavior

  • It is usually solitary and active during twilight and at night.
  • During daytime, the ocelot spends its time resting on trees, in dens below huge trees, or other cool, sheltered areas on the ground. It can also climb and leap as it escapes predators by jumping on trees.
  • The ocelot also performs scent marking by spraying urine to mark its territory. 
  • Its predators in Texas include bobcats, cougars, coyotes, large raptors, feral dogs, wild boar, American alligators, pit vipers, and humans.
  • It consumes a carnivorous diet. It may wait for its prey for about 30 minutes to an hour at a specific site, and transfer to another place walking at 0.8 to 1.4 km/h if unable to capture small terrestrial mammals, such as rodents, lagomorphs, armadillos, opossums, and even fish, insects, reptiles, and other small birds. 
  • Both sexes produce a long-range “yowl” during the mating season, which happens at any time during the year, and a short-range “meow”. 
  • A litter is usually composed of one to three kittens after a gestation period of two to three months. Female ocelots rear their young in dens, usually in dense vegetation. 

Threats and Conservation

  • Throughout its distribution, the ocelot faces a number of threats such as loss and fragmentation of habitat, fur trade, and even traffic accidents. The pet trade, which involves capturing kittens by killing their mothers and selling these babies to tourists, has also caused its numbers to decline.
  • The ocelot is classified as least concern species by the IUCN.

Ocelot Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the Ocelot across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Ocelot which is currently classified as a least concern species by the IUCN, the ocelot faces population decline due to habitat destruction, hunting, and traffic incidents.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Ocelot Facts
  • Background Check
  • Ocelot Recap
  • Meow or Myth?
  • Born to Be Wild
  • Ocelot Wiki
  • Under the Same Genus
  • Spotted Cats Comparison
  • Ocelot Quiz
  • Find My Way
  • Cry For Help

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Link will appear as Ocelot Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 15, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.