The Lifestyle of Ocelot Cats

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The research paper regards the popularly known cat by the name ocelot. The cats are unique and have beautiful spots on their bodies. They are believed to have originated from Brazil as well as Argentina in South America and later spread to Mexico and other parts of the United States such as Louisiana and South Texas. Ocelot cat belongs to Felidae family, subfamily felinae, genus Leopardus and Leopardus pardalis species. The cat belongs to the same family with bobcat and puma having similar instinct, but they slightly differ in appearance. Ocelot cat portrays various ways of hunting which are unique from the one applied by the bobcat and puma as well as have different trivial prey. In this paper, the lifestyle of the ocelot cat is discussed into an in-depth extent in regards of their food habits in South Texas and its competition with a bobcat, the population in the Brazilian Atlantic forest as well as what it eats for survival and its adaptation to different feeding habits.

The ocelot cat feeds on various kind of food from which it hunts from the forest habitats. It mainly feeds on fresh hence have distinct predator’s characteristics like sharp claws, sharp sight as well as the capability of moving at high speed. It majorly depends on hunting where the primary preys are the rodents and the spiny tail iguana. The ocelot cat hunts various types of rodents whether small, medium or large as well as the spiny-tailed iguana provided it finds food to enhance survivability on the highly competitive habitat. Apart from the main preys mentioned above, the ocelot also hunts a wide variety of small animals such as rabbits, birds, frogs, crabs, fishes and small turtles among many other small mammals. As it is common that different animals have specific behaviors during different seasons, the ocelot cat also portrays different characteristics during various seasons and moon phases as well. There are differences in the appearance of the ocelot cats during the wet and dry seasons. Research shows that it is easier to spot the ocelot cats during the dry seasons compared to the wet time of year. The reason behind these findings is that during the wet season there if fast disintegration and appearance of the aunts as well as beetles which the ocelot cats feed on and staying on their territories where there are favorable conditions. It is normal that various predators hunt both during the day and at night which is different from ocelot cats which hunt during the night and varies in different moon phases. They tend to hunt more frequently during the full moon compared to the half and quarter moon phases. The ocelot cats are susceptible in a matter of securing their territories, thus tend to hunt a short range from their bases. The male cats are more prominent than the female cats where mostly males range between twenty to thirty inches tall while the females range between eighteen to twenty-five inches. Further research was carried out to determine the type of food the ocelot cats tend to feed most frequently. It was determined that small mammals and rodents be substantially eaten followed by the minute reptiles and lastly other organisms such as birds and insects.

In their habitats at Brazil Atlantic forest, ocelot cats do not face fierce competition as the top predators are either absent or few. This suggests that the ocelots like are living in a competition-free ecosystem. With the absence of top predators such as jaguars, the ocelots tend to take advantage of feeding on the abundant rodents which are available in large numbers. The ocelot cats are mostly found in closed-canopy forests, and they grow well in this surroundings. In the areas that have small forest coverage, the ocelots have small home ranges, and they have to move a long distance to hunt making it not suitable for their well-being. In areas where there are thin forests, there is a sparse population of the ocelot cats. Research shows that the reason behind the diminishing population in the area was as a result of a small number of other predators. Presence of other predators is essential in the balancing the food chain. The top predators are crucial in the reserves and the forest habitats to keep the food chain in place to which the ocelots are included.

In South Texas, the ocelot cats face considerable competition from the Bobcats that also inhibits the habitat. The ocelots mostly hunt the rodents but also hunts for the birds, spiny pocket mouse and the lagomorph. The case is same with the Bobcats, but the difference is that they feed on the abundant rodents while the ocelot at many times eats the small and medium-sized rodents. Research in consideration of the feeding habits of the Bobcats and the ocelot cats showed that to some extent they differ on the prey that they mostly feed on. The ocelot cats at widely feed on the rodents, insectivore, reptiles and Passeriformes more than the Bobcats. On the other hand, it was determined that the Bobcats feed on birds more than the ocelot cats. The feeding rate of both the ocelots and bobcats on the Lagomorph and Artiodactyl was revealed to equalize. In the South Texas forest habitat both the predators feed on the same kind of prey and the difference comes where ocelot cats feed more on small and medium-size animals while the Bobcats mostly feed on the large ones.

As discussed above, the ocelot cats hunts on a wide variety of prey for food and their feed is determined by the habitat by which they inhabit. A point of interest is that the ocelot cats and other predators are needed in adequate in the ecosystem to keep the food chain in balance. The major problem facing the ocelot cats in their habitats is the clearance of the forests where human beings tend to inhibit. Wildlife is a beauty to the region and the nation in general. Thus it is the publics’ responsibility to take care of the animals and forests where the ocelot build their territories.