Ocelot: Survival Guide by Jordan Woo

Ocelot: Survival Guide

by Jordan Woo

size relevant to a 6ft man

What is an ocelot?

      The ocelot (leopardus pardalis) is a nocturnal cat that is roughly twice as big as a normal house cat, growing to sizes of about 28 to 35 in (70 to 90cm) and 24 to 35 lbs (11 to 16kgs). At this size it is the second largest spotted cat in South America, only behind the Jaguar. The spotted cat has a fur coat that is similar to the Jaguar, but its closest relative is the Margay(leopardus weidii). This cat is a mammal and carnivore, using its keen sight and hearing to hunt rabbits, rodents, fish, and frogs. Ocelots can be found in the canopies of South American rain forests, but also live in brush lands that go as far north as Texas. They often take to the trees to stalk on prey such as: monkeys or birds. In addition, as opposed to other cats the ocelot is not afraid of the water is a capable swimmer.

Ocelot Range

Ecology

      The ocelot's range in the western hemisphere goes from southern Texas and southern Arizona through Central America and South America into northern Argentina and Uruguay. In the Texas range of the ocelot there are only around 80-120 still thought to be alive, however the South American region are not in as low of numbers. The ocelot is known to live in many different types of habitats;  tropical rainforest, pine forest, gallery forest, riparian forest, semi-deciduous forest, dry tropical forest, savanna, scrublands, and marshlands. Ocelot's require dense vegetation (>75% canopy cover), and in places like Texas they prefer up to 95% cover. 

Threats

       The main threats to ocelots are habitat conversion, fragmentation, and habitat loss. As humans develop and population centers continue to grow, more and more of the ocelot's habitat is being destroyed. Currently in Texas more that 95% of possible habitat in the Lower Rio Grande Valley has been converted to agriculture, rangelands or urban land uses.  The issue of connectivity is becoming more prevalent as the road mortality is increasing. In addition, their gorgeous coats make them vulnerable to hunters. Thus, this rare species is becoming harder to find and the population size is decreasing. These small populations are now threatened with inbreeding, due to the high isolation and low connectivity. 

Listing

The ocelot was listed as an endangered species on March 28, 1972 . The original approval date for the recovery plan was in 1990 but it was not implemented until 2010.

Recovery Plan

The overall goal of the revised plan is to recover and delist the ocelot from the EPA endangered list. The immediate goal is to  down list the ocelot from endangered to threatened status. Not only are we trying to save the ocelot in Texas but we want to make sure the populations in South America are stable. The actions needed to have a successful recovery are as follows:

    

• Assess, protect, and enhance ocelot populations and habitat in the borderlands of the U.S. and Mexico
• Reduce the effects of human population growth and development on the ocelot
• Maintain or improve genetic fitness, demographic conditions, and health of the ocelot in borderland populations
• Assure the long-term success of ocelot conservation through partnerships, landowner incentives, community involvement, application of regulations, and public education and outreach
• Practice adaptive management in which recovery is monitored and recovery tasks are revised bu USFWS in coordination with recovery implementation team subgroups as new information becomes available

To the Rescue

In order to meet the recovery standards we must support efforts to ascertain the status and conserve ocelot populations south of Tamaulipas and Sonora. Once their numbers reach at least 200 in the Texas region and 1000 in the South American region, can they be considered no longer endangered. Thus it is our job to share the story of the ocelot. In addition there are places we can donate to help the recovery of the ocelot.
 https://secure2.edf.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2100&2100.donation=form1

Works Cited

Goulart, Fernando, Maurício Eduardo Graipel, Marcos Tortato, Ivo Ghizoni-Jr, Luiz Gustavo Oliveira-Santos,and Nilton           Cáceres. "Ecology of the Ocelot (Leopardus Pardalis) in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Brazil." Neotropical Biology and Conservation Nbc 4.3 (2009): 137-43. Web.

Haemig PD  2012    Ecology of the Ocelot and Margay.  ECOLOGY.INFO #9

"Ocelots, Ocelot Pictures, Ocelot Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

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.