An ocelot is a small cat from the New World. It ranges from the very southern region of Texas all the way to northern Argentina in South America. Its fur is golden over most of its body, with white or cream on the belly; splashed over the background color are all sorts of patterns! Find out more facts!

It is very hard to study wild ocelots, as they are active primarily at night, especially at dawn and dusk, and are very secretive. They may be more active in daytime on rainy or cloudy days. Ocelots prefer to live in areas with thick vegetation, such as dense chaparral or tropical rain forests.

Ocelots prey mainly on small rodents, but are also known to eat birds, snakes, iguanas and other lizards, baby peccaries, young deer, rabbits, and even fish and crabs. They may look for potential food while strolling about or may sit and wait for prey to appear. If the carcass can’t be eaten in one feeding, the cat covers it and returns the next night to finish its meal.

An ocelot family is made up of an adult female and her young. After breeding, the male and female ocelots go their separate ways. The female is pregnant for a little over two months before she gives birth in a hollow tree, rocky bluff, cave, or secluded thicket to usually one but sometimes up to four kittens. The mother protects her kitten, feeds it, and cares for it all by herself.