World_of_Animals_Issue_46_2017

Painted leopards
The water
inside a
rainforest
is full of the
ocelots’ prey
Aquatic adaptations
Ocelots are one of the few strong feline swimmers
Ocelots hunt a variety of prey, and their diet is not just limited to
small land-dwelling mammals, insects, and the small birds they
manage to catch. This wild cat will also hunt aquatic and semiaquatic
prey throughout the seasons, such as fish and amphibians,
if the prey is available in their habitat.
Most cats can swim, but swimming well and swimming willingly
are other matters entirely. Tigers and jaguars, which live in lush
tropical jungles with wide rivers, are strong swimmers because their
environment calls for it, and being large, they have the muscles and
strength to fight the currents. It might be surprising, then, to learn
that ocelots, which are only twice the size of a typical housecat,
are strong and confident swimmers. Their fur is short and smooth,
which means it does not hold water and weigh the cat down too
much. The pattern of stripes and spots helps to camouflage the cat
as it waits for prey, and their sharp claws hold fast to wriggling fish
and bring the prey back up to the shoreline for eating.
Life for the
painted leopard
Females raise
their kittens alone
Male ocelots aren’t involved
in the raising of their
kittens. Kittens are around
three months old when they
begin to hunt alongside
their mother, and may stay
in close proximity to her
for another year before
venturing out alone.
Some ocelots
still live in the US
Only 50 ocelots are now
left in two small separate
populations in the state of
Texas, US. A decade ago,
there were over 100. This
decline is largely due to the
number one cause of ocelot
deaths in the area: vehicle
collisions on the roads.
Ocelots can get
very vocal
Ocelots make a variety
of vocalisations when
body language and scent
marking do not get their
point across. They make
a chuckling sound when
excited and yowl at each
other during courtship in
breeding season.
Rough tongue
The ocelot’s rough
and rasping tongue is
perfect for stripping
off the last morsels of
meat from the bone
and careful
self-grooming.
Round ears
Unlike the rest of
their body, ocelot’s
small, round ears
are marked by a
bright white spot,
contrasting with the
black background.
Sharp teeth
Ocelot’s mouths are
adapted for eating meat.
Their piercing fangs deliver
the killing bite and their
sharp back teeth tear the
meat into edible chunks.
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