Night Hunting Ocelots

Ocelots do their hunting in the dark at night.

Picture from National Geographic

During the day, ocelots rest in trees high above the ground.  At night however, they use their excellent hearing and eyesight, along with great speed and agility to hunt their prey in the dark.  

Animals Native To Mexico

Since Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow, we thought we'd get into the spirit of things by featuring a few of the animals that are native to Mexico! Did you know that all of the animals listed were from Mexico?

Mexican Grey Wolf

 The Mexican grey wolf is one of the smallest wolf subspecies, getting no bigger than 4 to 5 feet in length and weighing 60 to 80 pounds (about the size of a German shepherd). Lobos, as they are often called, travel in small packs and hunt for elk, deer and, occasionally, livestock. 

Ocelot

Ocelots are hard to see or study because they are only active at night. Their eyes are specially designed with an extra layer on the inside that collects light, letting them see well in the dark. During the day, ocelots stay hidden and sleep in bushes, on tree limbs or hollow tree trunks.

Donkey

 Donkeys are domesticated members of the horse family. A male donkey is called a jack, a female is a jennet and a young donkey is a foal. It's a popular misconception that donkeys and mules are the same thing; donkeys are bred with mares to produce mules.

Puma

 Depending on the region, pumas are also known as cougars, mountain lions or panthers. This territorial, solitary cat is a stalk-and-ambush predator, feeding on deer, elk, moose, sheep and domesticated cattle and horses. Pumas can live out in the open but prefer areas with dense underbrush and rocky areas.

Jaguar

 The jaguar is one of the "big cats", smaller than only the lion and the tiger. Although its coat closely resembles that of a leopard, jaguars are typically larger and have a sturdier build. Jaguars prefer dense rainforests as habitats, and are often found along water. They are one of the few big cats that like to swim.

Coati

 Coatis are members of the raccoon family. They have paws and markings similar to raccoons, walk on the soles of their feet and are double jointed like raccoons. Coatis are very smart, have strong limbs and like to dig. They are active during both day and night.

Meet the Ocelot

In response to a reader — who made it quite clear they want to read about ocelots — I have dedicated today’s fact to just that. The ocelot is a wild cat about twice the size of an average house cat. It’s a nocturnal hunter, often going after rodents, rabbits and frogs, but it also jumps in the trees, hunting monkeys and birds. The ocelot’s beautiful spotted fur helps it stay camouflaged; however, its fur is also a popular commodity among hunters, making it one of the many animals on the endangered species list.

Not quite a duplicate

Another ocelot looking cat is the Oncilla, sometimes called the Little Spotted Cat or Tigrina. They live at higher elevations than either the margay or ocelot. They are especially hard to tell apart from the former, though are more slender.

I bet it matters to another oncilla though!

Jungle Jane

Kinda like the ocelot

Similar in appearance to an ocelot, Margays are smaller and have longer legs and tails. The margay is the only cat that can climb head first down a tree, which you can see in this video, though unfortunately this margay is in a cage.


Margays are sometimes called Long-tailed Spotted Cats.

JJ

Animals that begin with O

This week I thought I’d focus on animals that begin with O. I’ll start with one of my favorites—the Ocelot.

Bigger than a domestic cat, but small compared to other “big cats,” the Ocelot is also called the Painted Leopard. Its fur is similar to a jaguar’s.

Ocelots live in South and Central American, Mexico, and sometimes can be found in Texas.

The artist Salvador Dalí frequently traveled with his pet ocelot, even bringing it aboard the luxury cruise liner SS France. However, they are not common as pets.

Here’s a video of a an ocelot kitten and his mom at the Oregon zoo:


Isn't he cute?

JJ