Ocelot: status, range, size and diet
A strikingly spotted New World cat of forests and thickets from Texas to Argentina, once heavily hunted for its fur and now listed as Least Concern.
Also known as Leopardus pardalis, painted leopard, dwarf leopard
At a glance
| Scientific name | Leopardus pardalis |
|---|---|
| Group | Medium wild cats |
| Weight | About 7-18 kg |
| Length | Head and body about 55-100 cm, tail 30-45 cm |
| Known for | A coat of chain-like black rosettes that made it a prize of the fur trade. |
Status
| IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
|---|---|
| Assessed in | 2015 |
| Population estimate | More than 40,000 mature individuals |
| Estimate from | 2015 |
Where it lives
| Range | From southern Texas and Arizona through Mexico and Central America to northern Argentina |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Tropical and subtropical forest, thorn scrub, mangrove and savanna, usually in dense cover near water |
| Diet | Rodents, rabbits, armadillos, opossums, iguanas, birds, fish and crabs |
Main threats
- Loss and fragmentation of habitat
- Road deaths
- Hunting and illegal trade
- Capture for the pet trade
About
The ocelot is about twice the size of a domestic cat, with a sleek body, rounded ears and a tail ringed with dark bands. The yellow to tawny coat is marked with elongated black-edged rosettes and stripes, and each animal has its own pattern. The pattern breaks up the outline in dappled light and dense undergrowth. Ocelots are active mostly after dark.
Ocelots are solitary and mark their territories with scent.
Where it lives and what it eats
The ocelot is one of the most widely distributed wild cats of the Americas. It lives in forest, thorn scrub, mangroves and savanna, but it prefers dense cover and stays away from roads and settlements. In the United States it survives only in small areas of southern Texas and has been recorded in Arizona. Two subspecies are recognised, one on each side of the Andes. Small mammals make up much of the diet, and ocelots also catch reptiles, birds, fish and crabs. An ocelot needs about 600 to 800 grams of food a day.
Threats and conservation
The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern, in an assessment from 2015, which put the number of mature individuals at more than 40,000. Local situations vary greatly. Habitat loss, forest fragmentation, road deaths, hunting and the pet trade affect many populations.
In the 1960s and 1970s the ocelot was among the most heavily traded wild cats. Around 140,000 skins entered the United States in 1970 alone. Trade bans came later, and the species has been in CITES Appendix I since 1989. The ocelot is listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. Only two small breeding groups remain in Texas, with fewer than a hundred cats in all, which has made habitat corridors, road underpasses and land purchases the main tools of recovery.
Cats and people
Ocelots rarely trouble people, though they sometimes take poultry. Kittens are sometimes taken for the pet trade. A wild-born ocelot cannot be tamed in the way a domestic cat can, and keeping one is illegal or tightly regulated in many places. Ocelots breed in zoos.
Profile last reviewed November 7, 2026