The ocelot's attractive coat once made it a prime target of the fur trade.

Subspecies
L.p.aequatorialis, L.p.albescens, L.p.maripensis, L.p.mitis, L.p.pseudopardalis, L.p.pusaeus, L.p.sonoriensis, L.p.steinbachi.

Life span
Ocelots live for 7-10 years in the wild, and up to 20 years in captivity.

Statistics
Body length: 70-100cm, Tail length: 27-45cm, Shoulder height: 40-50cm, Weight: male: 10-11.5kg, female: 8.8-9.4kg.

Physical description
There is a marked variation in size and coat pattern in ocelots. They have black-edged dark brown irregular spots, rosettes and stripes on a yellow/cream base fur, often with a paler underside. The body is slender.

Distribution
Ocelots are found in central America and northern countries of South America, but not Chile.

Habitat
They can be found in forested areas, swampy savannah and scrubland.

Diet
Ocelots hunt small deer, rodents, rabbits, birds, reptiles and occasionally fish.

Behaviour
They are nocturnal and terrestrial but sleep during the day in low branches. The males and females often share territories of up to 5 square km in area. They are also good swimmers.

Reproduction
After a gestation period of 79-85 days, females give birth to 1-3 kittens which weigh 90g at birth.

Conservation status
Ocelots are not listed by the IUCN but are on CITES: Appendix I. They were heavily exploited by the fur trade, and their long gestation and small litter size makes recruitment rates back into the population slow. Ocelots are relatively tolerant of human settlement.