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15 Ocelot Facts for Kids

navajocodetalkersadmin on January 7, 2015 - 4:00 pm in Fun Facts for Kids

The ocelot is a cat that is about double the size of the traditional house cat. But these cats are not like your friendly neighborhood feline. They are predators that eat meat, and have gorgeous fur, which has led to their endangered status. To learn more about the ocelot, a cat that is mainly active at night, see the list of facts we have put together, below.

1. Some people call the ocelot the painted leopard due to the fact that their sleek fur is decorated with spots, strips, and dark ringed ovals.

2. The tail of the ocelot alone can be about half the length of the cat’s body.

3. You can find ocelots from Texas in the southern United States, all the way to Chile in South America.

4. Ocelots can live in grasslands, mountains, marshes, and mangroves, but most prefer to live in jungles, like the Amazon.

5. The diet of the ocelot consists almost entirely of meat. Rabbits, birds, deer, snakes, and even fish might all be things they often eat. They use their sharp teeth and rough tongue to eat.

6. Mostly, ocelots hunt during nighttime. Out of a 24 hour day, they are active for the darkest 12, from sundown until sunup.

7. Ocelots can mate all year around in warmer climates. In more temperate areas, they only mate during the hottest part of the year at the end of the summer season.

8. When giving birth, the female ocelot will have 2-3 kittens. The kittens are blind when they are born. But in only 1 or 2 years, the kittens are mature and will leave their mother.

9. Even though they are cats, ocelots are mammals just like humans are.

10. Male ocelots are larger than female ocelots. Males also travel longer distances on a daily basis than females.

11. Each night, an ocelot can cover from 1 to 5 miles of ground in search of prey to eat.

12. If in captivity in a zoo, ocelots can live about 20 years. In the wild they live around 10 years.

13. In the wild, humans are the most dangerous predator to the ocelot because of the demand for ocelot fur. However, snakes, birds, and larger cats (like jaguars and pumas) kill ocelots as prey.

14. Ancient cultures in Peru actually worshiped ocelots, and often included then in artwork.

15. Because of their fur, as well as loss of habitat, ocelots are now considered endangered and are a protected species.

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