Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Genus: Leopardus

The ocelot is a leopard-like cat that is found in Texas, Mexico and South America. They live in the rain forests of South America but also in the brushlands of Texas, where it is endangered. This beautiful animal has smooth fur in a light yellow or reddish color. It is dotted with black-trimmed spots that form a chain-like design. They have two small black stripes on each cheek and stripes near their eyes. The ocelot has been hunted for its fur and now is protected in most countries where it lives.

Ocelots are twice the size of an average house cat and can weigh up to 35 pounds. They are usually about 18 inches tall and 30 inches long, not including their long tail. Female ocelots commonly have two to four kittens in the fall.

The ocelot climbs well, and unlike domestic cats, it likes to swim! It can swim well and even hunts fish, turtles and frogs in the water. Like other cats, the ocelot is nocturnal, which means it sleeps during the day and hunts at night — and it has night vision! They hunt rabbits and rodents on land. They sometimes even hunt birds and monkeys in the trees of the rain forest. Ocelots have very sharp teeth and pointed fangs. They don’t chew their food, but tear it in pieces and swallow it whole. Even though this is a wild cat, some people have kept the ocelot as a pet. The famous — and strange — 
artist Salvador Dali traveled with his pet ocelot.

Sources: “Leopard,” Britannica Student Encyclopedia; “Ocelot,” Encyclopædia Britannica Online; “Ocelot,” Wikipedia; “Ocelot,” National Geographic.