The Ocelot | Harrison Carrillo

The Ocelot 
By Harrison Carrillo (March 6, 2018)

(Photo by: LeoMercon)

What is an Ocelot?

The Ocelot is a large nocturnal cat that is twice the size of the average house cat. They have incredible senses of sight and hearing, commonly used to detect rodents, fish, and frogs as a constant food source. Ocelot
s are adapted to meat eating, shown through their incredibly sharp front and back teeth, easily used for tearing flesh 
apart. They tend to completely clean the bones of any animals they consume.  

COMMON NAME: Ocelot

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Leopardus pardalis

TYPE: Mammals

DIET: Carnivores

SIZE: 28 to 35 in

WEIGHT: 24 to 35 lbs

(NationalGeographic.com)

                         Ecology of an Ocelot: 

MOST OCELOTS LIVE IN THE LEAFY CANOPIES OF SOUTH AMERICAN RAINFORESTS, THOUGH SOME CAN BE SEEN AS FAR NORTH AS TEXAS. ON RARE OCCASIONS, THEY CAN BE SEEN IN RURAL HUMAN HABITATS. DUE TO DEFORESTATION OF MUCH OF SOUTH TEXAS, THIS LAND IS UNSUITABLE FOR OCELOTS AND HAS FORCED THE MAJORITY OF THEM TO RETREAT ENTIRELY INTO LEAFY SOUTH AMERICAN FORESTS.  

Geographic and

Population changes:

(BIO227 Textbook)

OCELOTS HAVE EXPERIENCED INTENSE GEOGRAPHIC CHANGE OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITY. OCELOTS PREFER FORESTS WITH DENSE CANOPIES YET LESS THAN 1% OF THIS HABITAT REMAINS IN TEXAS DUE TO DEFORESTATION. THIS FORCES THEM TO TRAVEL DOWN SOUTH TOWARDS GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS WITH DENSE FORESTS OR DIE IN THE WILDERNESS IN THE UNITED STATES. ABOUT 100 OCELOTS REMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES AND THEY ARE NOW CONSIDERED SEVERELY ENDANGERED. OVERALL, THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED UNFORTUNATE GEOGRAPHIC CHANGES AND RAPIDLY DECLINING POPULATIONS. 

 Listing type and main reasons                  why:

       E - ENDANGERED

      IT IS CLEAR THROUGHOUT THIS BLOG THAT THE PRIMARY THREAT TO OCELOTS AND THE CAUSE FOR THEIR ENDANGERED STATUS IS THEIR LOSS OF HABITAT AND HUMAN ENCLOSURE OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT. ANOTHER CAUSE FOR THEIR ENDANGERMENT IS THAT THEIR SMOOTH COATS ARE ATTRACTIVE PRIZES FOR WILDLIFE HUNTERS. ALTHOUGH OCELOT HUNTING IS NOW ILLEGAL, THEY STILL EXPERIENCE ILLEGAL POACHING AND ALMOST WENT EXTINCT THROUGH A HUNTING EPIDEMIC IN THE 1980'S. 

                               Recovery Plan:

IT SHOULD BE CLEAR THAT THE GENERAL GOAL OF THE RECOVERY PLAN OF THE OCELOT IS TO PROTECT THE OCELOT, PROTECT ITS HABITAT, AND GET THE OCELOT REMOVED FROM THE LIST OF ENDANGERED SPECIES. THE LARGE PROBLEM IS THAT OUR KNOWLEDGE IN THE STATUS IN MUCH OF ITS RANGE IS LIMITED AND THE USFWS AND ITS PARTNERS LACK THE ABILITY TO ORGANIZE LARGE SCALE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH. FOR NOW, THE PLAN INCLUDES COOPERATING WITH PRIVATE LAND OWNERS AND THE BORDER STATES OF MEXICO TO RECOVER EFFORTS IN OUR OWN JURISDICTION AND SAVE THE OCELOT POPULATIONS THAT STILL REMAIN IN SOUTHERN NORTH AMERICA. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT THE RESPONSIBILITY TO SAVE THE OCELOT IS LIMITED NATION TO NATION, SO WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO SAVE THE OCELOTS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT LACK THE CONTROL TO IMPLEMENT CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN MEXICO. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 2 RECOVERY MANAGEMENT UNITS IN THE UNITED STATES - ONE IN TEXAS AND ONE IN ARIZONA. THOUGH POPULATIONS IN THE TEXAS UNIT HAVE ONLY BEEN SPOTTED IN 5 SMALL SOUTHERN TEXAS COUNTIES AND EVEN LESS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN ARIZONA, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MANAGE AND REHABILITATE THOSE THAT REMAIN. THE PRIMARY RECOVERY OBJECTIVES INCLUDE ASSESSING, PROTECTING AND RESTORING THE NATURAL HABITATS OF THE OCELOTS. FOR LONG TERM OBJECTIVES, THE 2 MANAGEMENT UNITS AIM TO INCREASE THE GENETIC FITNESS AND DEMOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS OF THE OCELOTS. THEY ALSO AIM TO PRACTICE ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT SO OCELOTS CAN BE PROPERLY REHABILITATED AND REINTRODUCED INTO THE WILD. FINALLY, INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS ARE BEING PUSHED TO SAVE THESE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES AND REMOVE THEIR ENDANGERED STATUS.                

IF    IF THE PREVIOUS RECOVERY CRITERIA IS MET, THE OCELOTS COULD BE REMOVED FROM THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST AND BECOME A FLOURISHING SPECIES AGAIN BY 2085. 

                        What can you do?

              THERE ARE SEVERAL PROGRAMS YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN AND DONATE TO TO HELP CONSERVE OCELOTS. HERE ARE A FEW OF THESE PROGRAMS AND A SHORT DESCRIPTION BELOW:

H .   HERITAGE GRANTS PROGRAM: THE ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT (AGFD) MANAGEMENT OF SENSITIVE HABITATS PROVIDES FUNDS TO SENSITIVE ECOLOGICAL HABITATS AND PROMOTE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY. YOU CAN DONATE TO THIS ORGANIZATION OR VISIT THE WEBSITE TO INFORM YOURSELF BELOW: http://www.gf.state.az.us/w_c/heritage_apply.shtml  

      ANOTHER PROGRAM YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN IS THE LANDOWNER INCENTIVE PROGRAM (LIP), WHICH PROVIDES FUNDS FOR ACTIVITIES THAT BENEFIT CONSERVATION EFFORTS ON PRIVATE LANDS. THE GOAL OF THE PRIVATE LANDOWNER IS TO ALLOW THE LIP TO PERFORM THE CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES THEY NEED TO DO ON YOUR LAND, ALLOWING FOR OPEN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CONSERVATION COMMUNITIES AND LANDOWNERS THAT ARE KEY IN SPECIES RECOVERY. 

                            Other resources:

http://revistas.unisinos.br/index.php/neotropical/article/view/5126

https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Ocelot%20Final%20Recovery%20Plan_Signed_July%202016_new%20(1).pdf

https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Ocelot%20Final%20Recovery%20Plan_Signed_July%202016_new%20(1).pdf