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Ocelot - Salvador Dali's pet

This wild cat goes by the name of Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), but other names are: 'McNenney's Wildcat' and 'Painted Leopard'. They occur in South/Central America, Mexica, Caribbean and Texas. It weighs on average about 10 to 15 kilograms. It is in fact the biggest of the genus Leopardus, and is bigger than the Oncilla which stays in the same habitat.

Ocelots are nocturnal and territorial. A typical Ocelot would fight to the death when threatened, and can be very aggressive if needed. Still, it is a loner by nature, joining another only for mating purposes. Very occasionally though, when it is resting at a tree, it could share its "turf" with another Ocelot of the same sex.

In mating, a female Ocelot would find a place like a bluff or a hollow tree and their gestation lasts about seventy days, while litter size is from 2 to 4. These cats are not principally arboreal, but they have the capability. In general however, they are terrestrial animals. These cats eat a lot of things, their diet consists of birds, amphibians, birds, rodents, snakes, monkeys, poultry and even piglets. One strong trait of this cat is its vision. Even at night, their sense of sight is very sharp.

Physically, they could be considered as just another domestic kind. The fur is something very close to a jaguar's and as such, thousands and thousands in the past have been slaughtered. Right now in the United States, they could only be found in very few areas of Southern Texas.

Interesting fact: Of course we all know who Salvador Dali was, but did you know this? That he often travelled with his own Ocelot, that he even brought it a luxurious cruises on the SS France? (See also: Anecdote of Dali with Ocelot)

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two comments:

These Cats are beautiful. I saw one once in Texas and this picture does no justice
Katie (Email) - 26 03 08 - 01:26

this gave me interesting thoughts
kaykay - 01 10 08 - 22:51

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