Ocelot Cat Plush Toys and Gifts, Facts and Information.
Get facts and information, plus plush toy Ocelots, at Animals N More. The ocelot plush toys shown above include the Wildlife Artists Ocelot (sitting and lying) and the Wild Republic Cuddlekins Ocelot. We have some Ocelot Stuffed Animals at our sponsor's online Gift Shop.
The Ocelot, Felis (Leopardus) pardalis, is an American jungle cat that loves darkness. At home in gloomy dense forests, it never leaves its lair until the evening light is gone and the dusk has turned to darkness. The darker the night the farther the ocelot will prowl. Even moonlight nights impede its activities.
Usually the ocelot spends its time on the ground, in dense cover on brushy hillsides. But it is also fond of climbing in the trees: it often goes aloft in search of bird nests and may even nap up there during daylight hours. That it can find its prey in the branches of the dark forest is a tribute to its keen senses. It is a good climber.
This long, lithe animal will seek refuge up a tree when danger threatens. However, it does not leave the ground at the first yap of a pack of hounds. It can run like a fox and knows how to backtrack and double-cross its trail.
The ocelot feeds on almost any kind of animal life that it can master, including -- besides birds -- rodents, snakes, lizards and opossums. An ocelot will consume from three to five pounds of meat a night. It is a fierce fighter.
For its den the ocelot nearly always selects a rocky cave or, failing this, a hollow tree. The home is lined with great care. The animal chooses a bedding of dry grass, twigs, and the like, and chews it till it is soft and pliable.
The mating season is probably about June. The kittens, nearly always twins, are born in September or October, with their eyes tightly closed.
It is one of the handsomest of the cats. The fur is soft and short. Its basic color is light buff, with a light beige overtone. Longitudinal black stripes score its face, head and neck; there are black spots splashed across the limbs and tail, and dots and black rings cover the rest of the body in an attractive, somewhat chainlike pattern. From the tip of its nose to the end of its tail the animal is three or four feet long.
The range of the ocelot extends from the southwestern United States down to Paraguay. The animal is now scarce north of the Rio Grande, but farther south it is quite common.
