Ocelot - 'Gabriela'

This is GABRIELA. We call her Gabby. She is an Ocelot, born on April 6, 2002. She weighs about 17 pounds. Gabby was given to us as a gift for some of the work that we do with nutrition. She's a joy, and we're happy to have her!

The fur of the ocelot, with its dark brown irregular shaped spots and stripes, edged with black on a yellow/tawny background, give this medium size cat a most distinctive appearance. No two patterns are alike. The underlying coloration varies with its habitat, with the base color fur being a rich yellow/cream in more arid areas to a darker yellow/brown in forested habitats. The slender body of the ocelot can measure up to 3 1/2 feet and weighs in at twice that of a large domestic cat.

The ocelot's hunting technique is varied and is carried out mostly at night. Its prey includes small deer, rabbits, rodents, reptiles and if available, fish. The ocelot swims well and will hunt for birds and also sleep in the branches of trees in its forest habitat. Ocelots inhabit tropical rainforests, mountain forests, and all types of thick bush, as well as marshy areas and riverbanks. Ocelots and Margays are the only two cats that can run down a tree.

Today approximately 4000 ocelots are found in parts of Mexico, Central America and South America as far as Argentina; this animal has almost disappeared from its range in the southern states of North America. It is reported that as few as 181 ocelots survive in Texas today.