Animals
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Life in the Forest

Life in the River

The Insect World

Related Internet Sites

Big Cats Online (Ocelot)

Big Cats Online (Margay)

Big Cats Online
(Tiger Cat)

Ocelot and Margay

The ocelot, margay, and tiger cat are three closely-related species of spotted cat living in Amazônia. The biggest is the ocelot which can be found across a wide area ranging from Texas to Argentina, and is about 1.2 metres in length (excluding the tail) with a long and slender body. As such, it is smaller and much lighter than the more powerful jaguar – weighing only about twice as much as a large domestic cat. The margay is smaller still, reaching only 65 cm in length, and with a longer tail and legs relative to its body length. The tiger cat is the smallest, and is no bigger than a domestic cat.

All three cats are good hunters, although they hunt mostly at night. Their prey generally consists of small deer (in the case of the ocelot), rabbits, rodents, reptiles, birds, frogs, small monkeys, and fish. The ocelot is a skilled swimmer, while the margay is well adapted to life hunting in the tree tops (it is the best tree climber in the cat species – with specially adapted claws and joints that enable it to easily scamper along branches catching birds and small monkeys, and can even run upside down beneath branches).

Unfortunately, the numbers of these animals are decreasing due to loss of habitat as a result of development and hunting. Like the jaguar, the ocelot, margay, and tiger cat are popular for their skins. Some are also being captured for the exotic pet trade. All three cats are included on the endangered species list.