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Reproductive life history of ocelotsLeopardus pardalis in southern Texas

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Abstract

The ocelotLeopardus pardalis Linnaeus, 1758 is an endangered felid in the United States currently restricted to southern Texas. The objectives of our study were to obtain data on ocelot parturition dates, fecundity, sex ratios, den characteristics, and first year survival, all of which are critical in development of population viability models. Sixteen parturition events were recorded ranging from mid-April to late December for 12 wild ocelots. Cumulatively, litters consisted of 1 or 2 kittens (¯ = 1.2 ± 0.44 SD). Cumulative sex ratio was 1∶2.5 (male:female); however, there was no significant difference between the observed sex ratio and a 1∶1 sex ratio. Ten den sites were in close proximity (≤ 10 m) to dense thornshrub. Adult female ocelots used 2 to 4 den sites for each litter with distance between consecutively occupied dens ranging from 110 to 280 m (¯ = 158 m ± 93 SD). An estimated annual survival for ocelots 0 to 1 year of age was 0.68. Evidence suggests that ocelots in the wild may breed more frequently than had been previously hypothesized.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laguna Atascosa National Wild life Refuge, 22817 Oce lot Rd, 78566, Los Fresnos, TX, USA

    Linda L. Laack

  2. Feline Re search Program, Caesar Kleberg Wild life Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, MSC 218, Kingsville, TX, 78363-8202, USA

    Michael E. Tewes & Aaron M. Haines

  3. Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, Conservation & Research Center, 1500 Remount Road, 22630, Front Royal, VA, USA

    John H. Rappole

Authors
  1. Linda L. Laack
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  2. Michael E. Tewes
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  3. Aaron M. Haines
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  4. John H. Rappole
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Associate Editor was Joseph F. Merritt.

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Laack, L.L., Tewes, M.E., Haines, A.M. et al. Reproductive life history of ocelotsLeopardus pardalis in southern Texas. Acta Theriol 50, 505–514 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03192643

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03192643

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