The Ocelot (Kristen Forster)

The Ocelot

Report by: Kristen Forster
Bio 227-01

http://revolutionaryecology.com/2013/12/06/endangered-ocelot-killed-by-capitalist-imperialist-car-culture/

The Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) was added to the endangered species list in 1972 under the authority of the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969. The Ocelot is listed as endangered in Arizona and Texas.  If efforts are cordially met and carried out in the prescribed recovery plan the Ocelot's down listing could potentially be met by 2030.

Species Description and Ecology 

The Ocelot have magnificent striped and spotted markings. The fur may be anywhere from a pale cream to a reddish gray with open centered spots that run the length of the body like links in a chain. The underside a is bright white with tiny black spots and stripes. These markings allow it to blend perfectly with its surroundings. The spotted and stripped markings on every ocelots are different, no two felines are the same. (http://www.felineconservation.org/feline_species/ocelot.htm)

Ocelots mate one a year and birth a litter ranging from 1-2 kittens. At around month 3, these newborn kittens accompany their mothers on their first hunting trip and remain by their mothers side they are one years old.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Ocelotkittens/

Geographic and Population Changes

Ocelots are typically known to be found in Central American but can also located in Texas, Arizona, and Northern Argentina. These felines are found in a variety of habitats including but not limited to: tropical forests, Savannah grasslands, mangrove forests and marshes, and scrub regions. (http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Leopardus_pardalis/

http://www.defenders.org/ocelot/basic-facts

The population for the Ocelots has fluctuated throughout the years but now, the populations that "Tewes and Everett (1986) provided “a crude estimate” of 80-120 individuals in Texas based on distribution of radio-tagged ocelots extrapolated to areas that were probably suitable habitat." (http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/100826.pdf). There are estimated to be fewer than 100 Ocelots left in the United States, and with numbers dwindling this quickly it is important to do everything we can to try to save the Ocelot.

Listing Date and Type of Listing

The Ocelot was added to the Endangered Species list on March 28, 1972 as an Endangered Species. These felines are listed in the Southwest Region (Region 2) which includes Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. (http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A084)

Cause of Listing and Main Threat to Current Existence

Initially, the main threat to the Ocelot's current existence is the human population. With habitat loss, automobile collisions, and inbreeding the population is continually decreasing. However, these threats were not the only factors that enabled the Ocelot's movement towards the endangered species list. According to the Ocelot Recovery Plan implemented by the U.S. Wildlife Fish and Game Services the main reason the Ocelot's were listed are as followed:

-Factor A: The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range.

-Factor B: Over-utilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes.

-Factor C:  Disease or predation.

-Factor D: The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms.

-Factor E:  Other natural or anthropogenic factors affecting its continued existence.

http://notalotofocelots.weebly.com

http://jaguardetectives.wildlifedirect.org/

(http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/100826.pdf)

Description of Recovery Plan

The key components to the Ocelot's recovery plan are as followed (using Factors listed above):

1) Assess, protect, and restore sufficient habitat to support viable populations of the ocelot in the borderlands of the United States and Mexico (Listing Factor A). 

2) Reduce the effects of human population growth and development on ocelot survival and mortality (Listing Factors A,E). 

3) Maintain or improve genetic fitness, demographic conditions, and health of the ocelot (Listing Factors C,E). 

4) Assure the long-term viability of ocelot conservation through partnerships, the development and application of incentives for landowners, application of existing regulations, and public education and outreach (Listing Factors A,D,E). 

5) Practice adaptive management in which recovery is monitored and recovery tasks are revised by the USFWS in coordination with the Recovery Team as new information becomes available. 

6) Support international efforts to ascertain the status of and conserve the ocelot south of Tamaulipas and in Sonora (Listing Factors A,B,C,D,E). (http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/100826.pdf)

The long-term goal for the Ocelot Recovery Plan implemented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to try and recover the Ocelot's population by the year 2030 so it is healthy and once again stable. 

For more information on the Ocelot, please go to (http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/100826.pdf) for the entire recovery plan.