The Ocelot is a beautifully marked, medium-sized spotted cat that ranges from southern Texas through Central and South America. It is a stealthy nocturnal predator with extraordinary visual acuity in low light, capable of rotating its retinas to maximize light capture. Fewer than 50 ocelots survive in the United States, all in deep south Texas, where road mortality and habitat fragmentation pose major threats.
Habitat
Dense thornscrub, tropical forests, and riparian thickets
Diet
Rodents, rabbits, birds, lizards, and small deer
How common
Very rare
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