OCELOT  
Leopardus pardalis

The Ocelot Leopardus pardalis, also known as the Painted Leopard, McKenney's Wildcat or Manigordo (in Costa Rica), is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico. Growing to over 3 feet in length plus having a tail length of up to 1.5 feet, and weighing up to 33 pounds, the Ocelot is considered the largest of the more petite Leopardus wild cat genus. While it is similar in appearance to the Oncilla and the Margay, which inhabit the same region, the Ocelot is a larger cat.

The Ocelot's appearance is similar to that of the domestic cat. Its fur resembles that of a Jaguar and was once regarded as particularly valuable. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Ocelots have been killed for their fur. The feline was classified a "vulnerable" endangered species from the 1980s until 1996, but thankfully, at this writing, they are making a come-back due to extraordinary conservation measures.

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