Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) Fact Sheet: Diet & Feeding

Carnivores

• Highly adaptable, generalist predators (De Oliveira et al. 2010; Sunquist & Sunquist 2002)
• Diet varies over range, see examples below
• Daily food intake
• Consume 0.56-0.84 kg (1.2-1.9 lb) or more of meat per day, in the wild (De Oliveira et al. 2010)
• If carcass can't be eaten in one feeding, ocelot covers it and returns the next night (Kitchener 1991)
• Prey
• Consume mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, and crustaceans
• Largest prey items include large rodents (agoutis and pacas), armadillos, sloths, monkeys, hoofed animals (ungulates)
• Agoutis, sloths, other medium sized animals like pacas, green iguanas, and white-nosed coatis
• Generally thought to prefer small mammal prey less than 1 kg (2.2 lb)
• In areas of central Panama where jaguars have become extinct, ocelot prey includes mammals and reptiles larger than 1 kg (2.2 lb) (Moreno et al. 2006)
• Similar pattern known from other ecosystems which lose a large carnivore; smaller carnivores shift to take larger prey items
• Target abundant species
• No apparent preference
• Can mice, opossum, armadillo, and rats (marsh, spiny and rice) are commonly eaten
• Scat analysis records proportions of dietary components (Sunquist et al. 1989)
• 65% small rodents
• 18% reptiles, mostly iguanas
• 7% crustaceans and fish
• 6% medium-sized mammals
• 4% birds

Regional and seasonal variation

• Caratinga Biological Station, Brazil (from Bianchi & Mendes 2007; Bianchi et al 2010)
• Predominant prey includes tree-living brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba)
• Biomass eaten of these primates alone was equal to biomass of all other prey combined
• Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve, Brazil
• Predominant prey includes armadillos (Dasypus sp.), pacas (Cuniculus paca) and deer (Mazama sp.)
• Contributed most of the biomass of the ocelots' diet
• Wet season dietary shifts (Nowell & Jackson 1996)
• Consume spawning fish and land crabs

Ocelots are highly adaptable predators and consume a wide variety of prey. Small animals are commonly targeted, though larger animals also fall prey to these cats.

Image credit: © eMammal via Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Abreu et al. (2008)
Bianchi & Mendes (2007)
Bianchi et al. (2010)
Kitchener (1991)
Meza et al. (2002)
Moreno et al. (2006)
Murray & Gardner (1997)
Nowell & Jackson (1996)
De Oliveira et al. (2010)
Sunquist et al. (1989)
Sunquist & Sunquist (2002)
Sunquist & Sunquist (2009)