Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)
Great place to see it: Pantanal, Brazil
Ocelot. In ancient Peru, this cat was worshipped among other wildlife by the Moche people. And you might have seen pictures of Salvador Dali with this cat he named Babou. The maverick artist even travelled with Babou, making his beloved cat once board a luxury ocean liner as well!
And there is all possibility that you might see and photograph it on our next Wildlife Photography Tour to the Pantanal in Brazil! Ocelot is found extensively in South America. It lives mainly in tropical forests, thorn forests and mangrove swamps.
The ocelot is a carnivore. It feeds on small mammals like rabbits, rodents, small birds and reptiles and fish, insects, armadillos, opossums. It is a very elusive cat, difficult to observe as it is active during twilight and at night. It’s a solitary animal that lives singly in its own territory.
Similar to the bobcat in physical proportions, the nocturnal cat has a breathtaking tangle of spots, bars, stripes, dots and smudges on its body. For this beautiful reason, the ocelot is our Animal of the Week!
See this exotic cat on our ‘The Phantom and the Wetlands‘ Photography Expedition to the Pantanal!
