Ocelot
species
OCELOT. The smaller spotted or striped species of the genus Felis (see MaaratiAmA., vol. xv. p. 435), of both the Old and the New World, are commonly called tiger-cats. Of these, one of the best-known and beautifully marked forms, peculiar to the American continent, has received the name of Ocelot (Felis pardalis), though
zoologists are still undecided whether under this designation several distinct species have not been included, or whether all the ocelots are to be referred to a single species showing great individual or racial variation. Their fur has always a tawny yellow or reddish-grey ground colour, and is marked with black spots, aggregated in streaks and blotches, or in elongated rings enclosing an area
which is rather darker than the general ground colour. They range through the wooded parts of tropical America, from Arkansas in the north as other smaller members of the cat tribe, being ready climbers and exceedingly bloodthirsty.
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