The ocelot lineage includes the ocelot, the margay, the Andean mountain cat, the pampas cat, the oncilla, Geoffroy's cat, and the kodkod. Most of them look the same but they are really different cats.
The ocelot cat has one of the most beautiful coats in the world. It is golden except for it belly, which can be white or cream, and the black and brown patterns splashed onto its fur. They used to be hunted for their fur and almost became endangered, but know thanks to laws, they cannot be hunted anymore. Ocelots like to live in areas like tropical rainforests. They are very secretive. They sleep hidden in bushes or trees during the day and hunt at night by ambushing their prey. This makes the hard to study. Ocelots can weigh from 24 pounds to 35 pounds. They can be 26 to 39 inches.
The margay lives in the tropical forest region of South America. They eat birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fruit and can weigh 2.6 to 3.9 kilograms. Margays look a lot like ocelots, because they are small with spotted fur. Margays are active in both day and night so they aren't as hard to study as ocelots. Like ocelots, thousands have been killed for their fur. Nowadays, it is illegal to hunt them.
Andean mountain cats are rarely seen. Most of the information experts have gathered are from skulls and bones. The Andean mountain cat has long, soft, silvery-gray fur. They are striped with brown-orange markings on their backs. Their bellies are pale and have dark spots while their tails are long with dark rings around them. They are only found in rocky areas of the high Andes. They eat rodents.
Oncillas are the smallest of all wild cats and they weigh about 3 to 6 pounds. Their fur is thick and patterned like ocelots' and margays'. Oncillas ovoid where ocelots live. They live in lots of countries of South America such as Argentina, Columbia, Brazil and etc. They prey they eat depend on where they live, for example, oncillas in Brazil eat mostly lizards. Unfortunately, the number of oncillas living in the wild are going down each year. Farmers kill these cats because oncillas attack their livestock and people tear down places oncillas like to live. They used to be hunted, too, but now it is against the law.
The pampas cat lives in grasslands in Argentina and Chile. They can weigh from 4-8 pounds, but they look larger than their actual size because of their long hair. The color of the fur of a pampas cat depends on where they live. It can be a variety of yellow to brown to silvery-gray. While some have spots and stripes on their shorter fur, others have plain, long fur.
Kodkods are just a little bigger than oncillas; they are very small. They prey on rodents, birds, and lizards. They weigh a little more than 3-6 pounds and their coats are pale yellow-brown or grayish brown with small black spots. A kodkod's short tail is marked with dark bands and the back of their ears are black with a white spot in the middle. They live in the western parts of Argentina, where the Andes mountains are and the center and south part of Chile. They are awake during the night and asleep while its night. Like ocelots, kodkods are very secretive and like to hid while they sleep during the day. Proof that they are secretive is that there are very little pictures of this cat. People are very dangerous to kodkods. Farmers destroy their homes and kill them because they attack chickens.
Geoffroy's cat's coat is patterned with small black spots about the same size, the background color of the fur depends on where they live. They live in the southern half of South America so there is a wide range to where they live. Geoffroy's cats are pretty small. They are about the size of a house cat.
Geoffroy's cat are active during the day and the night, but they normally hunt at night. They thing they hunt and eat are rodents, hares, rabbits, lizards, frogs, insects, and birds. People are a major danger to Geoffroy's cats. They used to be hunted all the time, but in 2012, the law banned it. They are still in danger, though, because farmers kill them for attacking their livestock and other people tear down their homes.
There are differences and similarities between the cats in the ocelot lineage. Some of them live in different places and some of them look a little different. Some of them live in the same places and some are in the same dangers.
The ocelot cat has one of the most beautiful coats in the world. It is golden except for it belly, which can be white or cream, and the black and brown patterns splashed onto its fur. They used to be hunted for their fur and almost became endangered, but know thanks to laws, they cannot be hunted anymore. Ocelots like to live in areas like tropical rainforests. They are very secretive. They sleep hidden in bushes or trees during the day and hunt at night by ambushing their prey. This makes the hard to study. Ocelots can weigh from 24 pounds to 35 pounds. They can be 26 to 39 inches.
The margay lives in the tropical forest region of South America. They eat birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fruit and can weigh 2.6 to 3.9 kilograms. Margays look a lot like ocelots, because they are small with spotted fur. Margays are active in both day and night so they aren't as hard to study as ocelots. Like ocelots, thousands have been killed for their fur. Nowadays, it is illegal to hunt them.
Andean mountain cats are rarely seen. Most of the information experts have gathered are from skulls and bones. The Andean mountain cat has long, soft, silvery-gray fur. They are striped with brown-orange markings on their backs. Their bellies are pale and have dark spots while their tails are long with dark rings around them. They are only found in rocky areas of the high Andes. They eat rodents.
Oncillas are the smallest of all wild cats and they weigh about 3 to 6 pounds. Their fur is thick and patterned like ocelots' and margays'. Oncillas ovoid where ocelots live. They live in lots of countries of South America such as Argentina, Columbia, Brazil and etc. They prey they eat depend on where they live, for example, oncillas in Brazil eat mostly lizards. Unfortunately, the number of oncillas living in the wild are going down each year. Farmers kill these cats because oncillas attack their livestock and people tear down places oncillas like to live. They used to be hunted, too, but now it is against the law.
The pampas cat lives in grasslands in Argentina and Chile. They can weigh from 4-8 pounds, but they look larger than their actual size because of their long hair. The color of the fur of a pampas cat depends on where they live. It can be a variety of yellow to brown to silvery-gray. While some have spots and stripes on their shorter fur, others have plain, long fur.
Kodkods are just a little bigger than oncillas; they are very small. They prey on rodents, birds, and lizards. They weigh a little more than 3-6 pounds and their coats are pale yellow-brown or grayish brown with small black spots. A kodkod's short tail is marked with dark bands and the back of their ears are black with a white spot in the middle. They live in the western parts of Argentina, where the Andes mountains are and the center and south part of Chile. They are awake during the night and asleep while its night. Like ocelots, kodkods are very secretive and like to hid while they sleep during the day. Proof that they are secretive is that there are very little pictures of this cat. People are very dangerous to kodkods. Farmers destroy their homes and kill them because they attack chickens.
Geoffroy's cat's coat is patterned with small black spots about the same size, the background color of the fur depends on where they live. They live in the southern half of South America so there is a wide range to where they live. Geoffroy's cats are pretty small. They are about the size of a house cat.
Geoffroy's cat are active during the day and the night, but they normally hunt at night. They thing they hunt and eat are rodents, hares, rabbits, lizards, frogs, insects, and birds. People are a major danger to Geoffroy's cats. They used to be hunted all the time, but in 2012, the law banned it. They are still in danger, though, because farmers kill them for attacking their livestock and other people tear down their homes.
There are differences and similarities between the cats in the ocelot lineage. Some of them live in different places and some of them look a little different. Some of them live in the same places and some are in the same dangers.