虎猫种

虎猫的皮毛接近美洲豹，因此被遭到大量的捕杀，面临生存的威胁。

种加词 pardalis 意为“豹纹的”、“长满斑点的”。

习性

虎猫大多在夜晚活动，具有领地性。与大多数猫科动物一样，它们是独居动物，只在交配的时候聚集。虎猫的孕期为70天，每胎可产2-4仔，在每年秋天产子。

虎猫的视觉十分灵敏，具有夜视能力，其食物包括猴类、蛇、啮齿类、鱼、两栖类和鸟，有时也捕食家养的小猪和禽类。这些动物基本都比它自身的身体小很多。

亚种

包括以下一些已知亚种：

Leopardus pardalis pardalis：亚马逊雨林

Leopardus pardalis aequatorialis：安第斯山北部和中美

Leopardus pardalis albescens：墨西哥、德克萨斯西南部

Leopardus pardalis melanurus：委内瑞拉、圭亚那、特立尼达、巴巴多斯、格林纳达

• Leopardus pardalis mitis：阿根廷、巴拉圭
• Leopardus pardalis nelsoni：墨西哥
• Leopardus pardalis pseudopardalis：哥伦比亚
• Leopardus pardalis puseaus：厄瓜多尔
• Leopardus pardalis sonoriensis：墨西哥
• Leopardus pardalis steinbachi：玻利维亚

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulders and weighs between 7 and 15.5 kg (15 and 34 lb) on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. Carl Linnaeus scientifically described it in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized.

The ocelot is efficient at climbing, leaping and swimming. It prefers areas close to water sources with dense vegetation cover and high prey availability. It preys on small terrestrial mammals, such as armadilloes, opossums, and lagomorphs. It is typically active during twilight and at night and tends to be solitary and territorial. Both sexes become sexually mature at around two years of age and can breed throughout the year; peak mating season varies geographically. After a gestation period of two to three months, the female gives birth to a litter of one to three kittens. They stay with their mother for up to two years, after which they leave to establish their own home ranges.

The ocelot is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is threatened by habitat destruction, hunting, and traffic accidents. While its range is very large, various populations are decreasing in many parts of its range. The association of the ocelot with humans dates back to the Aztec and Incan civilizations; it has occasionally been kept as a pet.