In the wild, the ocelot lives about 14 years, in captivity much longer. Now about 11 subspecies of ocelot are classified, some of which have already been irretrievably destroyed by man. Ocelot is a predatory inhabitant of shrubby pampas and tropical jungles of America. It occurs in Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Northern Argentina, Guyana. The largest population is concentrated in the inaccessible to the people basin of the Amazon River.
Valuable fur is highly quoted on the fur markets of the world, which makes this wild cat an object of poaching. Thanks to the creation of protected areas and the imposition of restrictive sanctions on the sale of fur, the number of ocelots has been restored and maintained at a safe level.
Wild ocelots lead a secret life and rarely intersect with each other. They swim well, climb trees and rocks well, but mostly move on the ground. The personal area occupies 30 km 2 – it is carefully marked with urine, jealously guarded by the owner, constantly patrolled, open only to females during mating.
To communicate with his brethren, the ocelot uses mewing sounds, especially intense during mating games. The cries of loving ocelots resemble the March concerts of urban cats.
