Species comparison
Ocelot vs Southern Tiger Cat
A side-by-side look at Leopardus pardalis and Leopardus guttulus across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The ocelot averages about 4.7 times the body mass of the southern tiger cat.
- Both species use tropical rainforest and dry forest.
- Their ranges both include South America.
- Red List categories differ: Ocelot is listed as Least Concern, Southern Tiger Cat as Vulnerable.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Ocelot
Leopardus pardalis
Southern Tiger Cat
Leopardus guttulus
Ocelot
Leopardus
Southern Tiger Cat
Leopardus
Ocelot
Ocelot lineage
Southern Tiger Cat
Ocelot lineage
Ocelot
Medium-sized cats
Southern Tiger Cat
Small cats
Ocelot
Painted leopard, Dwarf leopard
Southern Tiger Cat
Southern oncilla, Gato-do-mato-pequeno
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Ocelot
22 in – 3 ft 3 in (55–100 cm) Longer
Southern Tiger Cat
16 in – 24 in (40–60 cm)
Ocelot
10 in – 18 in (26–45 cm) Longer
Southern Tiger Cat
8 in – 17 in (20–42 cm)
Ocelot
16 in – 20 in (40–50 cm) Taller
Southern Tiger Cat
9 in – 12 in (23–30 cm)
Ocelot
15–40 lb (7–18 kg) Heavier
Males average roughly a third heavier than females.
Southern Tiger Cat
4–7.7 lb (1.8–3.5 kg)
Slightly heavier on average than the northern species.
Ocelot
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field; ocelots hunt by slow searching, not pursuit.
Southern Tiger Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Ocelot
7–10 years
Southern Tiger Cat
10–13 years Longer
Ocelot
20–23 years Longer
Southern Tiger Cat
14–17 years
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Ocelot
tropical rainforest, dry forest, mangrove, semi-arid scrub, savanna, wetland
Dense cover is the constant requirement, from Amazon rainforest and flooded várzea to Texan thornscrub and coastal mangrove.
Southern Tiger Cat
tropical rainforest, montane forest, dry forest, agricultural mosaic
Atlantic Forest and adjacent araucaria woodland, including secondary forest and shade plantations that retain canopy cover.
Ocelot
North America, South America
From south Texas and northern Mexico through Central America to northern Argentina. The United States population is confined to a few small areas of southern Texas.
Southern Tiger Cat
South America
Southern and south-eastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and the Misiones region of north-eastern Argentina.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Ocelot
small mammals, reptiles, birds, fish
Rodents, opossums, armadillos, iguanas, snakes, birds and fish; most prey items weigh under two pounds.
Southern Tiger Cat
small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects
Small rodents and marsupials, birds, lizards and insects.
Ocelot
Solitary and territorial
Adults hold defended ranges and travel long distances along established routes each night, often several miles.
Southern Tiger Cat
Solitary
Detected at low densities in most surveys; individuals appear to avoid areas with high ocelot activity.
Ocelot
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Predominantly night active, with some daytime movement during cool or wet weather.
Southern Tiger Cat
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Predominantly night active, with activity shifting where larger cats are present.
Ocelot
Slow ground search with short pounce
Ocelots walk slowly through cover, pausing frequently, and rely on hearing and smell as much as sight.
Southern Tiger Cat
Ground stalk in forest understorey
Takes small prey on the forest floor and in low vegetation, hunting mostly by short stalks.
Ocelot
Strong
Climbs and rests in trees but takes most prey on the forest floor.
Southern Tiger Cat
Strong
Climbs readily but forages mainly at ground level.
Ocelot
Strong More developed
Comfortable in water, crossing rivers and hunting along flooded forest edges.
Southern Tiger Cat
Very limited
No notable association with water.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Ocelot
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2015
Southern Tiger Cat
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2016
Ocelot
Decreasing
Southern Tiger Cat
Decreasing
Ocelot
Deforestation and fragmentation, Road mortality, Retaliatory killing near poultry, Historical fur trade legacy, Isolation of border populations
Secure at the species level across Amazonia, but the northern edge of the range is in serious trouble: the Texas population numbers only a few dozen animals and is federally listed as endangered in the United States.
Southern Tiger Cat
Atlantic Forest clearance, Fragmentation into small isolated patches, Road mortality, Domestic dog attacks, Disease from domestic cats
Assessed as Vulnerable. Loss and fragmentation of the Atlantic Forest, combined with dog attacks and road mortality in the surrounding farmland, drive the decline.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Ocelot
- Hundreds of thousands of ocelot skins entered the international fur trade in the 1960s and 1970s before trade controls took effect.
- Highway underpasses in Texas were built specifically to reduce ocelot road deaths.
- Each animal's rosette pattern is unique, which underpins camera-trap population estimates.
Southern Tiger Cat
- It was described as separate from the northern tiger cat only in 2013, on genetic grounds.
- The two tiger cat species show no evidence of current interbreeding where their ranges approach one another.
- Its stronghold biome has lost the great majority of its original forest cover.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Federal listing status and recovery planning for cats occurring in the United States.
- Panthera Field research programmes and species profiles for big and small wild cats.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.