Species comparison
Pampas Cat vs Ocelot
A side-by-side look at Leopardus colocola and Leopardus pardalis across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The ocelot averages about 4.2 times the body mass of the pampas cat.
- Both species use semi-arid scrub and dry forest.
- Their ranges both include South America.
- Red List categories differ: Pampas Cat is listed as Near Threatened, Ocelot as Least Concern.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Pampas Cat
Leopardus colocola
Ocelot
Leopardus pardalis
Pampas Cat
Leopardus
Ocelot
Leopardus
Pampas Cat
Ocelot lineage
Ocelot
Ocelot lineage
Pampas Cat
Small cats
Ocelot
Medium-sized cats
Pampas Cat
Colocolo, Gato de los pajonales
Ocelot
Painted leopard, Dwarf leopard
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Pampas Cat
17 in – 2 ft 7 in (42–79 cm)
Ocelot
22 in – 3 ft 3 in (55–100 cm) Longer
Pampas Cat
9 in – 13 in (22–33 cm)
Ocelot
10 in – 18 in (26–45 cm) Longer
Pampas Cat
12 in – 14 in (30–35 cm)
Ocelot
16 in – 20 in (40–50 cm) Taller
Pampas Cat
4.4–8.8 lb (2–4 kg)
High-altitude animals tend to be larger and longer-coated.
Ocelot
15–40 lb (7–18 kg) Heavier
Males average roughly a third heavier than females.
Pampas Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Ocelot
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field; ocelots hunt by slow searching, not pursuit.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Pampas Cat
9–12 years Longer
Ocelot
7–10 years
Pampas Cat
12–16 years
Ocelot
20–23 years Longer
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Pampas Cat
grassland, steppe, semi-arid scrub, dry forest, rocky alpine
Open habitats with cover at ground level: pampas grassland, Andean puna, Patagonian steppe, Chaco scrub and dry woodland.
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.
Pampas Cat
South America
From Ecuador and Colombia south through Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina to Patagonia.
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.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Pampas Cat
small mammals, birds, reptiles
Small rodents, ground-nesting birds and their eggs, lizards and occasional invertebrates.
Ocelot
small mammals, reptiles, birds, fish
Rodents, opossums, armadillos, iguanas, snakes, birds and fish; most prey items weigh under two pounds.
Pampas Cat
Solitary
Poorly known; observations are scattered and there are very few radio-tracking studies.
Ocelot
Solitary and territorial
Adults hold defended ranges and travel long distances along established routes each night, often several miles.
Pampas Cat
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Mostly active at night, with daytime records from high-altitude and cold environments.
Ocelot
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Predominantly night active, with some daytime movement during cool or wet weather.
Pampas Cat
Ground search in tussock cover
Works methodically through grass and scrub, flushing and pouncing on rodents.
Ocelot
Slow ground search with short pounce
Ocelots walk slowly through cover, pausing frequently, and rely on hearing and smell as much as sight.
Pampas Cat
Capable
Climbs when trees are available but is essentially terrestrial.
Ocelot
Strong More developed
Climbs and rests in trees but takes most prey on the forest floor.
Pampas Cat
Very limited
No significant association with water.
Ocelot
Strong More developed
Comfortable in water, crossing rivers and hunting along flooded forest edges.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Pampas Cat
NT — Near Threatened
Assessed 2020
Ocelot
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2015
Pampas Cat
Decreasing
Ocelot
Decreasing
Pampas Cat
Grassland conversion to agriculture, Persecution near poultry, Dogs in rural landscapes, Road mortality, Unresolved taxonomy hampering targeted action
Conversion of native grassland to crops and pasture is the main pressure, alongside heavy fragmentation in the pampas and Chaco.
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.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Pampas Cat
- The coat can differ so much between populations that specimens were once split into several species.
- It occupies one of the widest altitude ranges of any American cat, from sea level to Andean puna.
- Field records remain so sparse that basic life-history data are still missing for many regions.
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.
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.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- National Geographic — Animals General natural-history reference for behaviour, range and ecology.
- 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.