Ocelot ecology and its effect on the small-felid guild in the lowland Neotropics

OLIVEIRA T.G.; TORTATO M.A.; SILVEIRA L.; KASPER C.B.; MAZIM F.D.; LUCHERINI M.; SOARES J.B.C.; JÁCOMO A.T; MARQUES R.V.; SUNQUIST M.

Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids

Oxford University Press

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2010; p. 563 - 574

The ocelot is the largest of the eight small felid species found in the. The species appears to be strongly associated with dense cover and prey predominantly on small rodents. However, the extent environmental or biological variables constrain ocelot presence and distribution remains poorly understood. Throughout their broad geographic range ocelots live in sympatry with margay (Leopardus wiedii), little spotted cat (Leopardus tigrinus), jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) and, to a lesser extent, with pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo) and Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi). There is considerable overlap among these sympatric species not only in geographic range but also in habitat use, feeding habits, activity patterns and body size, suggesting the potential for interspecific competition. Additionally, competitive intraguild interactions are now acknowledged as important in structuring animal communities. In our analysis we first characterize ocelot ecology across its broad geographic range in an effort to understand the extent to which environmental variables influence ocelot demography and ecology, and we then compare ocelot ecology to that of the other sympatric species with a view to revealing their ecological differences. We also assess the potential for competition of ocelot with other Neotropical felids, in conjunction with testing the competitive niche release. Finally we consider the potential role that ocelot might play as mesopredator in the dynamics of the small-felid assemblage of lowland tropical America.