Editing Ocelot (section)

=== Hunting and diet ===
[[File:Jaguatirica.jpg|thumb|An ocelot hunting at night]]
Ocelots have been observed to follow [[Tracking (hunting)|scent trails]] in search for prey, walking at a speed of about {{cvt|0.3|km/h|1}}.<ref name=Emmons/> Alternatively, an ocelot may wait for prey for 30 to 60 minutes at a certain site and move to another walking at {{cvt|0.8|–|1.4|km/h}} if unsuccessful. An ocelot typically prefers hunting in areas with vegetation cover, avoiding open areas, especially on moonlit nights, so as not to be seen by the prey. As a carnivore, it preys on small terrestrial mammals such as [[rodent]]s, [[Lagomorpha|lagomorphs]], [[armadillo]]s, [[opossum]]s, also fish, crustaceans, insects, reptiles and birds. It usually feeds on the kill immediately, but removes bird feathers before. It typically preys on animals that weigh less than {{cvt|1|kg}}, but rarely targets large ungulates such as deer, sheep and [[peccaries]], as well as [[anteater]]s, [[New World monkey]]s and [[iguana]]s. It requires {{cvt|600|–|800|g}} of food every day to satisfy its energy requirements.<ref name=Sunquist/>

Primates prevail in the diet of ocelots in southeastern Brazil<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bianchi |first1=R.C. |last2=Mendes |first2=S.L. |name-list-style=amp |title=Ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') predation on primates in Caratinga Biological Station, southeast Brazil |journal=American Journal of Primatology |year=2007 |volume=69 |issue=10 |pages=1173–1178 |doi=10.1002/ajp.20415 |pmid=17330310 |s2cid=21305103}}</ref> and iguanas in a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Meza |first1=A.V. |last2=Meyer |first2=E.M. |last3=Gonzalez |first3=C.A.L. |name-list-style=amp |title=Ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') food habits in a tropical deciduous forest of Jalisco, Mexico |journal=The American Midland Naturalist |year=2002 |volume=148|issue=1 |pages=146–154 |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2002)148[0146:OLPFHI]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=198158053}}</ref> The composition of the diet varies by season; in Venezuela, ocelots were found to prefer iguanas and rodents in the dry season and then switch to [[land crab]]s in the wet season.<ref name=Ludlow>{{cite journal |last1=Ludlow |first1=M.E.|last2=Sunquist|first2=M. |name-list-style=amp |title=Ecology and behavior of ocelots in Venezuela |journal=National Geographic Research |year=1987|volume=3|issue=4|pages=447–461}}</ref> In southeastern Brazil, ocelots have a similar prey preference as margays and oncillas. The oncillas focus on tree-living [[marsupial]]s and birds while the margays are not as selective.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=E. |title=Diets of ocelots (''Leopardus pardalis''), margays (''L. wiedii''), and oncillas (''L. tigrinus'') in the Atlantic rainforest in southeast Brazil |journal=Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment |year=2002 |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=207–212 |doi=10.1076/snfe.37.3.207.8564 |bibcode=2002SNFE...37..207W |s2cid=83976479}}</ref>