Few studies have been conducted on the food habits of the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), considered an endangered feline in Mexico. Past studies showed that rodents were the main component of ocelot diet. In our study ocelot prey consumption was measured as frequency of occurrence of prey in scats and then converted to biomass. The spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura pectinata) was the most important prey of ocelots, followed by the spiny pocket mouse (Liomys pictus). Other rodents and some birds were also present in the scats, although representing only a minor proportion of the ocelot's diet. Evidence of subadult white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was also found in scats indicating that ocelots can either capture prey bigger than themselves or are using deer as carrion.
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The American Midland Naturalist
Vol. 148 • No. 1
July 2002
Vol. 148 • No. 1
July 2002