Description and Ecology Ocelots ( Leopardus pardalis ) look similar to an average housecat. A fully grown ocelot stands 16 to 20 inches tall, measures about 2 to 3 feet long, and weighs 17 to 33 pounds. Its tail is between 12 and 20 inches. An ocelot’s fur is usually reddish tan with black splotches. The fur is white on the chest and stomach, as well as under the tail. This coloring helps the ocelot blend in with its habitat. Because the ocelot is a predator, its eyes are on the front of its face. Territorial and solitary, ocelots spend most of the day resting out of sight in brush or among tree vines or roots. They hunt mostly at night. To find prey, they roam throughout their territory and then spend up to an hour at a time motionless in a single spot waiting to strike. The diet of ocelots consists mostly of small mammals such as rabbits and mice, but they also eat lizards, frogs, and even birds. An interesting fact about ocelots is that they are strong swimmers. Th