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OCELOT EXHIBIT NOW OPEN!!!

Ocelot Exhibit & Education Center
Ocelots are beautiful "exotic" wild cats from South America, often described as "miniature cheetahs." There are currently only 26 Brazilian Ocelots in the United States, and we are bringing two to the Santa Ana Zoo. Since 2002, the Santa Ana Zoo has been working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Brazilian Ocelot Consortium and the government of Brazil to play a role in the ocelot's survival. The ocelot currently is classified as an endangered species, and the Santa Ana Zoo has been one of ten U.S. zoos involved with the consortium.
  • The ocelot is said to be a picky eater-even more so than other cats! Other cats remove feathers and fur from their prey as they eat it, but ocelots pluck off all the feathers and fur from animals that they catch before they eat them!
  • The scientific name, Leopardis pardalis, means "like a leopard," but there are no leopards in North or South America, where ocelots are found. They actually got their common name from the Aztec word tlalocelot, which means "field tiger."
  • A male ocelot keeps a territory that overlaps four or five females' territories so he can easily find a mate. He is not so friendly to his male next-door neighbors, though; male ocelots mark their territories so that all other males know they must stay away!
  • For more information about the ocelot, please click here.

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