Friday, April 9, 2010
Lots of Ocelots
From a photographic perspective, it's a shame ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) are so nocturnal. Since they are active at night, it means the remote camera kicks over to infra-red so they appear in black-and-white. That doesn't do justice to its lovely buffy-golden color. In the hundreds of ocelot images taken over many years of camera trapping, I think I have had "day time" ocelots only on three occasions.
The images above were taken over two nights in March on the far Punta de Cacao road, about 15 km east of the farm on the Gallon Jug Estate property. It is a densely forested area seldom visited by people, only because it is not accessible most times of the year due to muddy conditions or treefall.
Besides a spotted pattern, ocelots also feature distinctive striping on the shoulders. In this sequence one individual is fairly distinctive due to the stripe on its left side. Watch the sequence carefully for the frame of two ocelots together.
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Very cool. We were lucky enough to see a wild ocelot and cub at Chan Chich during our last visit. I will never forget how "wild" they seemed..the sounds they made, the look in their eyes. It was a great experience.
ReplyDeleteLucky you to see a cub too! The second ocelot in this sequence does appear a bit smaller than the first animal, so perhaps it is a nearly grown youngster.
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