[ noun ] nocturnal wildcat of Central America and South America having a dark-spotted buff-brown coat <noun.animal>
Ocelot \O"ce*lot\, n. [Mexican ocelotl.] (Zo["o]l.) An American feline carnivore ({Felis pardalis}). It ranges from the Southwestern United States to Patagonia. It is covered with blackish ocellated spots and blotches, which are variously arranged. The ground color varies from reddish gray to tawny yellow.
Similarly, the margay, a smaller version of the ocelot, is listed as a refuge inhabitant.
Police took custody of an ocelot after the forest cat ripped open both arms of its mistress, a Bronx woman.
Perhaps the timorous tabby gradually moved south because it didn't like the Texas bobcat, which is about the same size yet outnumbers the ocelot more than 2,000 to 1 here.
They resemble the bobcat." Mostly, Americans have encountered the ocelot as a neckpiece, an arm piece or a house pet.