As a person fascinated by cats and felines, I do research on these animals whenever I have some extra time. In my view, both cats and felines are marvellous creatures in terms of both their appearance and their mode of behaviour,  given as gifts to us by evolution. It is not possible to ignore the nobility of a lion or the innocent and savage beauty of a cougar. Felines are found everywhere in the world. The serval, living in Africa; the Pallas’s cat, living in Central Asia and Eastern Europe; the caracal, living in Africa and some parts of the Middle East and Anatolia are just a few examples of the countless species of felines dispersed all over the world.

During my research I have also realized that some felines play a pivotal role in Mesoamerican cultures. Primarily, big felines we call the jaguar rose to the rank of a deity in all Mesoamerican civilizations. However, there is another feline playing an important role in Mesoamerican civilizations, though it was regarded as less important than jaguars. This feline is a small one called the ocelot in English and el ocelote in Spanish.

When we take a glance at the root of the word, we cross paths one more time with Nahuatl, enigmatic language of the Mesoamerica. Ocelotl in Nahuatl meant a jaguar. The word ocelot is derived from this Nahuatl word, meaning a jaguar. Those who spoke Nahuatl used to employ the word tlacoocelotl for the purpose of referring to the ocelot itself. This expression literally means semi-jaguar, which is a reasonable way of naming the ocelot due to the fact that an ocelot is much smaller than a jaguar, but quite similar in appearance to it.

Ocelots are dispersed in many parts of Central America and from northern and central parts of South America to its southeastern terrain. It has a spotted coat and each ocelot has a unique pattern of spots all over its body. They can reach a height of 50 centimeters at the shoulder. They are solitary animals and don’t like humans approaching them. They only get together during the mating season. It is also known as ghost cat because of this. They generally bear one or two babies, though at times they have been observed to bear three kittens. They are adept at hunting, even at animals bigger than them. Among these animals are deer which haven’t grown to full maturity. They also consume snakes, lizards, rabbits, opossums and even small crocodiles.

Spiritually ocelots symbolize stealth, intuition, independence and self-sufficiency. The Aztecs used to believe that ocelots could provide protection for them during times of battle and guide them out of danger in times of emergency. Also ocelots used to be often featured in works of art such as pottery and stone carvings produced in Mesoamerica. They also would be hunted frequently as a result of the beauty of their coat and their coat used to be worn by warriors as decorative clothing.

Ocelots were on the brink of extinction in such a recent past as 1980s. Today they are no longer in danger of being extinct in spite of the fact that their habitats are getting smaller each day.