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de Cassia Bianchi, R.; Mendes, S.L.; de Marco Junior, P.
Food habits of ocelot in two areas in southeast Brazil
2010  Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment (45): 111-119

The objective of this study was to compare the diet of the ocelot at two sites in southeastern Brazil: the small (957 ha), isolated Caratinga Biological Station (CBS), Minas Gerais and the large (>44,000 ha) contiguous area, comprised of the Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve (VRDNR) and the Sooretama Biological Reserve (SBR). We collected 60 scats in CBS from January 1997 to July 2000. Small rodents, small marsupials and primates were the most important items in terms of frequency of occurrence. In terms of biomass consumed, the brown howler monkey (_Alouatta guariba_) was the most important item. In the VRDNR/SBR we collected 77 scats from April 1995 to September 1996 and from January 1999 to September 2000. The main food items were armadillo (_Dasypus _sp.), small rodents, teju (_Tupinambis merianae_), and small marsupials. In VRDNR/SBR the ocelot had a more diverse diet, probably reflecting the diversity of prey species found in this area. The occurrence of ocelots in CBS indicates the adaptive flexibility of this felid to forests fragments, probably facilitated by the high biomass of potential prey - in this case, the primate _Alouatta guariba._

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