Abstract

Ocelots Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758) are one of the most common felids in the Neotropics and in the absence of large carnivores, can function as apex predators. Despite occupying numerous habitats across its range, including human-dominated landscapes, there is limited information on how ocelots use fragmented landscapes. We radio-tracked a female ocelot in a fragmented landscape of the Caribbean region of Colombia from November 2010 to January 2011 to estimate home range and habitat use. We obtained 100 locations overall; home range size was 9.64 km2 using the 95% fixed kernel density estimate. Rivers and roads were the main variables related with the locations and the ocelot selected for natural forests but also used disturbed habitats. Home range size and habitat use was similar to previous studies, but we observed greater use of disturbed habitats. As ocelots become the top predators in many fragmented landscapes of the Neotropics, it is important to understand how they use landscapes and could serve as surrogates for conservation.