Research overview: ocelot nocturnal and crepuscular activity

Activity-budget research using camera traps and accelerometer collars characterizes the ocelot as predominantly nocturnal and crepuscular, with peaks near dusk and dawn that overlap the activity of its rodent and opossum prey. This overview gathers evidence that ocelots adjust timing to lunar phase and to the presence of larger predators and people, sometimes becoming more strictly nocturnal in disturbed landscapes. Daytime is spent resting in dense cover, hollow logs, or vegetation tangles. Temporal partitioning also helps ocelots coexist with sympatric cats such as margays and jaguarundis by separating peak hunting hours. Documenting these rhythms is valuable because survey timing, road-crossing risk, and human-wildlife encounters all depend on when ocelots are actually moving.