Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) potential predation on a gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

Abstract

Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) are commonly killed by other carnivores which can cause local population reductions. In tropical forests, the potential predators of gray fox are mostly large and medium sized felids. As part of a biodiversity survey using camera traps in the Yucatán Peninsula, we recorded an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) carrying a gray fox in its mouth. Although we did not find evidence that the ocelot effectively predated the gray fox, the fact that was carried by the ocelot, potentially indicates the predation event. If this predation event is confirmed, this is the first time that a gray fox has been recorded being predated by an ocelot. Given that gray fox is the most abundant carnivore in the region, current reduction in ocelot populations due to human disturbances could have important effects on the species, such as an increase in their population size due to the reduction in predatory pressure.