Reliable estimates of population density and size are crucial to wildlife conservation, particularly in the context of the Endangered Species Act. In the United States, ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) were listed as endangered in 1982, and to date, only one population density estimate has been reported in Texas. In this study, we integrated vegetation metrics derived from LiDAR and spatial capture-recapture models to discern factors of ocelot encounter rates and estimated localized population estimates on private ranchlands in coastal southern Texas.
