The ocelot spotted in Southeastern Arizona recently probably wasn't an ocelot after all, officials said.
The animal reportedly seen in Cochise County may have actually been a serval, an African wildcat that's popular in the pet trade, or a serval hybrid, an Arizona Game and Fish Department news release said.
Game and Fish Chairman Robert E. Woodhouse originally said during a commission meeting Friday that the department confirmed the ocelot sighting report. The report was classified as "highly probable" based on photos and paw prints.
The investigating officer was unable to find the animal or collect any other physical evidence such as hair or scat.
The department shared the photos with department biologists and other experts for an independent analysis to determine if the animal was an ocelot, hybrid or other large cat.
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"Although the pictures are blurry, two show that the animal has long ears, long legs, and appears to display only solid spots instead of the combination of solid spots and haloed rosettes seen on an ocelot," said Nongame Branch Chief Eric Gardner in the news release.
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