I'm not gonna "quote" the standards of the 2 breeds, but try to explain/show some of the differences so we all can learn. DH and I learned a lot in person comparing the 2 breeds side by side. If any of the Bengal breeders want to add stuff I missed, do so
General description:
Overall the Bengals are larger then Ocicats - some males are going 20 lbs. Average is about 14-15 for males, 10-12 for females. They are bigger boned.
Ocicats are usually 9-12 lbs for males (some can go up to 14) and 7-9 for females.
Body/Pattern/Coat description:
Both have long bodies and legs - the boning in a Bengal is heavier. One big difference in male Bengals (not sure if the females have it) is a "hump" on the back of the head/neck - between the shoulders. Its extra muscle. Ocicats don't have that. The Bengal breeder said its from the wild cat trait.
Coat is different - Oci's have a close laying, tight, silky coat. Bengals have a pelt which is a bit different - a little thicker and close laying. Both are silky soft.
Pattern - one of the important differences is Bengals have spotting that should be more horizonal looking rather then the Ocicat's bullseye pattern. Sometimes its a bit hard to tell.
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalBody.jpg
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalBody2.jpg
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalPattern.jpg
The spotting on an Ocicat should be round or thumbprint size and the pattern should look a little like a bullseye or the illusion of a bullseye.
The spotting on a Bengal can take a few different forms (all are just considered a spotted pattern in the ring - no breakdown) - round spots, rosettes, arrowhead, pawprint.
Also the Bengal has marbled patterns - but they should not be bullseye like in a classic tabby pattern. The idea is to create a more "wild" pattern that is horizonal.
Ocicats do come in other patterns but those cannot be shown. Because you have aby/siamese/classic tabby in the background, you can still get those patterns - ticked with very tiny spots, pointed with faint spotting, and the classic tabby pattern. Only the spotted pattern is found in the show ring.
Head description:
Ocicats have a longer head and squarer muzzle. The ears are taller and set a more on top. They also are more pointed with ear tufts (bonus if there, but not necessary). The eyes are more almond shaped.
Bengals have a much rounder looking head with full whisker pads. The ears are shorter, rounded on the tops and NO ear tufts. They are set more on the sides of the head. The eyes are bigger and rounded.
Bengal head
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalHeadB2.jpg
Oci head
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalHeadO.jpg
A few more notes:
We noticed a little differences in the markings on the head around the eyes - seems the Bengals have straighter "eyebrow" markings, while the Ocicats have a more curved stripe. Not a total indication of the breed, but enough to mention.
The color of the belly is whiter in a Bengal - doesn't seem to have as much spotting all the way down. The Ocicat's color is the same as the background color on the sides and the spotting goes all the way down and inside the back legs.
The pattern on an Oci's tail is a line on top with spots on the sides instead of stripes. The Bengal has very deep stripes (like a tiger) that go around the entire tail (or almost).
The stripes on the legs of an Oci are long stretched out spots or spots. The stripes on the legs of a Bengal look like tiger stripes.
Hopefully this will help us all tell some of the differences
Any other comments or additions are appreciated.
General description:
Overall the Bengals are larger then Ocicats - some males are going 20 lbs. Average is about 14-15 for males, 10-12 for females. They are bigger boned.
Ocicats are usually 9-12 lbs for males (some can go up to 14) and 7-9 for females.
Body/Pattern/Coat description:
Both have long bodies and legs - the boning in a Bengal is heavier. One big difference in male Bengals (not sure if the females have it) is a "hump" on the back of the head/neck - between the shoulders. Its extra muscle. Ocicats don't have that. The Bengal breeder said its from the wild cat trait.
Coat is different - Oci's have a close laying, tight, silky coat. Bengals have a pelt which is a bit different - a little thicker and close laying. Both are silky soft.
Pattern - one of the important differences is Bengals have spotting that should be more horizonal looking rather then the Ocicat's bullseye pattern. Sometimes its a bit hard to tell.
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalBody.jpg
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalBody2.jpg
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalPattern.jpg
The spotting on an Ocicat should be round or thumbprint size and the pattern should look a little like a bullseye or the illusion of a bullseye.
The spotting on a Bengal can take a few different forms (all are just considered a spotted pattern in the ring - no breakdown) - round spots, rosettes, arrowhead, pawprint.
Also the Bengal has marbled patterns - but they should not be bullseye like in a classic tabby pattern. The idea is to create a more "wild" pattern that is horizonal.
Ocicats do come in other patterns but those cannot be shown. Because you have aby/siamese/classic tabby in the background, you can still get those patterns - ticked with very tiny spots, pointed with faint spotting, and the classic tabby pattern. Only the spotted pattern is found in the show ring.
Head description:
Ocicats have a longer head and squarer muzzle. The ears are taller and set a more on top. They also are more pointed with ear tufts (bonus if there, but not necessary). The eyes are more almond shaped.
Bengals have a much rounder looking head with full whisker pads. The ears are shorter, rounded on the tops and NO ear tufts. They are set more on the sides of the head. The eyes are bigger and rounded.
Bengal head
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalHeadB2.jpg
Oci head
http://www.labcorner.com/OciBengalHeadO.jpg
A few more notes:
We noticed a little differences in the markings on the head around the eyes - seems the Bengals have straighter "eyebrow" markings, while the Ocicats have a more curved stripe. Not a total indication of the breed, but enough to mention.
The color of the belly is whiter in a Bengal - doesn't seem to have as much spotting all the way down. The Ocicat's color is the same as the background color on the sides and the spotting goes all the way down and inside the back legs.
The pattern on an Oci's tail is a line on top with spots on the sides instead of stripes. The Bengal has very deep stripes (like a tiger) that go around the entire tail (or almost).
The stripes on the legs of an Oci are long stretched out spots or spots. The stripes on the legs of a Bengal look like tiger stripes.
Hopefully this will help us all tell some of the differences