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| Scientific Name: Lynx rufus |
| Size: Head and body 25.5-28 inches
(65-72cm); tail 5.5-6 inches (14-15cm) |
| Weight: 15.5-22 pounds (7-10kg) |
| Distribution: From southern Canada,
down through the US to northern Mexico |
| Habitat: Wide variety from semi-desert
to sub-tropical swamp and coniferous forest |
| Diet: Rabbits, hares, rodents, opossum,
birds, snakes, and small deer. |
| Reproduction: After a gestation period
of about 8 weeks, female gives birth to 2-4 cubs |
| Status: Least
Concern |
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Originally called the Red Lynx, because
of the reddish tinge to its fur, the Bobcat has also been called the Barred Bobcat,
the Bay Lynx, and the Wild Cat.
Bobcats are very similar in appearance to lynx, but generally have shorter legs
and smaller feet. Bobcat fur is short, soft, and dense and varies greatly in coloration
from shades of reddish brown through to light grey, with light underparts. Dark
brown or black spots are present on the coat, and the fur on the ears is black,
with a prominent white spot |
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in
the center. The tufting at the tips of the ears is less prominent than in the
lynx, and some bobcats have no tufts. The short tail is white underneath with
a broad black band on the upper tip and several indistinct dark bands. The Bobcat
is about twice the size of a domestic cat and is slightly smaller than the Canadian
Lynx. Bobcats live in a wide variety of habitats including coniferous and hardwood
forests, brush, and even desert. Snow accumulation seems to be the main factor
limiting the northern distribution of the bobcat. Their range extends from southern
Canada to northern Mexico, but they have been eradicated from some midwestern
and eastern states in the United States.
A solitary hunter with large territories of up to 66 square miles (170 sq km),
the Bobcat preys largely on rabbits and hares (up to 90 percent of the diet).
It will occasionally take rats, mice, opossums, snakes, birds and small deer.
Deer tend to be eaten in the winter, when bobcats frequently scavenge on their
carcasses rather than actually kill them. Stealth rather than speed is used by
the bobcat when hunting. It has two techniques - the ambush and the stalk-and-pounce.
Occasionally it has been known to bury excess food for later use, but more often
it will simply leave the surplus to the local scavengers. Bobcats may remain relatively
close to human settlements, hunting cautiously at night.
The breeding season tends to peak between February and June, but has been known
to occur at almost any time of the year. Courtship is a noisy affair, as the calls
of the cats echo over a considerable distance at night. Up to six cubs may be
born after a gestation period lasting about eight weeks. The female retreats to
give birth in a thicket, cave or hollow tree, where she prepares a snug nest for
her kittens, lining it with leaves and soft mosses. Both parents may subsequently
provide food for them, and the young will venture forth from their den for the
first time when they are about five weeks old. The young bobcats will start hunting
with their mother from the age of five months. By the time they are nine months
old they are starting to separate and establish their own territory. |
| BOBCAT
PHOTOS |
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