Conservation Status
Not threatened. Population stable.
Description
The bobcat, named for its short tail, is a medium-sized cat with a ruff of fur edging the sides of the face. Pelt coloration has been variously described as light grey, yellowish brown, buff, brown and reddish brown. Bobcats are always spotted to some extent, with some individuals patterned only on the undersides, others with spots extending up the sides onto the chest and back. The bobcat may be distinguished from the similar-looking Canada lynx by its shorter hind legs, smaller feet, and shorter ear tufts. The bobcat’s tail is black only on the top, whereas the lynx has black all around the tip.
Size
About 2-3 times the size of a house cat. Head and body length: 65cm - 105cm. Tail length: 11cm - 19 cm. Weight: 5 - 15 kg. The average weight of adult males ranges from 8.9-13.3 kg, and females from 5.8-9.2 kg.Bobcats tend to be larger in the north of their range; larger bobcats also tend to occur in more open habitats, with smaller bobcats in forested habitat.
Habitat
forests, mountainous regions, semi-desert, brush land
The majority of the world’s bobcats are found in the United States, where they range through a wide variety of habitats, including boreal coniferous and mixed forests in the north, bottomland hardwood forest and coastal swamp in the south-east, and desert and scrubland in the south-west. In the west, they have been trapped at elevations up to 2,575 m . Only large, intensively cultivated areas appear to be unsuitable habitat. Areas with dense understory vegetation and high prey density are most intensively selected by bobcats. In Mexico, bobcats are found in dry scrubland and forests of pine and oak, principally in the mountainous northern and central parts of the country, and not in the tropical south.
Southern Canada represents the northern limit of bobcat range. Bobcat feet are smaller than those of the lynx and lack the large furry pads of the lynx. This, combined with the bobcat’s shorter legs, makes travel in deep snow difficult, and is thus a significant limiting factor in the species’ northern distribution. In areas where the two cats met, such as Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, the more aggressive bobcat has displaced the lynx. A northward expansion of the bobcat’s range has taken place over the past century, along with a corresponding northward retreat of the southern boundary of the lynx’s range, in association with the clearing for agriculture of mature conifer forests in the region.
Diet
Rabbits and hares are the bobcat’s year-round dietary staple. Unlike the specialist lynx, however, the bobcat is a generalist and, depending on the locality, rodents, beaver and peccaries also make an important contribution to its diet. Bobcats also take birds and bats. Despite their small size, bobcats can be effective predators of deer, which can be an important winter food source for northern bobcats, when snow depth increases their vulnerability to predation. Young fawns are also particularly vulnerable. Bobcats will also scavenge ungulate carcasses killed by other predators. Bobcats may be active during all hours of the day and night, but studies have consistently found dawn and dusk activity peaks, a pattern based on the activity patterns of major prey species.
Breeding
About three kittens are born after a gestation period of 60 to 70 days. The kittens open their eyes after 10 day. They are weaned after about 8 weeks. Bobcats live about 12 years in the wild and up to 25 years in captivity.
Range
Canada (S British Columbia to Nova Scotia), Mexico (south to Oaxaca), USA.
Other Names
lynx roux, chat sauvage (French)
Rotluchs, Luchskatz (German)
lince, lince rojo, gato montés (Spanish)
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