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Bobcat |
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Lynx rufus
Family
Lifespan
- Wild: 10 to 20 years
- Captivity: 20 to 30 years
Size
- Length: 3 ½ to 4 feet
- Weight: 13 ½ to 30 pounds
Origin
- Southern Canada, parts of Mexico, and the United States
Habitat
- Forests, mountain ranges, prairies
Diet
- Wild: Rabbits, rodents, birds, and deer
- Zoo: Ground beef with a vitamin mix, chicks, and a knucklebone once a week (for healthy teeth)
Reproduction
- Females produce litters once every 2 years.
- Litters consist of 1 to 4 young.
- The kittens begin eating solid food by 2 months of age, and are hunting by the age of 5 months.
Special Adaptations
- The bobcat has excellent camouflage.
- Its reddish brown coat blends in with the underbrush, and the spots and stripes help break up its shape.
- Bobcats are good swimmers and can also jump up to 12 feet in the air.
Feline Facts
- The bobcat, like most felines, creeps up and pounces on its prey.
- Its powerful teeth and claws are equipped for taking down prey swiftly.
- Felines patrol a specific area of territory; in the case of the bobcat, that territory may be up to 40 square miles.
- The bobcat is crepuscular, meaning it hunts and is most active in the hours before sunrise and at twilight.
- Felines have scent glands under their cheeks and will rub on territory boundaries to mark them.
- Many cats will claw trees at the border of their territories to let others know it is claimed.
Unique Characteristics
- The bobcat gets its name from its stumpy tail.
- Bobcats have a burrow or den in which it lives and raises its litter.
- Male bobcats are unusual among cat species because they bring food to the mother and kittens in the den.
- Bobcats look similar to their northern cousin, the Lynx, but can be told apart by their tails. Bobcat tails have a black tip on the end while the Lynx will have a white tip. Their range and other differences distinguish them as well.
Conservation Status
- IUCN: Least Concern
- CITES: Appendix II
- Bobcats have been labeled as sheep predators in Mexico, and are frequently killed by farmers.
- They are also hunted and trapped for their fur and due to habitat destruction and the ever-expanding human population, their numbers have decreased.
- However, since the 1970s, the bobcat population in the United States has increased due to protection laws.
Sources
- CITES Appendices. Accessed December 2012. www.cites.org
- IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. Accessed December 2012. www.iucnredlist.org
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