ORDER

Carnivora (Carnivores)

FAMILY

Felidae

HABITAT AND RANGE

The bobcat can be found in all of the United States except for the midwest. It is also found in Canada and Mexico. They occupy a wide variety of habitats including forests, deserts, mountains, swamps and farmland. Bobcats take shelter in dens in a rock or tree crevice.

IDENTIFICATION

The bobcat is brown with black spots. Its fur may be grayer in winter. It has large ears with slight tufts of hair at the tips. It has a striped ruff of fur on its cheeks and a short tail with a black tip from which it gets its name (stubby or “bobbed” tail). The bobcat is about two feet tall from its shoulders to its feet. It weighs between 20 and 30 pounds.

DIET

Bobcats are nocturnal hunters that hunt birds, mice, rabbits and other small mammals. They can, however, bring down larger prey such as deer. When hunting larger prey they usually wait to find one resting. They will eat most of the deer and store the rest for later. Otherwise they are ambush hunters, waiting for an animal to come close and pounce on it.

REPRODUCTION AND LIFESPAN

Breeding begins in spring. An average litter will contain 2-4 cubs born in late April and early May. The cubs are weaned after 3-4 months but will remain with their mother until the next breeding season.

NOTES

Like almost every other cat, bobcats are generally solitary occupying well marked territories. Their territories provide them with shelter, food, water and mating areas. They also tend to remain in their territory for their entire lives, only leaving due to other pressures such as larger predators, loss of habitat or absence of food. They mark their territories with urine, feces, scent markings, scratches and scrapes (piles of dirt and debris marked with scent). Hunting of bobcats does occur legally in areas where their populations are abundant. But, because they are highly territorial animals, habitat loss is beginning to put pressure on the animals.