The bobcat, named for its short tail, is a medium-sized cat with a ruff of fur edging the sides of the
face. The average weight of adult males ranges from 9-13 kg, and females from 6-9 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. Pelt coloration has been variously described as light gray, 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. Both
melanistic and albinistic specimens have been reported-- melanism has been found only in Florida. 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.
However, as with the lynx, lagomorphs are the bobcat's year-round
dietary staple -- cottontail rabbits in the south of their range, and snowshoe hares in the north. Unlike
the specialist lynx, however, the bobcat is a generalist and, depending on the locality, rodents also
make an important contribution to its diet Bobcats will also eat beaver, birds, bats, and wild pig.
Despite their small size, bobcats can be effective predators of large adult ungulates, especially deer,
generally killed when resting. Ungulates 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 animal carcasses killed by other predators.
Bobcats may
be active during all hours of the day and night, but studies have consistently found crepuscular (dawn
and dusk) activity peaks, a pattern based on the activity patterns of major lagomorph and rodent prey
species.
Females will give birth approximately 2 months after breeding
to an aerage litter of 2 to 4 cubs. The cubs are born helpless and blind. Their eyes will open when
they are about 2 weeks old. The mother will nurse them until they are about 3 months old at which time
they will begin eating prey brought to them by their mother. Cubs are independent at about one year
of age and will reach sexual maturity shortly thereafter. In the wild, bobcats tend to live from about
12 to 15 years. In captivity, they have been known to live until 25 to 30 years of age.
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. Only large, intensively
cultivated areas appear to be unsuitable habitat. Areas with dense understory vegetation and high prey
density are preferable to 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. The larger surface area of lynx paws
supports twice the weight that of the bobcat can in the snow: 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.
