BOBCAT
Felis rufus
STATUS:
Vulnerable.
DESCRIPTION:
Named for their short, bobbed tail, bobcats are medium-sized cats, slightly smaller and similar in appearance to their cousin the lynx. Their coat varies in color from shades of buff or brown fur with spotted or lined markings in dark brown or black.
SIZE:
On average, bobcats measure 17 to 23 inches in height and 25 to 41 inches in length. Males weigh approximately 16 to 28 pounds, while females typically weigh 10 to 18 pounds. The bobcat is approximately two feet tall.
POPULATION:
Approximately 725,000 to 1,020,000 bobcats remain in the wild.
LIFESPAN:
Bobcats live an average of 12 to 13 years.
RANGE:
Bobcats can be found from southern Canada to northern Mexico, although they have been extirpated (can no longer be found) in some Midwestern and eastern states in the United States.
HABITAT:
Bobcat habitat varies widely from forests and mountainous areas to semi-deserts and brush land. A habitat dense with vegetation and lots of prey is ideal.
FOOD:
While rabbits are the staple of their diet, bobcats are also known to eat rodents, birds, bats and even adult deer (usually killed during the winter months).
BEHAVIOR:
Bobcats are excellent hunters, stalking prey with stealth and patience, then capturing their meal with one great leap. They are typically solitary and territorial animals. Females never share territory with each other, however, male territories tend to overlap. Territories are established with scent marking and range approximately 25 to 30 square miles for males and about five square miles for females.
OFFSPRING:
Mating usually occurs in late winter. Cubs are usually born in early spring after a 50- to 70-day gestation period. Litter sizes vary from one to six cubs. Cubs stay with their mother for a year.
THREATS:
In Mexico, bobcats are persecuted as a sheep predator and are frequently killed by farmers. Bobcats are hunted and trapped for their fur throughout much of their range. Between 1991 to 1992, about 22,000 pelts were sold and traded.