| Bobcat (Lynx rufus) |
Body Length:
Tail Length:
Shoulder Height:
Weight:
Litter Size:
Gestation:
Life Span:
|
2-4 feet
6 in.
1-1.5 feet
15-30 lbs.
2-3
60-70 days
12-15 years
|
Status:
The bobcat has been valued for its fur since they illegalized the slauter of spotted cats such as the jaguar.
By the late 1970's, about 95,000 bobcats were killed annually. CITES feared that this would
bring an end to the bobcat, so the Fish + Wildlife organization began to monitor the killings of these
cats. The bobcat is quick to change and so has done well with the incoming of humans to the Americas.
Now, there are an estimated 700,000 - 1,500,000 bobcats today, but the bobcat is still hunted
today and their habitat is being destroyed.
|
|
Report by Catamount
Picture from The Cathouse (FCC)
|
|
Physical Characteristics
The bobcat is the smallest member of the lynx group, weighing from 15-30 pounds
with a body length of 2-4 feet, depending on its location. Its name was probably derived
from its 6" tail which is tipped white, or bobbed white. The bobcat's thick fur is a reddish-brown to
brownish-gray with small dark spots. On its face the bobcat has a tuft of facial fur around the
cheek area and a tuft of hair on the ear's tips which helps the bobcat hear sensitive vibrations.
The bobcat has long legs and runs in excess of 15mph, and can leap over 12 feet,
which helps it catch its prey.
Habitat and Daily Life
The bobcat is crepuscular, and spends its days in a thicket, cave, or rocky crevice. It is most active
three hours before sunset to midnight and one hour before sunset to three hours after. It is very
territorial, like most big cats; selecting its prey by several factors including food source, living
quarters for protection from the elements, and dense cover. Males have larger territories than
females. The male bobcat's territory may overlap several female territories, and possibly even a
neighboring male bobcat's, but the female bobcats rarely ever overlap territories, which can be from
2-40 square miles. The bobcat marks its territory in a similar fashion to other big cats; feces,
gland secretions, urine, and scrapes are used for markers to keep other bobcats away. During the
winter, the boundaries are weakened as food becomes scarce.
Hunting and Feeding
The bobcat is a generalist, eating mostly hare or rabbit, but also squirrels, chipmunk, rodents, birds,
, opossum, shrew, porcupines, gophers, and even deer. It will hunt at night unless the
food supply is scarce. The bobcat will stalk its prey, creeping closer and closer with endless
patience. Then, a swift leap towards the animal will end the hunt. The bobcat is equipped with
sharp, retractable claws and sharp teeth for devouring its prey. It will eat almost anything and live
almost anywhere, from southern Canada, into the US and in most of Mexico in scrubby country,
swamps, arid lands, and woodlands.
Reproduction and Cubs
Females become sexually mature by their
first birthday, but males do not reach maturity until about a year after the females.
Mating season is in February or March. Following a gestation period of 60-70 days, 2-4 cubs
are born blind, helpless, yet fully furred, weighing under 1 lb. They are born in hollow logs,
rock shelters (caves), under the roots of a fallen tree, or in the thickets. They will nurse for about
two months and then are weaned onto meat. At around 3-5 months they cubs will join their mother
on hunts, learning tactics for hunting and making the fatal bite. During this hunt, which is usually
at night, the cubs follow the mother's white-tipped tail. From 7-12 months the cubs will mature
enough to become independent and will travel alone.
|
