Bobcat
Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Suborder
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Lynx rufus
Life Span
12-25 years
Top speed
55
34
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
4-18
8.8-39.6
kglbs
kg lbs 
Height
30-60
11.8-23.6
cminch
cm inch 
Length
47.5-125
18.7-49.2
cminch
cm inch 

The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It is featured in some stories of the indigenous peoples of North and Central America and in the folklore of European-descended inhabitants of the Americas.

Cr

Crepuscular

Ca

Carnivore

Sc

Scavenger

Te

Terrestrial

Cu

Cursorial

Me

Mesopredator

Te

Territorial

Vi

Viviparous

Am

Ambush predator

Po

Polygynandry

So

Solitary

No

Not a migrant

B

starts with

U.

U.S. States Animals
(collection)

Appearance

The bobcat is named because of its short, bobbed tail. It is a medium-sized cat, slightly smaller, though similar in appearance to the lynx, its cousin. Its coat color ranges from shades of brown or beige, with spots or lines of markings in black or dark brown. Males are usually larger than females, and size also varies significantly with their geographic location, with bobcats from the north typically being larger than the ones in the south.

Video

Climate zones

Bobcat habitat map
Bobcat
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Habits and Lifestyle

Bobcats are crepuscular and are active mostly during twilight. They keep on the move from three hours before sunset until about midnight, and then again from before dawn until three hours after sunrise. Each night, they move from 3 to 11 km (2 to 7 mi) along their habitual route. Bobcats hunt by stalking their prey and then ambushing with a short chase or pounce. In the daytime, they rest and sleep in a den which could be a hollow tree or a rock crevice, with one individual using a number of dens in its home range. These cats are highly territorial and will mark their range with scent and make distinctive claw markings on trees to let others know of their presence. The males have a large range, which will often overlap several smaller female territories, though cats will not interact with each other until the breeding season in the winter. During the rest of the year, bobcats avoid each other to minimize the risk of being injured during a fight. The bobcat hardly ever vocalizes, although it often yowls and hisses during the mating season.

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Bobcats are carnivores and scavengers. Living in the north they mainly eat snowshoe hares, while those living in the south will mainly eat cottontail rabbits. They also eat rodents, birds, and bats. The male bobcats hunt deer and other larger prey when food is scarce. Bobcats may also scavenge on the remains of livestock killed by other animals.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
February-March
PREGNANCY DURATION
60-70 days
BABY CARRYING
3 kittens
INDEPENDENT AGE
8 months
FEMALE NAME
queen
MALE NAME
tomcat
BABY NAME
kitten

Bobcats have a polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system. They associate with each other only for the brief period necessary for courtship and copulation, with both males and females having multiple partners. The breeding season is during February and March. Gestation lasts 60 to 70 days, and a litter of around 3 kittens is produced. The kittens open their eyes at 10 days old, and nurse for two months. Females bring meat to their offspring, and, once weaned, they teach them about hunting. Males do not help in raising the kittens. The young disperse during the winter, at about 8 months of age. Females are sexually mature at one year old, males in their second year

Population

Population threats

The major threat to bobcats throughout the US is being hunted for their soft fur, in some areas to near extinction. Where bobcats now must share their natural habitat with increasing numbers of people, they are also hunted by farmers to protect their livestock. Despite being very adaptable animals, they are also threatened by habitat loss when populations are pushed into smaller and more dispersed areas of their once huge natural range.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total bobcat population in the US is estimated to be between 2,352,276 to 3,571,681 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable

Fun Facts for Kids

  • Bobcats, like all felids, have excellent hearing and vision and a good sense of smell.
  • The bobcat's snarls and growls sound so deep and fearsome, that it seems as if they are produced by a much bigger animal.
  • Bobcats have the main den within their territory, as well as several smaller ones, the main one often being in a cave. A smaller one might be just an old tree stump or a few rocks.
  • Bobcats are ambush predators, stalking and hunting their prey with the element of surprise.
  • Bobcats prefer to walk, even though they are usually shown as very fast animals. They are good at climbing and can even swim, although they don’t really like to swim, as with many other cats.
  • “Clowder” or “clutter” is the name for a group of bobcats. Males are “Tom” and females are “Queen”.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Bobcat Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat
2. Bobcat on The UICN Red List site - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12521/0

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