Bobcat
Lynx Rufus

SIZE:
Height 17-23 inches; Length 25-41 inches; Weight 16-28 lbs. (males), 10-18 lbs. (females)

Today’s Bobcats evolved from the Eurasian Lynx some twenty thousand years ago. With their variable coats of gray, beige, reddish brown and brown, whiskered faces and black tufted ears, they resemble the medium size lynx genus. Bobcats in the desert regions of the Southwest are the lightest and those in the northern forested regions are the darkest. A few melanic Bobcats have been sighted and captured in Florida. They appear black, but may actually still exhibit a spotted pattern.

Bobcats have distinctive black bars on their fore legs, black streaks and spots on their body, a black tipped stubby tail and off-white lips, chin and under parts. Their eyes are yellow with black elongated vertical pupils which widen at night to maximize vision.

Their range extends from southern Canada to northern Mexico including most of the continental U.S. They are an adaptable predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as semi-desert, urban edge and swamplands. Their individual territories vary in size depending on the abundance of prey, protection from severe weather, availability of mates, resting and den sites (hollowed logs, thickets, dense brush piles, rocky shelters and caves) dense cover for hunting and escape, and freedom from disturbance.

Bobcats mark the perimeter and interior of their territory with tree scratches, ground scrapes, urine and fecal matter to conserve sources of prey and to avoid competitive and injurious battles with other Bobcats. Establishing a home range is necessary for breeding; studied animals with no set range had no identified offspring.

Male Bobcats generally begin breeding at two years of age, though females may start as early as one year. Sperm production begins each year by September or October and the male will be fertile into the summer. A dominant male will travel with a female generally from winter until early spring and mate with her several times. The pair may undertake a number of different courtship behaviors, including bumping, chasing, ambushing, hissing and screaming. They remain reproductively active throughout their lives (10 – 12 years in the wild) and have many mates.

The female raises the young alone. One to six, but usually two to four kittens are born in April or May, after 60 to 70 days of gestation. There may sometimes be a second litter, with births as late as September. The young open their eyes by the ninth or tenth day, start exploring their surroundings at four weeks and are weaned at about two months. Within three to five months they will travel with their mother as she teaches them how to hunt. Shortly thereafter, they will disperse.

During the spring of 2007 we had a mother and two kittens at Green Cay. When the kittens were old enough they had to leave the mother’s territory. Bobcats have solitary territories with only a slight overlap with a male Bobcat. We see our resident female on a monthly basis. You can find scat markings on the ramps to the berm. So even if she isn’t visible, you know she is lurking around.

Bobcats are crepuscular (generally most active at twilight and dawn). 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 will move from two to seven miles along their habitual route. Florida Bobcats prey upon rabbits, hares, squirrels, rats, mice, possums, raccoons, quail, jays, robins, wrens, sparrows and occasionally even deer. One study in the Everglades showed a large majority of kills (33 of 39) were fawns, but that prey up to eight times the Bobcat’s weight could be successfully taken.

Adult Bobcats have few animal predators, but hunters, diseases, accidents, automobiles and starvation are leading causes of death. Owls, eagles, coyotes, foxes, as well as other adult male Bobcats prey upon kittens during a scarcity of other prey. Juveniles show high mortality shortly after leaving their mothers, while still perfecting their hunting skills. Despite the foregoing and the international trade in Bobcat skins, their present population is considered healthy. They are listed as a species of “least concern” and are under the protection of a United Nations Treaty.