predator prey

Background

The bobcat, Lynx rufus, which gets its name from its six-inch, "bobbed" tail, is one of the most common wild cats in North America and is sometimes known as the red lynx. Secretive and highly adaptive to varied habitats, this is the only species in the lynx family to have a white tip at the end of its tail.

Its coat ranges from a reddish-brown mottled with dark spots and gray overtones to a brownish gray, with spots along the backbone that appear to be a dorsal stripe. In winter its gray overtones increase. Its ruff of facial hair, hair tufts on its ear tips, long legs and large feet (though smaller than the snowshoe-like feet of its northern cousin the Canadian lynx, which hunts in deep snow) are characteristic of other lynx species.

The bobcat has adapted to a wide range of habitats and climates, which accounts for much of its success. It is at home in eastern woodlands, western mountains and desert habitats, or the swamps of Florida. When a shortage of one favorite prey occurs, it rapidly seeks and finds another. It is the consummate small game predator, known for creeping up on its prey quietly or ambushing with short bursts of speed. It is not known for its stamina, however–it moves fast, but tires quickly. Although it spends less time in trees than other lynx species, it climbs easily, sometimes sleeps in branches, and uses tree trunks as scratching posts, but tends to prefer hiding places like rocky clefts and thickets.

The bobcat's excellent vision and hearing allow it to hunt actively at dusk and after nightfall. Its pupils can dilate unusually wide, and special reflective retinal cells collect all available light. During the day the bobcat remains hidden and is rarely glimpsed. At night it hunts rabbit and hare (its favorite prey), chipmunk, ground squirrel, birds, mice, rats, and lizards and the occasional small deer or large racoon.

Habits and Life Cycle

• The bobcat is territorial in the extreme and marks its area with urine, feces and scent from anal glands.
• A female's home range can extend from 2 to 40 square miles, rarely overlapping with that of other females, however a male's territory may overlap with that of other males and contain female territories.
• The sexes usually interact only during mating season, usually in late winter and spring. They have been known to breed year-round, however. After successfully mating they return to their separate territories and the female may give birth approximately 65 days later to a litter of two to six kittens.
• The mother seeks a secluded spot for raising her offspring, usually a den or burrow, and generally cares for the kittens alone, although occasionally the male will supply food.
• The female shelters, feeds and cleans her kittens, and as they mature, teaches them to hunt by bringing live mice or other small rodents to the den for them to kill. At first the young kittens may play with the animals, but eventually they catch on that these gifts are food and to eat it they must kill it.
• The kittens gain approximately 25 grams of weight a day and stop nursing after about 12 weeks.
• Kittens venture from den at five weeks, and at nine months begin to establish their own territories, but may remain near their mother until the following spring.
• The foreprints and hindprints of a bobcat are roughly the same size, and its trail appears narrow because it hunts by lining up its prints.
• Bobcats usually reach an average weight of 25 pounds, but some individuals are much heavier.
• Bobcats in the wild are thought to live as long as 15 years, and into their twenties in captivity.
• Despite the bobcat's large numbers, not long ago it was considered endangered. It was hunted for its fur to the point of near-extinction. Today the bobcat is still protected in many states, but continues to be hunted throughout much of its range, which extends throughout the southern Canada and much of the United States, except for some areas in the upper Northeast and Midwest. Populations continue to be high, however, and in general the species is not considered to be threatened.

Bobcat photo courtesy: Andrew Garman, Big Cats Online

To bookmark this page, please use this URL: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/bobcat.htm

For more information, contact the Chesapeake Bay Program Office:
410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD 21403 / Tel: (800) YOUR-BAY / Fax: (410) 267-5777.

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Directions to the Bay Program Office

Last modified: 12/11/03