Diet: Mainly Rabbits and Hares,Rodents,Sheep,Deer,and Birds.
Lifespan: 12 - 15 yrs in wild Over 30 yrs in Captivity.
Territory Size: 1 - 42 Square Miles
Top Speed: 30 mph
The bobcat is short-tailed like the lynx but is generally smaller and has less conspicuous ear tufts.
Distribution
Found extensively throughout North America from Southern Canada to Southern Mexico.
Habits
The bobcat is active at dawn and dusk.In the northern part of its range, it will even hunt by day
in the winter if food is scarce. They are extremely territorial and marks its boundaries with urine and
droppings, as well as by digging up the ground.Mothers with young are extremely aggressive.
Food & Hunting
Rabbits and hares make up two-thirds of the bobcat`s diet.The remainder consists of
squirrels and mice. And sometimes prey on deer domestic sheep and goats, and also the occasional cat or dog
The bobcat creeps up on its prey until it is close enough to pounce on and kill the animal.They are very
strong for its size and kills its large prey by biting and clawing at the base of the skull.During a
night-long hunt a male may trevel as far as 25 miles to find prey.
Breeding
Mating takes place in the winter,Males mate with all the females that share his territory.The blind and
helpless young are born early spring. At this time the female drives the male away from the den, although
he usually remains in the area. The kittens eyes open after a week, but they continue to suckle for eight weeks
Once the kittens can eat soild food, the female allows the male to return to the den.Male bobcats are unusual
among cat species becasue they bring food to both the mother and kittens.As the kittens grow the whole family
travels through-out the females territory, living in number of different dens.When the kittens are five months
old they learn to hunt from their mother, At this time the male loses intrest in the kittens and he returns to
his own territory.The young stay with thier mother for six to nine months, or untill the next breeding season.
They then find territories of their own.
Did You Know ?
The bobcat gets its name from its stumpy tail.
A bobcat is likely to be seen during the day only in winter when food is scarce.
Bobcats are good swimmers,but they rarely go into the water. Still on hot days
they sometimes sit in pools of water to keep cool.
The further north bobcats live the bigger they grow, the largest are found in Canada.
There Are 13 Subspecies Of BobCats
Lynx rufus gigas (northern New York to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick)
Lynx rufus rufus (eastern and midwestern United States)
Lynx rufus floridanus (southeastern United States and inland to southwestern Missouri and southern Illinois)
Lynx rufus superiorensis (western Great Lakes area)
Lynx rufus californicus (California west of the Sierra Nevada)
