The Bobcat

Scientific Name: Lynx rufus
IUCN Status: Least concern
Weight: 7-40 pounds

Turbo

Description:

The bobcat is a medium-sized, stocky cat around 2 to 3 times the size of a domestic cat. The body is relatively robust with long legs and a short tail that rarely exceeds 20cm. The head is relatively small with prominent facial ruffs and triangular, black-backed ears with a white spot and short black tufts. The ear tufts, however, are often inconspicuous or missing entirely. The fur is short, soft, and dense with variable background colour of various shades of frosted grey to rich rust-brown, with markings ranging from faint freckling to large rosette blotches. Northern bobcats tend to be paler with less visible markings.

Prey:

The majority of the diet is made up of small vertebrates, however, has had a record kill of a white-tailed Deer weighing around 150lbs. The Bobcat diet is dominated by lagomorphs especially Snowshoe Hares, cottontails, and jackrabbits, which comprise up to 90% of their diet. 

Biology:

Bobcats breed year round, however most mating occurs from December to July with births peaking in spring or summer. Gestation is 62-70 days with a litter size of 2 to 3 kittens.

Geographic Range

Image Retrieved on Jan. 7, 2019, from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12521/50655874

Our Bobcats