Species: Lynx rufus
Bobcat
Species
Show on Lists
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Carnivora
Family
Felidae
Genus
Lynx
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
lynx roux
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Carnivores
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Carnivora - Felidae - Lynx - Placed in genus FELIS by some authors. Jones et al. (1992), Wozencraft (in Wilson and Reeder 1993), and Lariviere and Walton (1997) included the bobcat in the genus LYNX. See Sikes and Kennedy (1992) for information on cranial variation in the eastern U.S.
Ecology and Life History
Short General Description
Medium-sized cat.
Migration
true - false - false - Home ranges in Louisiana about 5 square kilometers for males and 1 square kilometer for females (Hall and Newsom 1978). In Idaho, home ranges averaged 42 square kilometers for males and 19 square kilometers for females (Bailey 1974).
Non-migrant
true
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Prefers small mammals, especially lagomorphs. Occasionally birds, other vertebrates, and carrion.
Reproduction Comments
Breeds mid-winter through spring, or possibly at any time of year in some areas. Litter of 1-7 (usually 2-3) is born after 50-70 day gestation. In the south, reportedly may produce a second litter in early August. Both parents feed young while kits are in den. Young are weaned at about 2 months, stay with mother until early fall. First breeds usually at 1-2 years.
Ecology Comments
Recorded population densities: 4-5 per 100 sq km in California, Idaho, and Minnesota; about 25/100 sq km in Arizona; 115-153/100 sq km in California; 500/100 sq km in Florida (Kitchener 1991, Jones and Smith 1979, Jackson 1961). Low natural mortality rate in adults. Solitary except when breeding. Populations may be limited by coyote predation in the western U.S. (see Caire et al. 1989).<br><br>In Mississippi, home ranges of deceased male and female resident bobcats were filled by transients or neighboring residents of the same sex; replacement bobcats used similar home ranges (and in some cases core areas) as the residents they replaced (Benson et al. 2004).
Length
125
Weight
31000
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-11-19
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-19
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=S3&CA.BC=S4&CA.MB=S3&CA.NB=S5&CA.NS=S5&CA.ON=S4&CA.PE=SE&CA.QC=S4&CA.SK=S3&US.AL=S4&US.AZ=S5&US.AR=S5&US.CA=SNR&US.CO=S4&US.CT=S2&US.DE=SNR&US.DC=SH&US.FL=SNR&US.GA=S5&US.ID=S5&US.IL=S3&US.IN=S1&US.IA=S3&US.KS=S4&US.KY=S4&US.LA=S4&US.ME=S5&US.MD=S3&US.MA=S4&US.MI=S4&US.MN=SNR&US.MS=S5&US.MO=S4&US.MT=S5&US.NN=S5&US.NE=S5&US.NV=S5&US.NH=S4&US.NJ=S1&US.NM=S4&US.NY=S4&US.NC=S4&US.ND=SU&US.OH=S1&US.OK=S4&US.OR=S4&US.PA=S3&US.RI=SU&US.SC=SNR&US.SD=S5&US.TN=S5&US.TX=S5&US.UT=S5&US.VT=S4&US.VA=S4&US.WA=S5&US.WV=S5&US.WI=S4&US.WY=S5" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - Central Mexico north through much of the contiguous U.S. to southern Canada. There has been a reduction in range, primarily in the northern part, associated with agriculture and the removal of forests (McCord and Cardoza 1982).
Global Range Code
H
Global Range Description
>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)