Bobcat

Lynx Rufus

3 Cool Facts:

• Did you know that the bobcat’s fifth toe is raised on its front feet, so there is no fifth impression when it walks?
• Bobcats can run at speeds up to 30 mph — the same speed as domestic cats.
• President Calvin Coolidge once had a pet bobcat named “Smoky.” He was a gift from the Great Smoky Mountains Association and stayed at the White House for awhile before he was transferred to a zoo.

It’s not surprising that bobcats are often confused with lynx, as the bobcat is the smallest of four lynx species. All are similarly proportioned, with large paws, stumpy tails, and pointed ears.

Bobcats are slightly smaller than Canada lynx and have short, reddish-brown fur with well-defined stripes and spots over the body; lynx are gray, with shaggier fur and faded spots. Bobcats also have facial “ruff,” which resemble sideburns while lynx facial hair is more “mutton chop” style. Although distinct ear tufts help in identification (the lynx hair tufts are typically greater than one inch), it’s often difficult to ID an animal without another for comparison. But take a look at that stumpy tail: a bobcat’s has black bands on top with white fur underneath, while a lynx tail has a solid, black tip.

To make identification especially difficult is the fairly recent confirmation of hybrids. Since they belong to the same genus and are very similar at the genetic level, mating isn’t necessarily a rarity. Their offspring tend to display the bobcat’s general build, but the pointier ears of the lynx.

Bobcats prefer to live in dense woodlands, swampy or agricultural areas – wherever there are hollow trees, rocky ledges, or large brush/log piles for shelter and denning sites. They cover large territories, traveling as much as four miles in a day. Adult males weigh 20-30 pounds and average 3 feet in length; females are quite a bit smaller. Other than a few weeks in February and March for courtship and mating, adults are typically solitary animals. Bobcats are polygamous, meaning they have more than one mate, but there is no ongoing bond between the male and female, and males are not involved in raising the young. The female has a litter of one to five kittens in April or May, and they often stay with their mother for up to a year.

The average lifespan of a bobcat is 7 years, rarely exceeding 10. The oldest wild bobcat on record was 16 years old; the oldest captive bobcat lived to be 32. Few predators other than fisher and humans are able to kill an adult, although they sometimes receive serious or even fatal injuries from prey animals. Young cats are more vulnerable to starvation and attacks by eagles, owls, coyotes, foxes, bears, and adult male bobcats. Wild cats can get diseases such as rabies, and surprisingly canine parvo, a common and highly contagious disease (especially in young animals) that is difficult to control because the virus can survive through cold winter months.

Bobcats hunt primarily by sight and sound; food sources are varied and include small or injured mammals, insects, reptiles, birds, and carrion. They can see up to six times better than humans because they have more rods and cones in their eyes, allowing for better vision in the dark. Like other cats, they have an elliptical eye shape with larger corneas, allowing more light to enter the eye.

They play an important role in nature’s ecosystem by regulating rodent populations, which unfortunately increases their exposure to poisons and other repellants. The use of rodenticides has been linked not only to secondary poisoning by consumption of affected rats and mice, but also to higher rates of severe mite infestation because an animal with a poison-weakened immune system is less capable of fighting off mange.

From posts seen on Facebook and local news stories, it seems bobcat sightings in Maine have increased over the past few years. According to the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (IF&W) website, populations began expanding north in the 1980s. Survival in severe winters is obviously a struggle, but Maine IF&W considers them to be a stable species, classified as one of “Least Concern.”

Bobcats are shy animals with an inherent fear of humans; they will not attack a person unless provoked, cornered, or habituated in some way. If you come across one, don’t try to approach it, especially if it is with its young. In addition to climate change, threats to their populations are primarily man-made and include loss of habitat, deforestation, vehicle collisions, hunting, and trapping.

More Cool Facts about Bobcats:

• Like all cats, the bobcat “directly registers,” meaning its hind paws usually fall in the same place as its fore paws.
• The bobcat is the only species of wild cat now found in Massachusetts.

 

Written by Jayne Winters – December 2024

Resources:

https://www.massaudubon.org/nature-wildlife/mammals-in-massachusetts/bobcats

https://www.thefactsite.com/bobcat-facts/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat

https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/species-information/mammals/bobcat.html

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83631/13-furry-facts-about-bobcats