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Bobcat

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                     iBobcat
   A Bobcat sitting on some hay
   A Bobcat sitting on some hay

                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Mammalia
   Order:   Carnivora
   Family:  Felidae
   Genus:   Lynx
   Species: L. rufus

                                Binomial name

   Lynx rufus
   Schreber, 1777

   The Bobcat (Lynx rufus, or commonly felis rufus) is a wild cat native
   to North America. They are found mostly in the United States, southern
   Canada, and northern Mexico. The bobcat is an adaptable animal that
   inhabits wooded areas as well as semi-desert, urban, and swampland
   environments. They live in a set home range which shifts in size with
   the season. They utilize several methods to mark their territorial
   boundaries including claw marks and deposits of urine or feces.

   In appearance, the bobcat has characteristic black bars on its forelegs
   and tail. They also have prominent, pointed ears with short tufts of
   black hair at the tip. The name is derived from their stubby
   black-tipped tails that, unlike those of other species of Lynx, have a
   white underside. Their coat is most often light gray or various shades
   of brown in colour, with varying degrees of black spots either
   dispersed along much of their body or relegated to the otherwise white
   underparts. The bobcat is twice as large as a house cat but typically
   smaller than the related Canada lynx. The adult male, averaging
   36 inches (90 cm) in length, and weighing from 16 to 30 pounds (7 to
   14 kg), is generally 30-40% larger than the female.

   Bobcats are carnivorous animals which will hunt anything from insects
   and small rodents to large deer, but often show a preference for
   rabbits and hares. What they hunt will depend on location and habitat,
   season, and scarcity of prey. The bobcat breeds from winter into the
   spring and has a gestation period of about two months. The kittens will
   stay with the mother until about a year old.

Taxonomy

   There has been some debate over whether to classify this species as
   lynx rufus or felis rufus. Although the former is the preferred
   scientific name, the debate is part of a wider issue as to whether the
   lynx should be given its own genus, or simply placed in a more
   inclusive genus felis. The bobcat is believed to be evolved from a
   Eurasian lynx which crossed into North America by way of the Bering
   land bridge during the Pleistocene. The first wave moved into the
   southern portion of North America, which was soon cut off from the
   north by glaciers. This population evolved into modern bobcats around
   20,000 years ago. A second population arrived from Asia and settled in
   the north, creating the modern Canadian Lynx.

Subspecies

   The main subspecies, found in much of the eastern United States is the
   nominate: L. rufus rufus (Schreber). To the north in Maine and Canada
   lives L. rufus gigas (Bangs), and to the south L. rufus floridanus
   (Rafinesque). However nine other subspecies are recognised, including
   L. rufus superiorensis (Peterson & Downing), L. rufus baileyi
   (Merriam), L. rufus californicus (Mearns), L. rufus escuinipae (J. A.
   Allen), L. rufus fasciatus (Rafinesque), L. rufus oaxacensis (Goodwin),
   L. rufus pallescens (Merriam), L. rufus peninsularis (Thomas), and L.
   rufus texensis (Mearns).

Physical characteristics

   A Bobcat finds water in Tucson
   Enlarge
   A Bobcat finds water in Tucson

   In appearance the bobcat is quite similar to the Canada Lynx but is
   usually significantly smaller. In color they are mostly tan to grayish
   brown, but can vary. They also have numerous black streaks in their
   coat, with dark bars on their forelegs and tails. Their spotted coat
   allows them to blend into their environment. The ears are black-tipped
   and pointed with short black tufts. There is generally an off-white
   colour on their lips, chin, and underparts. Kittens are born
   well-furred and already have their spots.

   A few melanistic bobcats have been sighted and captured in Florida.
   They appear black, but may actually still exhibit a spot pattern.

   Adult male bobcats are 28 to 47 inches (70–120 cm) long, averaging
   36 inches (90 cm), and height to their shoulders is about 14 or
   15 inches (36–38 cm). Included in their length is a stubby 6-inch
   (15 cm) tail, which has a "bobbed" apearance, which gives this species
   its name. They weigh about twice that of a house cat, with adult males
   usually ranging from 16 to 30 pounds (7–14 kg) while the females, which
   are smaller, average about 20 pounds (9 kg). They are muscular, and
   have hind legs that are longer than their front legs, giving the animal
   a bobbing run. They weigh 0.6 to 0.75 pounds (280–340 g) and are about
   10 inches (25 cm) in length at birth. By their first year they will
   reach about 10 pounds (4.5 kg). They have sharp hearing and vision, and
   a good sense of smell. They are also excellent climbers. Bobcats can
   and will swim when they need to, but will normally avoid water.
   Bobcat tracks in Note the hind print (top) partially covering the fore
   print (center).
   Enlarge
   Bobcat tracks in Note the hind print (top) partially covering the fore
   print (centre).

Tracks

   Bobcat tracks show four toes and no claw marks. The tracks can range in
   size from 1 to 3 inches (2–8 cm). When walking or trotting, the spread
   of the tracks are spaced roughly 8 to 18 inches (20–46 cm) apart, but
   can make great strides when running, often from 4 to 8 feet (1-3 m).
   Like all cats, bobcats directly register, meaning their hind prints
   usually fall exactly on top of their fore prints (this is not the case
   in the photograph in this section). Bobcat tracks can generally be
   distinguished from feral or house cat tracks by their size (feral cat
   tracks being about 1.5 inches square (3.8 cm square) and also by the
   indentation at the top of the bobcat's foot pad (feral cat tracks
   generally show a single, rounded hump at the top of the foot pad).

Behaviour

   Bobcats are generally most active during twilight and are therefore
   considered crepuscular. They keep on the move from three hours before
   sunset until midnight, then again from before dawn until three hours
   after sunrise. Each night they will move from two to seven miles (3 to
   11 km) along their habitual routes.

Hunting

   As a predator, the bobcat is able to go for long periods without food,
   but will eat heavily when prey is abundant. During the lean periods,
   they will often predate larger animals which they can cache and come
   back to later. The bobcat hunts by stalking or ambushing their prey and
   then pouncing or giving chase for short distances. Their preference is
   for mammals about 1.5 to 12.5 pounds (0.7 to 5.7 kg) in weight. Their
   main prey varies by region. In the eastern United States it is the
   cottontail rabbit, but in the north it is the snowshoe hare. When these
   prey exist together, as in New England, they make up the primary
   sustenance of the bobcat. In the far south, the rabbit or hare is
   sometimes replaced by the cotton rat as the primary food source. The
   bobcat is an opportunistic predator that, unlike its Canadian cousin
   the Lynx, can readily replace its primary prey with a variety of
   options.

   The bobcat hunts animals of three different sizes, and will adjust its
   hunting techniques accordingly. On small animals they will hunt in
   areas known to be abundant in prey, and will lie, crouch, or stand
   still in wait for an animal to wander close. It will then pounce,
   grabbing its prey with its sharp, retractable claws. These are usually
   small rodents like mice and squirrels or birds, but also fish and
   insects. For slightly larger animals such as rabbits and hares, they
   will stalk from a covering and wait until they come within 20 to
   35 feet (6 to 10 m) before rushing in to attack. Less commonly they
   will feed on larger animals such as foxes, minks, skunks, and house
   cats. They have been known to kill deer as well, especially in winter
   when smaller prey is scarce, or when deer populations become more
   abundant. They will do so by stalking the deer, often when it is lying
   down, then rushing in and grabbing it by the neck and biting through
   the base of the skull or chest. While they rarely kill deer, when they
   do, they eat their fill and then bury it with snow or leaves, often
   returning to it several times to feed.

   Additionally, bobcats are agile, good climbers and well-suited to
   gaining access to domestic farming operations such as chicken roosts.

Breeding

   The male and female bobcats will begin breeding by their second summer,
   but the female may sometimes start as early as their first year. By
   September or October, sperm production begins, and the male will be
   fertile into the summer. A dominant male will travel with a female and
   mate with her several times, generally from winter until early spring.
   The two may undertake a number of different behaviours, including
   bumping, chasing, and ambushing. Other males may be in attendance of
   this, but will not become involved and remain aloof. Once the male sees
   that the female is receptive, he grasps her in the typical felid neck
   grip. The female may go on to mate with other male cats. The female is
   left to raise the young alone. One to six, but usually two to four,
   kittens are born in April or May, roughly after 62 days of gestation.
   There may sometimes be a second litter, with births as late as
   September. The female generally gives birth in some sort of enclosure,
   usually a small cave or hollow log. The young open their eyes by the
   ninth or ten day. They start exploring their surroundings at four weeks
   and are weaned at about two months. They will be hunting by themselves
   by their first fall but remain with the mother until nearly a year old.

Survival

   The bobcat has no major predators other than man. The coyote has been
   known to be a direct predator of the bobcat, but has an unknown effect
   on their populations. Cougars and wolves may also occasionally kill
   bobcats when they get the chance. Death is due to a variety of causes,
   such as diseases, accidents, hunters, automobiles, and starvation.
   Kittens however may be hunted by several predators, including owls,
   foxes, and even male bobcats. The young are most likely to die shortly
   after leaving their mothers while still perfecting their hunting
   technique. Of fifteen bobcats tracked, the yearly survival rate
   averaged 0.624, with females having the same rate as males. Many
   bobcats will live to six or eight years of age, with a few reaching
   beyond ten. The longest they have been known to live in the wild is 16
   years, but in captivity have been known to live up to 32.2 years.
   However, when prey populations are not as abundant, fewer kittens are
   likely to reach adulthood. Bobcats may also harbour large parasites,
   mostly ticks and fleas, and will often carry the parasites of its prey,
   especially rabbits and squirrels. One mite in particualar (lynxacarus
   morlani) has to date only been found on the bobcat. It's still unclear
   how large of a role parasites and diseases play in the mortality of
   bobcats, but they seem to account for greater mortality than
   starvation, accidents, and predation.

   The bobcat has long been hunted and trapped by humans. They are listed
   in the CITES treaty which allows them to be hunted so long as doing so
   is not detrimental to their population. However bobcats have maintained
   a high population, even in the south where they are extensively hunted.
   Kittens are most vulnerable to hunting, albeit indirectly, due to their
   dependence on an adult female for the first few months of its life. In
   the 1970s and 1980s their furs saw an unprecedented rise in price,
   causing further interest in hunting them. However, these furs are worth
   little today. They are nevertheless still hunted, with half the
   mortality of some populations being attributed to this cause. As a
   result, the rate of bobcats dying in winter when hunting season is
   generally open is skewed. There have also been reports of cannibalism
   occurring when prey levels are low, but it is very rare and does not
   overtly influence the population. If chased by a dog, which in
   human-inhabited areas are a major source of predation, they will
   usually climb up a tree. Additionally the bobcat does not tolerate deep
   snow, and will hole-up and wait out heavy snow storms.

Distribution

   The original range of the bobcat was from southern Canada to throughout
   the eastern United States, and down as far south as Oaxaca, Mexico. The
   bobcat still occurs in much of this range, from Maine to Florida and
   westward to Mississippi. They will often inhabit areas near large
   cities. However they are thought to no longer exist in certain habitats
   such as western New York and Pennsylvania, and much of the Midwest,
   such as southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota, Iowa, and much of
   Missouri. Their activities are confined to well-defined territories
   which vary in size depending on sex, season, and distribution of prey.
   The home range is marked with their feces, urine scent, and by clawing
   prominent trees in the area. In this territory the bobcat will have
   numerous places of shelter, usually a main den and several auxiliary
   shelters on the outer extent of their range such as hollow logs, brush
   piles, thickets, or under a rock ledge. The odour of their den is
   strong. In summer the range of a male can reach roughly 16 square miles
   (41 km^2) or be less than a square mile (2.5 km^2), while the range of
   the female is less than half that. In winter bobcat territories may
   expand up to 40 square miles (100 km^2), often overlapping those of
   other bobcats. While male bobcats are more tolerant of this overlap,
   females rarely wander into other females' ranges. However two or more
   females may reside within a male's home range. When multiple male
   territories overlap a dominance hierarchy is often established
   resulting in the exclusion of some transients from favored areas.
   Generally though there exists about one bobcat per every five square
   miles (13 km^2), or perhaps slightly less depending on the location.
   Additionally there seems to be a link between population density and
   sex ratio. One study noted that a dense, unharvested population in
   California had a sex ratio of 2.1 males per female. When the density
   decreased, the sex ratio skewed to 0.86 males per female. Another study
   observed a similar ratio, and added the possible explanation that males
   were better able to cope with the increased competition, and that this
   would help limit reproduction until various factors would lower the
   density.
   A male Bobcat in an urban surrounding (standing on wires)
   Enlarge
   A male Bobcat in an urban surrounding (standing on wires)

   The bobcat is an adaptable animal, able to survive in numerous
   environments. Unlike the lynx it does not depend on the deep forest,
   but will also live in swamps as well as mountainous and wooded areas.
   If rocky ledges, swamps, or forested tracts are present, they will also
   make their home near agricultural areas. Their need is simply for land
   which will give them activity and rest, typically provided by woodlands
   (both deciduous and coniferous, or mixed). Much of their activity
   centers around swamps or ledges where they utilize their spotted coats
   for camouflage. Their range does not seem to be hindered by human
   populations, as long as they can still find a suitable habitat. However
   their population in the north seems to be limited due to both snow
   depth and the presence of the lynx. They are nevertheless well-suited
   to human caused changes in the environment, unlike the lynx, and some
   researchers believe there are more bobcats today in the United States
   than in colonial times.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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