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| Bobcat - Lynx rufus | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 7 2012, 08:48 PM (24,336 Views) | |
| Taipan | Jan 7 2012, 08:48 PM Post #1 |
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Bobcat - Lynx rufus![]() Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Lynx Species: Lynx rufus The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago (AEO). With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States. The bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as semi-desert, urban edge, forest edges, and swampland environments. It persists in much of its original range and populations are healthy. With a gray to brown coat, whiskered face, and black-tufted ears, the bobcat resembles the other species of the mid-sized Lynx genus. It is smaller on average than the Canada lynx, with which it shares parts of its range, but is about twice as large as the domestic cat. It has distinctive black bars on its forelegs and a black-tipped, stubby tail, from which it derives its name. Though the bobcat prefers rabbits and hares, it will hunt anything from insects and small rodents to deer. Prey selection depends on location and habitat, season, and abundance. Like most cats, the bobcat is territorial and largely solitary, although there is some overlap in home ranges. It uses several methods to mark its territorial boundaries, including claw marks and deposits of urine or feces. The bobcat breeds from winter into spring and has a gestation period of about two months. Although bobcats have been hunted extensively by humans, both for sport and fur, their population has proven resilient. The elusive predator features in Native American mythology and the folklore of European settlers. ![]() Taxanomy There had been debate over whether to classify this species as Lynx rufus or Felis rufus as part of a wider issue regarding whether the four species of Lynx should be given their own genus, or be placed as a subgenus of Felis. The Lynx genus is now accepted, and the bobcat is listed as Lynx rufus in modern taxonomic sources. Johnson et al. report that Lynx shared a clade with the puma, leopard cat (Prionailurus), and domestic cat (Felis) lineages, dated to 7.15 million years ago (mya); Lynx diverged first, approximately 3.24 mya. The bobcat is believed to have evolved from the Eurasian lynx, which crossed into North America by way of the Bering land bridge during the Pleistocene, with progenitors arriving as early as 2.6 mya. 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, developing into the modern Canada Lynx. Hybridization between the bobcat and the Canada lynx may sometimes occur. ![]() Bobcat Subspecies & Range Subspecies Thirteen bobcat subspecies are currently recognized:
The subspecies division has been challenged, given a lack of clear geographic breaks in the bobcat range and the minor differences between subspecies. ![]() Physical characteristics The bobcat resembles other species of the Lynx genus but is on average the smallest of the four. Its coat is variable, though generally tan to grayish brown, with black streaks on the body and dark bars on the forelegs and tail. Its spotted patterning acts as camouflage. The ears are black-tipped and pointed, with short black tufts. There is generally an off-white color on the lips, chin, and underparts. Bobcats in the desert regions of the southwest have the lightest colored coats, while those in the northern, forested regions are darkest. 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 still exhibit a spot pattern. The face appears wide due to ruffs of extended hair beneath the ears. Bobcat eyes are yellow with black pupils. The nose of the bobcat is pinkish-red, and it has a base color of gray or yellowish- or brownish-red on its face, sides, and back. The pupils are round black circles and will widen during nocturnal activity to maximize light reception. The cat has sharp hearing and vision, and a good sense of smell. It is an excellent climber, and will swim when it needs to, but will normally avoid water. The adult bobcat is 47.5 to 125 cm (18.7 to 49 in) long from the head to the base of the tail, averaging 82.7 cm (32.6 in); the stubby tail adds 9 to 20 cm (3.5 to 7.9 in) and, due to its "bobbed" appearance, it gives the species its name. An adult stands about 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in) at the shoulders. Adult males can range in weight from 6.4 to 18.3 kg (14 to 40 lb), with an average of 9.6 kg (21 lb); females at 4.1 to 15.3 kg (9.0 to 34 lb), with an average of 6.8 kg (15 lb). The largest bobcat accurately measured on record weighed 22.2 kg (49 lb), although there are unverified reports of them reaching 27 kg (60 lb). The largest-bodied bobcats are from eastern Canada of the subspecies (L. r. gigas), while the smallest are from the southeastern subspecies (L. r. floridanus), particularly those in the southern Appalachians. The bobcat is muscular, and its hind legs are longer than its front legs, giving it a bobbing gait. At birth it weighs 0.6 to 0.75 pound (270 to 340 g) and is about 10 inches (25 cm) in length. By its first year it will reach about 10 pounds (4.5 kg). The cat is larger in its northern range and in open habitats. A morphological size comparison study in the eastern United States found a divergence in the location of the largest male and female specimens, suggesting differing selection constraints for the sexes. ![]() Behavior The bobcat is crepuscular. It keeps on the move from three hours before sunset until about midnight, and then again from before dawn until three hours after sunrise. Each night it will move from 2 to 7 miles (3.2 to 11 km) along its habitual route. This behavior may vary seasonally, as bobcats become more diurnal during fall and winter. This is a response to the activity of their prey, which are more active during the day in colder months. Social structure and home range Bobcat activities are confined to well-defined territories, which vary in size depending on gender and the distribution of prey. The home range is marked with feces, urine scent, and by clawing prominent trees in the area. In its territory the bobcat will have numerous places of shelter: usually a main den, and several auxiliary shelters on the outer extent of its range, such as hollow logs, brush piles, thickets, or under rock ledges. Its den smells strongly of the bobcat. The sizes of bobcat's home ranges vary significantly; a World Conservation Union (IUCN) summary of research suggests ranges anywhere from 0.02 to 126 sq mi (0.052 to 330 km2). One study in Kansas found resident males to have roughly an 8 sq mi (21 km2) range and females less than half that area. Transient bobcats were found to have both a larger (roughly 22 sq mi/57 km2) and less well-defined home range. Kittens had the smallest range at about 3 sq mi (7.8 km2). Research has shown that dispersal from the natal range is most pronounced with males. Reports on seasonal variation in range size have been equivocal. One study found a large variation in male range sizes, from 16 sq mi (41 km2) in summer up to 40 sq mi (100 km2) in winter. Another found that female bobcats, especially those which were reproductively active, expanded their home range in winter, but that males merely shifted their range without expanding it, which was consistent with numerous earlier studies. Other research in various American states has shown little or no seasonal variation. Like most felines, the bobcat is largely solitary but ranges will often overlap. Unusually for a cat, males are more tolerant of overlap, while females rarely wander into others' ranges. Given their smaller range sizes, 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. In line with widely differing estimates of home range size, population density figures are divergent: anywhere from 1 to 38 bobcats per 25 sq mi (65 km2) in one survey. The average is estimated at one bobcat per 5 square miles (10 km2). A link has been observed 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 suggested that males may be better able to cope with the increased competition, and that this would help limit reproduction until various factors lowered the density. ![]() Hunting and diet Rabbits and hares, along with rodents, are taken most often by the cat. The bobcat is able to go for long periods without food, but will eat heavily when prey is abundant. During lean periods, it will often prey on larger animals that it can kill and return to feed on later. The bobcat hunts by stalking its prey and then ambushing it with a short chase or pounce. Its preference is for mammals about 1.5 to 12.5 pounds (0.68 to 5.7 kg). Its main prey varies by region. In the eastern United States it is the eastern cottontail species, and in the north it is the snowshoe hare. When these prey species exist together, as in New England, they are the primary food sources of the bobcat. In the far south, the rabbits and hare are sometimes replaced by cotton rats as the primary food source. The bobcat is an opportunistic predator that, unlike the more specialized Canadian lynx, will readily vary its prey selection. Research has shown that diet diversification positively correlates to a decline in numbers of the bobcat's principal prey; the abundance of its main prey species is the main determinant of overall diet. The bobcat hunts animals of different sizes, and will adjust its hunting techniques accordingly. With small animals, such as rodents, squirrels, birds, fish and insects, it will hunt in areas known to be abundant in prey, and will lie, crouch, or stand and wait for victims to wander close. It will then pounce, grabbing its prey with its sharp, retractable claws. For slightly larger animals, such as rabbits and hares, it will stalk from cover and wait until they come within 20 to 35 feet (6.1 to 11 m) before rushing in to attack. Less commonly it will feed on larger animals such as young ungulates and other carnivores such as foxes, minks, skunks, small dogs and domesticated cats. Bobcats are considered the major predatory threat to the endangered Whooping Crane. Bobcats are also occasional hunters of livestock and poultry. While larger species such as cattle and horses are not known to be attacked, bobcats do present a threat to smaller ruminants such as sheep and goats. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, bobcats killed 11,100 sheep in 2004, comprising 4.9% of all sheep predator deaths. However, some amount of bobcat predation may be misidentified, as bobcats have been known to scavenge on the remains of livestock kills by other animals. It has been known to kill deer, especially in winter when smaller prey is scarce, or when deer populations become more abundant. One study in the Everglades showed a large majority of kills (33 of 39) were fawns, but that prey up to eight times the bobcat's weight could be successfully taken. It stalks the deer, often when the deer is lying down, then rushes in and grabs it by the neck before biting through the throat, base of the skull, or chest. On the rare occasions that a bobcat kills a deer, it eats its fill and then buries the carcass under snow or leaves, often returning to it several times to feed. The bobcat prey base overlaps with that of other mid-sized predators of a similar ecological niche. Research in Maine has shown little evidence of competitive relationships between the bobcat and coyote or red fox; separation distances and territory overlap appeared random amongst simultaneously monitored animals. However, other studies have found that bobcat populations may decrease in areas with high coyote populations, with the more social inclination of the canid giving them a possible competitive advantage. With the Canadian lynx, however, the interspecific relationship affects distribution patterns: competitive exclusion by the bobcat is likely to have prevented any further southward expansion of the range of its felid cousin. ![]() Reproduction and life cycle Bobcats typically live to six or eight years of age, with a few reaching beyond ten. The longest they have been known to live is 16 years in the wild and 32 years in captivity. They generally begin breeding by their second summer, though females may start as early as their first year. Sperm production begins each year by September or October, 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; this varies by location, but most mating takes place during February and March. The pair may undertake a number of different behaviors, including bumping, chasing, and ambushing. Other males may be in attendance, but remain uninvolved. Once the male recognizes that the female is receptive, he grasps her in the typical felid neck grip. The female may later go on to mate with other males, and males will generally mate with several females. During courtship, the otherwise silent bobcat may let out loud screams, hisses, or other sounds. Research in Texas has suggested that establishing a home range is necessary for breeding; studied animals with no set range had no identified offspring. The female has an estrous cycle of 44 days, with the estrus lasting five to ten days. Bobcats remain reproductively active throughout their lives. The female raises the young alone. One to six, but usually two to four, kittens are born in April or May, after roughly 60 to 70 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 enclosed space, usually a small cave or hollow log. The young open their eyes by the ninth or tenth day. They start exploring their surroundings at four weeks and are weaned at about two months. Within three to five months they begin to travel with their mother. They will be hunting by themselves by fall of their first year and usually disperse shortly thereafter. In Michigan, however, they have been observed staying with their mother as late as the next spring. Bobcat tracks show four toes without claw marks, due to their retractable claws. The tracks can range in size from 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm); the average is about 1.8 inches. When walking or trotting, the tracks are spaced roughly 8 to 18 inches (20 to 46 cm) apart. The bobcat can make great strides when running, often from 4 to 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 m). Like all cats, the bobcat directly registers, meaning its hind prints usually fall exactly on top of its fore prints (not seen in photograph). Bobcat tracks can be generally distinguished from feral or house cat tracks by their larger size: approximately 2 square inches (13 cm²) versus 1½ square inches (10 cm²). ![]() Ecology The adult bobcat has few predators other than man, although it may be killed in interspecific conflict. Cougars and gray wolves will kill adult bobcats, a behavior repeatedly observed in Yellowstone National Park. Coyotes have killed adult bobcats and kittens. Kittens may be taken by several predators including owls, eagles, foxes, as well as other adult male bobcats; when prey populations are not abundant, fewer kittens are likely to reach adulthood. Diseases, accidents, hunters, automobiles, and starvation are the other leading causes of death. Juveniles show high mortality shortly after leaving their mothers, while still perfecting their hunting technique. One study of 15 bobcats showed yearly survival rates for both sexes averaged 0.62, in line with other research suggesting rates of 0.56 to 0.67. There have also been reports of cannibalism occurring when prey levels are low, but it is very rare and does not significantly influence the population. The bobcat may have external parasites, mostly ticks and fleas, and will often carry the parasites of its prey, especially those of rabbits and squirrels. Internal parasites (endoparasites) are especially common in bobcats. One study found an average infection rate of 52% from Toxoplasma gondii, but with great regional variation. One mite in particular, Lynxacarus morlani, has to date only been found on the bobcat. It is still unclear how large a role parasites and diseases play in the mortality of the bobcat, but they may account for greater mortality than starvation, accidents, and predation. ![]() Distribution and habitat The bobcat is an adaptable animal. It prefers woodlands—deciduous, coniferous, or mixed—but unlike the other Lynx species it does not depend exclusively on the deep forest. It ranges from the humid swamps of Florida to desert lands of Texas or rugged mountain areas. It will make its home near agricultural areas, if rocky ledges, swamps, or forested tracts are present, its spotted coat serving as camouflage. The population of the bobcat depends primarily on the population of its prey; other principal factors in the selection of habitat type include protection from severe weather, availability of resting and den sites, dense cover for hunting and escape, and freedom from disturbance. The bobcat's range does not seem to be limited by human populations, as long as it can find a suitable habitat; only large, intensively cultivated tracts are unsuitable for the species. The animal may appear in backyards in "urban edge" environments, where human development intersects with natural habitats. If chased by a dog it will usually climb up a tree. The historical range of the bobcat was from southern Canada, throughout the United States, and as far south as the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and it still persists across much of this area. Range maps typically show a pocket of territory in the U.S. Midwest and parts of the Northeast where it is no longer thought to exist, including southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota and much of Missouri, mostly due to habitat changes from modern agricultural practices. While thought to no longer exist in western New York and Pennsylvania, multiple confirmed sightings of Bobcats (including dead specimens) have been recently reported in New York's Southern Tier and in central New York. In addition, bobcats sightings have been confirmed in northern Indiana, and one was recently killed near Albion, Michigan. In early March, 2010, a bobcat was sighted (and later captured by animal control authorities) in a parking garage in downtown Houston, TX. In August and September, 2010, a number of sightings were reported in the Houston suburbs of Pearland and Friendswood. Its population in Canada is limited due to both snow depth and the presence of the Canadian lynx. The bobcat does not tolerate deep snow, and will wait out heavy storms in sheltered areas; it lacks the large, padded feet of the Canadian lynx and can not support its weight on snow as efficiently. The bobcat is not entirely at a disadvantage where its range meets that of the larger felid: displacement of the Canadian lynx by the aggressive bobcat has been observed where they interact in Nova Scotia, while the clearing of coniferous forests for agriculture has led to a northward retreat of the Canadian lynx's range to the advantage of the bobcat. In northern and central Mexico, the cat is found in dry scrubland and forests of pine and oak; its range ends at the tropical southern portion of the country. ![]() Conservation The bobcat population has seen declines in the American Midwest, but is generally stable and healthy The bobcat is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which means it is not considered threatened with extinction, but that hunting and trading must be closely monitored. The animal is regulated in all three of its range countries and it is found in a number of protected areas of the United States, its principal territory. Estimates from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed bobcat numbers between 700,000 and 1,500,000 in the U.S. in 1988, with increased range and population density suggesting even greater numbers in subsequent years; for these reasons, the U.S. has petitioned CITES to remove the cat from Appendix II. Populations in Canada and Mexico remain stable and healthy. The IUCN lists it as a species of "least concern", noting that it is relatively widespread and abundant, but that information from southern Mexico is poor. The species is considered endangered in Ohio, Indiana, and New Jersey. It was removed from the threatened list of Illinois in 1999 and of Iowa in 2003. In Pennsylvania limited hunting and trapping is once again allowed, after having been banned from 1970 to 1999. The bobcat also suffered population declines in New Jersey at the turn of the nineteenth century, mainly because of commercial and agricultural developments causing habitat fragmentation; by 1972, the bobcat was given full legal protection, and was listed as endangered in the state in 1991. L. rufus escuinipae, the subspecies found in Mexico, was for a time considered endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but was delisted in 2005. The bobcat has long been valued both for fur and sport; it has been hunted and trapped by humans, but has maintained a high population, even in the southern United States where it is extensively hunted. Indirectly, kittens are most vulnerable to hunting given their dependence on an adult female for the first few months of life. The 1970s and 1980s saw an unprecedented rise in price for bobcat fur causing further interest in hunting, but by the early 1990s prices had dropped significantly. Regulated hunting still continues, with half of mortality of some populations being attributed to this cause. As a result, the rate of bobcat deaths is skewed in winter, when hunting season is generally open.
Edited by Taipan, Mar 10 2012, 09:44 PM.
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 04:10 PM Post #2 |
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Dietary Information As with the lynx, lagomorphs are the bobcat’s year-round dietary staple -- cottontail rabbits in the south of their range, and snowshoe hares in the north (Maehr and Brady 1986, Anderson 1987, Rolley 1987). Unlike the specialist lynx, however, the bobcat is a generalist and, depending on the locality, rodents also make an important contribution to its diet (Young 1958). In the southern Central Plains and the southern United States, cotton rats are the primary food item (Kight 1962, Beasom and Moore 1977, Miller and Speake 1978, McCord and Cardoza 1982, Leopold and Krausman 1986, Maehr and Brady 1986). Wood rats and kangaroo rats are important in the south-western US (Leach and Frazier 1953, Gashwiler et al. 1960, Small 1971, Jones and Smith 1979). In western Washington state, Knick et al. (1984) reported a 42% occurrence of mountain beaver in the diet. In Texas, peccaries are also taken (Leopold and Krausman 1986). Bobcats also take birds (Leach and Frazier 1953, Beasom and Moore 1977, Miller and Speake 1978, Bailey 1979) and bats (Wroe and Wroe 1982). Despite their small size, bobcats can be effective predators of large adult ungulates, especially deer, generally killed when resting (Matson 1948, Young 1958). Several studies have found that males tend to consume larger prey than females (Fritts and Sealander 1978a, Sweeney 1978, Litvaitis et al. 1984), and that juveniles consume proportionally more rodents than adults (Whittle 1979, Toweill 1982). Ungulates can be an important winter food source for northern bobcats, when snow depth increases their vulnerability to predation (Erickson 1955, Fritts and Sealander 1978a, Miller and Speake 1978, May 1981, Litvaitis et al. 1986, Koehler and Hornocker 1989). Young fawns are also particularly vulnerable (Beale and Smith 1973, Trainer 1975). Bobcats will also scavenge ungulate carcasses killed by other predators (Koehler and Hornocker 1991). http://lynx.uio.no/lynx/catsgportal/cat-website/20_cat-website/home/index_en.htm Do bobcats kill whitetail deer? These trail camera photos capture a bobcat killing a whitetail deer. This confirms that bobcats kill deer. ![]() ![]() ![]() http://www.23mm.com/deer/bobcat.cfm |
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 04:11 PM Post #3 |
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This article is an excellent read! Notre Dame Magazine Published Spring 1996 Wood Ghost by Kerry Temple It is just before dawn. The damp air is cold -- late-autumn-cold -- with frost on the tall, brown grasses and ice and patches of crusty snow. Most of the stars have faded in the east, but a half-moon shines in the west and Venus and Jupiter twinkle like jewels against the cobalt sky. But there, beneath the celestial canopy, in the shadows of maple and birch and sycamore, the rabbit lies belly-open. Steam rises from the bloody mess. The wildcat is eating, ripping apart his prey, leaving only skull and bone and scraps of fur. A black crow twitters and caws in the tree nearby. The eastern sky is brightening. The cat has been up all night. He has covered almost 10 miles, maybe more, on his nocturnal ramble through his home range, for he digresses -- scouting for prey, investigating unusual signs and smells, nosing around, ambling about, leaving his marks upon the territory he calls his own. So his course meanders, delivering him finally to the swift, lean rabbit that provided the last nourishment he needed before the crack of day. Now full and slow and sleepy, the cat recoils into a harbor of brush and licks the sticky blood from his whiskers and his paws. * * * As a boy growing up down South, I dreamed of seeing bobcats in the woods. In a land of squirrels, raccoons and opossums, they -- not wolf, lion or bear -- were the wild things. The solitary carnivore. Meateater and mystic. A deadly blend of elegance and cunning, tooth and claw, ferocity and grace. An animal whose shadowy presence loomed large in our landscape and in my imagination, informing both with the scent of elemental danger, predatory wildness, beguiling apparition. Its wraith-like nature had prompted some old-timers to call it "wood ghost," for it is a reclusive, almost secretive animal so rarely seen that many doubt that it prowls their neighborhood -- until they hear its banshee cry. As a teenager backpacking in Texas or canoeing in Arkansas, I would lie awake at night listening for that other-worldly wailing, the caterwauling that Thackeray described as "a shriek and a yell like the devils of hell." But I never heard it, and in time I began to wonder if any such creatures were still out there in the few remaining wild spots east of the Rockies. It was important to me then, as it is now, to think that such elemental wildness still vitalized the countryside where I lived -- however curbed, fenced or civilized. So I delighted in the occasional sightings of this pint-sized descendant of the saber-toothed tiger -- though these were reports of something lurking in the shadows before dissolving from sight, glimpses of the haunting amber eyes blazing in the twilight. Still, the idea that this distant cousin of the panther, this wily remnant of untamed America might roam my boyhood's rolling, piney hills infected that landscape with a hint of joy and peril. Lynx rufus traces its lineage to an ancestral lynx that prowled the Asian high country four million years ago. About 200,000 years ago these cats crossed the Bering Straits eastward to give rise to the Canada lynx, the bobcat's closest relative but clear subordinate in territorial wargames. The bobcat's reputation as a ferocious predator had an immediate impact on the whites who descended upon this continent 500 years ago. To colonists, who must have been fidgety about all the strange and fearsome creatures lurking in the woods, the wildcat made a singular impression. "The wilde cat," wrote William Wood in New England's Prospect: A True, Lively, and Experimental Description of that Part of America, "is more dangerous to bee met withall than any other creature." The chronicler also expressed admiration for the bobcat's hunting technique that it "useth to kill Deare": "Knowing the Deares tracts," he explained in 1634, "hee will lye lurking in long weedes, the Deare passing by he suddenly leapes upon his backe, from thence gets to his necke, and scratcheth out his throate." Tales of bobcats bringing down 200-pound deer are passed down by those who marvel at the cat's bold venery. Aware of the game trails within its territory, the bobcat will climb a tree (usually on the side away from the trail in order to conceal its claw marks) and wait for a passing deer. Pouncing on its prey, it will go for the throat. The relentless snapping action of its jaws, which has been likened to the rapid firing of a sewing machine, enables an adult bobcat, wrote one naturalist, "to pulverize the throat, including the major blood vessels and trachea, in a matter of seconds." Because of its fierce and independent nature, its wild and crafty ways, the bobcat rests prominently in the anthology of our national folklore, its snarling visage on the same pages as Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and other pioneer heroes. Its reputation has prompted some observers to exaggerate the animal's size. As early as 1637, Thomas Morton wrote warily of bobcats and said they were as "bigg as a great Hound." In truth, the bobcat is slightly larger than a housecat and usually weighs about 25 pounds. Although vicious when cornered, the wildcat's relatively small size makes its ability to prey upon deer all the more impressive. More often the bobcat, who cannot supplement his diet with plants because his stomach physiology is specialized for meat, settles for smaller game -- rabbits, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, gophers and such. But it is also admired for its ability to survive by taking third and fourth choice -- snakes, frogs, birds, porcupines (it apparently can pass the quills through the intestine), fish, cave bats, lizards . . . whatever it takes to get along. Where humans have cultivated its territory, bobcats have shown an appetite for livestock, most notably poultry. In Ohio a farmer lost 35 domestic rabbits, 23 ducks, several chickens and one lamb to a sly bobcat he could not trap -- but that he shot when it had made one trip too many into the barn. In Colorado one night a bobcat removed a rock from the foundation of a henhouse, feasted on 51 chickens, but was then too big to sneak back out his entry hole. Raids such as these put a price on the bobcat's head long before the American Revolution. And its notoriety as a bandit almost cost the bobcat its very existence. * * * Americans have never really known what to do with the wild animals that flourished here before the European onslaught. Some were taken for their meat, some for their pelts, and others -- like the wolf, the bear and the wild cats -- were killed like outlaws. They were a nuisance; they threatened the safety of those carving a civilization out of the great American wilderness. But, as was the case with the native peoples who were also in the way of westward expansion, their populations were more severely decimated by a reduction in habitat. By the end of the 19th century, the bobcat had become more of a character in our cultural mythology than a main player in the territory once its own. Still, in 1915, reacting to the bobcats' threat to livestock, a government Predator and Control Agency was created within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Over the next several decades literally thousands of bobcats, wolves and mountain lions were killed through a carefully orchestrated poisoning program. It was not until 1972, when President Nixon prohibited the use of toxic chemicals on federal lands, that societal forces slowed the wholesale slaughter of American wildlife. By then at least half a million bobcats had been killed. And yet, although its habitats have been radically reduced by the encroaching civilization and it's still hunted as a threat to livestock and trapped for its pelt, the bobcat has survived. Give credit for this hardy resiliency to the cat's belligerent nature, its knack for being there one moment and gone the next, and for its gritty adaptability. While the grizzlies, wolves and panthers have receded into the closets of America's frontier, the bobcat dug in its claws and hung on. Though it prefers scrubby country and broken forests, the bobcat has made a niche for itself in each of the lower 48 states. The "wood ghost" has persisted because it has made a home in soggy swamplands, throughout the arid Southwest, even amid Midwestern farmland. It is, in essence, all around us -- somewhere between 700,000 and 1.5 million of them, although its reclusive nature makes a census difficult. Even naturalists who study the creature may go a lifetime without spotting one. It has largely faded into the modern American landscape like a phantom prowler depositing signs of its sweet trespassings, somehow eluding the noose of homo sapiens. * * * When I was younger, exploring the fields of my ever-widening universe, I was on the lookout for wildcats in the backcountry of Colorado and Utah, in New Mexico, Wyoming and the Adirondacks. I saw their claw marks near the bases of trees, which they use to sharpen their claws and mark their territory; their scat, which is similar to a dog's but which they bury during summer to conceal their presence; and their tracks, which also resemble a dog's. But I found no bobcat on these travels. And yet, as I sought the elusory wildcat and hiked its uncultured domain and read about its habits, I learned a lot about the cat and its country and my place in it. I learned, for example, that the cat places its hindfeet into the tracks of its forepaws, a practice biologists attribute to its instinct to stalk unnoticed. I learned, too, that the bobcat can spring eight feet into the air, that it makes its den in rocky ledges or caves, in abandoned fox dens, even hollow logs. Male and female find each other in early spring, spend some courting time together (howling wantonly) and mate. The male then wanders freely off to continue his solitary existence. The kittens, usually three or four in a litter, appear about two months later and stay with the mother throughout the summer, learning bobcat ways. By late fall the young also will wander off, will first mate when they're about a year old, and will live about 15 years. Their isolated existence makes it easy for them to evaporate into the landscape, upholding their ancestral charm. They are largely but not exclusively nocturnal. They get their name from their bobbed tail, and their ear tufts help them gather sounds. They use their whiskers as a navigational device when stalking, and females are much more combative than males when defending their territory. Their eyes glow in the dark because wildcats are eerie, phantom-like creatures -- and also because light hits a reflective layer behind the retina, called the tapetum, which bounces the light back, gives the eyes' rods a second chance to absorb the dim nighttime rays. Except for man and his dogs, which really are no match for it, the bobcat has no serious enemies. If tracked, the cat may vault into a tree and wait in ambush. Or it may loop back, appearing behind its hunter, reversing the predator-prey relationship. Such is the stuff of myth and fact, fable and truth, both literal and figurative, which tell of bobcats. At some point I learned, as anyone does who studies animals long, a certain humility in the presence of wild things -- the bobcat, or owl or pronghorn antelope. They are so fast, their senses so keen, their genius so remarkable that humans, turned loose upon the land, seem clumsy and dumb in comparison. To say nothing of their beauty and grace. Their power. Their rightness. Their capacity to slip into the landscape and to live there unencumbered. I envy them their intimacy with the earth. I have looked for bobcats everywhere. * * * I saw the bloody remains of rabbit first. My dog had sniffed it out in the woods where we walked religiously every day for seven years, rain or snow, midnight or dawn -- a place along a river where we slipped easily, unobtrusively into the countryside inhabited by deer and fox, hawks and coons. This was several years ago -- at daybreak -- but I recall it vividly. The dried blood, the tufts of hair, the ivory bone. After a few moments I walked on, leaving the dog to scavenge the carrion. Emerging from a copse of trees, I was looking across a grassy clearing when an animal appeared some 30 yards in front of me, having stepped out of a hedgerow -- as surprised to see me as I to see it. So we watched each other for a moment while I, stunned by its appearance, took inventory -- and assured myself that it was indeed a bobcat staring back at me. Although I stepped several paces closer to it, it did not appear threatened. In fact, I sensed that it was content to meet there like that, to stand face-to-face, to hold each other in a gaze, before moving on, easing into the thicket from which it had come, in no apparent hurry to get away. Since that morning I have thought of that encounter many times. It seems significant now, as I recall that meeting, that the bobcat came to that place, those woods, that intersection of my world and his. http://www.nd.edu/~ndmag/tempsp96.html |
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 04:12 PM Post #4 |
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Bobcat - Subspecies Subspecies: L. r. baileyi (Southwestern U.S. and Northwestern Mexico) L. r. californicus (Pacific Coastal U.S. – California) L. r. escuinapae (Mexico) L. r. fasciatus (Pacific Coastal Northwestern U.S. and Canada) L. r. floridanus (Southeastern U.S.) L. r. gigas (Northeastern U.S. and Canada, including New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) L. r. oaxacensis (Southern Mexico) L. r. pallescens (Northwestern U.S. and Canada) L. r. peninsularis (Baja Peninsula) L. r. rufus (Midwestern and Northeastern U.S.) L. r. superiorensis (Northern Great Lakes) L r. texensis (Texas and Northwestern Mexico) (Lariviere and Walton 1997) Bobcat - Lynx rufus fasciatus ![]() |
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 04:12 PM Post #5 |
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Bobcat specialist presents tale of a master survivor Thursday, 05 June 2008 By Jenny Dennis, Gazette Correspondent ![]() For most Rim Country residents, a fleeting glimpse of a shadowy cat-like figure softly padding through the chaparral confounds the senses. Too big to be a house cat, too small to be a mountain lion, the mysterious animal defies identification. However, there are several characteristic features that separate the bobcat from other wild animals—a short bobbed tail, a distinctive ruff around the face, a spotty coat and tufted ears. Bobcats are one of the most prolific and most exploited of all wild cats. Its white belly fur is precious to trappers, who typically sell the pelts on the international trade market, reports Kevin Hansen, wildlife biologist and author. Hunting and trapping of bobcats is legal in Arizona. Open season is from Aug. 1 through March 31, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). While half the world’s 38 species of wild cats are listed as threatened or endan-gered, the bobcat “is doing relatively well. They may even be expanding their range in some areas,” Hansen said. Despite its tremendous importance to the world’s fur economy, Lynx rufus continues to roam a broad swath of North America—from central Mexico to southern Canada. The cats are very common in Arizona and especially enjoy Rim Country habitat (rimrock and chaparral vegetation), according to AZGFD. Bobcat sightings also occur along the urban fringes of Arizona cities. Reports of this type are on the increase, particularly on the outskirts of Tucson. The wild felines have been reported visiting such ideal habitats as neighborhood backyards containing shrubbery, green grass and swimming pools. “Animals are like us. They need the same three things, food, water and shelter,” Hansen said. He recently traveled from his home in New Mexico to share his wealth of bobcat knowledge during a 40-minute slide show presentation in three cities, Flagstaff, Phoenix and Safford. Conveying a deep sense of wonder, respect and awe for bobcats, he appears comfortable in the limelight, knowing the animals just might benefit from his efforts. Hansen recalls his initial fascination with the wild felines. Many years ago he was doing mountain lion field studies in Arizona. “I ran into bobcats more frequently than I expected. It was really kind of surprising,” he said. That initial intrigue led Hansen to delve deeper into research materials on the bobcat. He discovered a tremendous amount of information about the wild cats “but it wasn’t very good.” Hansen decided he would create an easy-to-read, informative book to help fill the knowledge gap—a difficult challenge given the animal’s propensity to perplex human analysis. For the next 11 years, he immersed himself in the bobcat’s world every opportunity that he could. The outcome of his research was condensed into a 212-page book titled “Bobcat: A Master of Survival.” Hansen dispels suspicions or misconceptions people might have regarding the animal’s possible threat to humans. “There have been instances where people have been attacked by bobcats. They almost always involve rabies. It is extremely rare. Bobcats tend to stay away from people.” Bobcats are strictly carnivorous and feast primarily on jackrabbits and cottontails in Arizona. Other small prey, such as rodents and even an occasional small deer, have been noted as complements to a rabbit-filled diet. “Bobcats have heavy musculature on a really lightweight skeleton,” said Hansen. Eighty-five percent of the cat’s average weight of 25 pounds is solid muscle mass. “They’re also very good hunters. It’s what they’re all about. They are predators,” he said. The bobcat’s superb hunting skills can be attributed not only to its musculature, but to highly developed, keenly acute senses. “They can hear in the ultrasonic range. They can see in one-sixth the light level that we can. Their eyes are about twice the size of ours. They see everything real well at night,” Hansen said. “What’s amazing is that they also (have a field of vision of) almost 287 degrees. And when they’re giving that sort of blank stare, they’re watching everything around them. They don’t even have to turn their heads.” Many wild animals have suffered due to habitat loss and the bobcat may be no exception. Habitat encroachment may pose threats to their long-term survival. And although there are international protective measures restricting the number of bobcat pelts which can be traded, those regulations are in jeopardy of being repealed, according to Hansen. “There was a recent CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) meeting in Belgium and there are proposals to remove all of the protection that bobcats currently enjoy,” Hansen said. “So, it’s kind of interesting because we keep saying, ‘Oh, they’re doing fine.’ Is that because of what we’re doing or in spite of what we’re doing?” Hansen remains cautiously optimistic that the bobcat will continue to move furtively in the shadows of our natural world and uphold its status as a master of survival. http://www.rimcountrygazette.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3337&Itemid=1 |
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 04:13 PM Post #6 |
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Predation on Porcupines![]() Mammal Tracks & Signs By Mark Elbroch |
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 04:14 PM Post #7 |
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Behaviors of Bobcats Preying on White-tailed Deer in the Everglades Ronald F. Labisky and Margaret C. Boulay Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611 Predatory behaviors of bobcats (Lynx rufus) that preyed on 39 radio-instrumented white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus) in the Everglades during a 3-yr study, 1 April 1989–31 March 1992, are described and compared with those of other felids. Bobcats killed 33 fawns and six adults by administering one bite to the neck and throat region. The maximum prey:predator weight ratio was 8:1. Twelve (31%) of 39 kills were dragged 2–10 m to concealment cover before being eaten. Twelve (71%) of 17 carcasses that were not dragged from the kill site exhibited a characteristic death form in that the head on each was twisted backwards (throat dorsal) and positioned diagonally under the shoulder. Feeding was initiated on large muscle masses, predominantly on the hindquarters. Bobcats eviscerated 29 (83%) of 35 carcasses, severed one fore- or hind-limbs from 18 (55%) of 33 kills, and plucked hair from 13 (33%) of 39 carcasses. Bobcats partially or completely covered 17 (52%) of 33 carcasses with plant litter. Thus, bobcats preying on deer in the Everglades displayed notable differences in eviscerating, feeding, and covering behaviors. Source : Here
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 04:15 PM Post #8 |
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Bobcat Predation on Beavers (From Scottwolverine)
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 04:17 PM Post #9 |
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Edited by Taipan, Apr 25 2012, 09:41 PM.
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 04:18 PM Post #10 |
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Bobcat kills "a very large whitetail buck" Bobcat kills of white-tail deer rare, but not unheard of By Mike Leggett AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF, Austin, TX Sunday, November 19, 2006 Spicewood hunting guide Richard Davis volunteered to spend the night sitting up over the dead deer's carcass. Davis figured he would have at least a chance to get rid of a mountain lion that had made its way into a 10-acre enclosure on the Nolan County ranch close to Sweetwater and killed a very large whitetail buck. The cat had fed a little on the carcass and had then covered the head and hindquarters with grass and dirt. "We found the deer on a Saturday morning," Davis said, "and we just walked away from it. (The ranch owners) have lost probably $100,000 worth of deer over the years to cats, mostly does and fawns." If the deer killer came back, and Davis could kill it, that would be one pressure off the deer. Outfitted with night-vision goggles and a rifle, Davis took a position about 75 yards away from the dead deer and waited. "About 1:30 in the morning, there were some deer out in front of me and they all spooked. That's when I saw this cat coming. It went over and began feeding on the buck. I turned on a red light and could see it behind the deer." But the mountain lion Davis expected to see instead turned out to be a huge bobcat. And although he had doubts about whether even a big, mature bobcat tom could overpower and kill a 200-pound whitetail buck, Davis knew the cat was there feeding on the deer. "I'd never known of a bobcat killing a deer," he said. "But I shot it." The cat flipped over and disappeared into the darkness. Davis found it the next morning about 50 yards from the dead deer. Upon being skinned, the deer showed numerous tooth and claw marks, all of which perfectly matched the claws and canines of the big bobcat, which weighed more than 45 pounds on ranch scales. A 45-pound bobcat might be compared to a 350-pound whitetail. There are some but they're rare. And splendid athletes that they are, it just boggles the mind that a bobcat could catch, kill and eat a mature whitetail buck. Don't be so surprised, said Mike Tewes, a professor and feline research expert at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M-Kingsville. "Bobcats do kill adult deer," Tewes said. "In Texas, their most common food is cottontails and other rodents, but especially in the northwest, they feed on deer a lot. Up there it's one of their main foods." Tewes has done extensive research and trapping, mainly on ocelots in South Texas and Mexico, but in the course of that work he's caught and released many bobcats and has seen his share of mountain lions. Chickens and pigeons are the preferred bait for the live traps he uses to catch ocelots and bobcats, but he'll occasionally come across the fresh remains of deer killed by bobcats. "It's not common but it's not uncommon," Tewes said. "I even had a neighbor here in Kingsville who had a pet deer in a pen at her house and a bobcat went in and killed the deer. They're pretty effective predators." Bobcats, much like their larger cousins, typically kill prey larger than themselves by attacking from beneath, Tewes said, hanging on with their claws and burying their canine fangs in the deer's carotid artery. That shuts off blood to the brain and the kill is completed fairly quickly. "You may have to look close but you can see the marks in the neck," he said. Tewes said bobcats in Texas kill deer infrequently. Whitetails make up just 6 percent of their diet, according to long-term studies. In the Northeast, those numbers rise considerably, to 27 percent in Maine and New Hampshire and 32 percent in Vermont. "It's higher where those deer gather in 'yards' during the winter," Tewes said. http://bigcatrescue.blogspot.com/2006/11/bobcat-kills-of-white-tail-deer-rare.html |
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| Taipan | Jan 13 2012, 11:50 PM Post #11 |
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October 9, 2006 Red Rock, NV: The owner of a bobcat that mauled three dogs in Red Rock has been found. The escaped bobcat’s name is Katrina, and she is thirteen months old. The Antelope Valley owner told county workers she was tied up on a leash Thursday night, and somehow got away. One dog, Ace, was put down after suffering life-threatening injuries. http://bigcatrescue.org/2011/big-cat-attacks |
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| Taipan | Jan 14 2012, 02:21 PM Post #12 |
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Bobcat predation on Fishers " Three of the fishers released last winter have died, and radio transmitters on two others no longer function. Scientists analyzed two of the carcasses, learning that one animal was killed by a bobcat in the Elwha Valley while the other was run over by a vehicle while crossing Highway 101 near Forks. The third animal died in a remote area of the park and has not been recovered." http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/12/more-fishers-soon-be-loose-olympic-national-park The above occured in Olympic National Park U.S. state of Washington. This : ![]() occured in the Klamath Mountains of northwest California and southwest Oregon. ![]() "Bobcats are a significant predator of fishers on the Hoopa reservation (Coastal Martes Working Group notes; 14 June 2007). The fisher may be more susceptible to predation in areas with less forest cover and thus logging may expose them to additional risk (Buck et al. 1994). " http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/Pacific_fisher/pdfs/fisher-cesa-petition.pdf |
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| Taipan | Jun 21 2012, 08:22 PM Post #13 |
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60-pound bobcat turns up as roadkill By JASON SCHREIBER Union Leader Correspondent June 20. 2012 11:48PM ![]() Bobcats like this one in Paul Bolduc's backyard in Sullivan have been seen roaming around New Hampshire. Wildlife officials say reports of captures and sightings have been on the rise. KINGSTON — A 60-pound bobcat struck and killed on Route 125 last week has police warning residents to be aware the animals are in the area. “This was the largest one I've seen in Kingston,” Police Chief Donald Briggs Jr. said. Police responded to Route 125 in the area of Landscapers Depot on June 12 around 7:30 p.m. to investigate a report of a bobcat on the side of the highway. The driver who hit the animal never reported it to the police, Briggs said. “We've had smaller ones over the years that we've seen, but not too many of them,” Briggs said. While sightings are unusual in Kingston and other parts of southeastern New Hampshire, the bobcat population appears to be on the rise after more than 20 years of protection, according to researchers. The University of New Hampshire and the state Fish and Game Department are working on a study of the state's bobcat population. The project began in response to an increase in bobcat sightings and captures over the past decade. Bobcats have been captured and equipped with radio collars to allow researchers to track their movements. Mark Ellingwood, a Fish and Game wildlife biologist, said large numbers of bobcats are less likely in southeastern parts of the state, but they're still present. “It's not an uncommon occurrence. It's not a surprise to us that there would be a bobcat in virtually any town in New Hampshire,” he said. “You don't have to go far north to find a fair abundance.” Ellingwood said bobcats pose no more of a threat to humans than a fox or a coyote. “We don't consider them to be a great risk. They're part of our normal landscape,” he said. Still, Briggs warned residents with pets to be aware. “We would caution individuals to be aware that when you're in the woods, there are some large wild animals that do visit the community and they would pose a danger to domesticated animals,” Briggs said. http://www.unionleader.com/article/20120621/NEWHAMPSHIRE03/706219906 |
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| Taipan | Apr 10 2014, 09:03 PM Post #14 |
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Always enjoyed this descrption of the differences of male Bobcats and female Bobcats as almost "different species".![]() Source : Bobcat : Master of Survival Edited by Taipan, Dec 30 2017, 11:21 PM.
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| maker | Jan 27 2015, 06:21 PM Post #15 |
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Apex Predator
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