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Mammals > Bobcat Bobcat and Lynx: General In northern New England, there are two wild cat species that have short or bobbed tails: Bobcat, Lynx rufus, and Canada Lynx, Lynx canadensis. The two species are similar in many ways. Both are solitary most of the time, den in remote heavily wooded areas and prey primarily on snowshoe hare. One species, the Bobcat, is relatively abundant and not considered to be endangered or threatened; the other, Canada Lynx, is very rare and only known from the most remote regions within its former range. Both species have refined the characteristics of a stealthy predator that can visually melt into its habitat. Bobcat, Lynx rufus Range Bobcats are found across southern Canada southward through the United States and into most of Mexico. In the United States population densities are higher in the north and south eastern regions than in the western states. The ranges of the bobcat and the lynx meet at about the United States and Canada border. They overlap in northern New England and eastern Canada. The bobcat is listed on Appendix II of CITES* list. In Vermont there is a limited trapping and hunting season in the months of December, January and February. Habitat/Diet The bobcat prefers mixed deciduous-coniferous and hardwood forests and brushy and rocky woodlands broken by fields, old roads and farmland. They are frequently found in cedar swamps and spruce thickets. They prefer areas with thick undergrowth and, in winter, seek areas with softwood cover. Description Male and female bobcats are colored similarly. Males are slightly larger. A male bobcat is 28" - 47.3" long with a relatively short tail that is 3.5" - 7.9" and hind feet that measure 6" - 8.7" from toe to heel. An adult bobcat weighs 15 - 45 pounds. The fur is very dense, soft and relatively short. The brownish-gray head is streaked with black, the buffy neck is heavily spotted or streaked with black. The ears are heavily furred and creamy tan inside, are black on the back side with short dark ear tufts. The body is grayish buff or reddish in summer (paler in winter), spotted or streaked with black and darkest along the back from the head to the base of the tail, becoming lighter on the sides. The rump and hind legs are buffy; the underparts are whitish with black spots. The short tail has three or four black bars, is black at the tip but only on the upper surface (unlike the lynx which has a tail with a completely black tip) and has a pale under surface. Diet The primary food for bobcats is snowshoe hare in winter. However, many species are included throughout the year: mice, squirrel, porcupine, mink, opossum, rabbit, skunk, muskrat, mole, shrew, chipmunk, bird and bird eggs, fish, insects, dead animals (if found frozen during winter) and some plants. Bobcats have sharp incisors and strong jaws which, when combined with very sharp retractable claws, make this creature a formidable predator which enables a cat to take down a weakened deer. Reproduction The breeding season for bobcats begins in late February and extends into March. The adult male and female are together only for this brief time of the year. The female will den in rock crevices, under windfalls or in hollow logs. She usually lines the den with dried grasses, leaves and moss. Gestation is about 62 days. The litter ranges in size from one to four kittens that are born in May to early June. Some females have delayed estrus and may breed as late as June bearing kittens in August. The kittens' eyes open at ten days and they wean at 60 - 70 days. The female raises the young who stay with her for nearly one year or until the next breeding season. During that time they will learn the hunting skills that will sustain them through their lives. A bobcat lives about 12 years in the wild. The longest known lifespan of a bobcat in captivity is 32 years. Behavior Bobcats are solitary and elusive animals. They are active year-round, mostly at night, but studies have shown that crepuscular (dawn and dusk) activity peaks match the activity patterns of major lagomorph (rabbit) and rodent species, especially in winter. They have keen eyesight and well developed senses of smell and hearing. When hunting, they follow prey stealthily along from one cover to the next until they are close enough to strike. Or, they may lay motionless in a tree listening and watching for prey. Another technique is to crouch in ambush on or near an animal trail. Sometimes a bobcat will crouch for hours in one spot shifting slightly in a circular fashion to change its view and creating an impression in the snow, called a hunting bed, that shows paw prints all around. They are not long distance runners and can only move about 15 mph. They will climb trees to rest, escape dogs, chase prey or catch birds. They patrol a home range of about 2 square miles, larger if prey is scarce in a given year. Females hold smaller territories; a male's territory may overlap several female's territories. Wildlife viewing tips Both bobcat and lynx are secretive and therefore not often seen by people. By snowshoeing in remote regions, one may come across the tracks of a cat or possibly the remains of a recent kill. Lynx, Lynx canadensis Range The original range of the lynx encompasses wooded North America south of the timberline from Alaska to Nova Scotia; south to southern New England and New York; west to the Michigan Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin, and southern Saskatchewan to the Pacific Ocean; and south through the Rockies into Colorado and central mountains of Utah. Presently, the greatest populations occur in Canada and Alaska. They occur in low numbers in the states of Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The ranges of the lynx and the bobcat meet at about the United States and Canada border. They overlap in northern New England and eastern Canada. The lynx is listed on the U.S. Endangered Species List as Threatened and is listed as Endangered on Vermont’s List of Rare and Uncommon Animals. The lynx is listed on Appendix II of CITES* list. Habitat Lynx prefer the interiors of extensive, unbroken forests well removed from human activity. They often will be in swamps, bogs or rocky areas within their general habitat haunts. They rarely venture into open land. Description Males and females are colored similarly. Males are slightly larger. A male lynx is 32.7” – 39.4” long with a relatively short tail that is 3.9” – 5.1” and long hind feet that measure 8.7” – 9.9” from toe to heel. An adult lynx weighs 15 – 35 pounds. The head has a brownish crown with white tipped hairs; the nose and cheeks are grayish. The ears are grayish-white inside, edged with buff; the back of the ears are black with a gray spot and there is a continuous black margin and long black ear tufts that constitute a key feature for identification in the field. The long cheek ruffs that hang down either side of the face as well as the chin and throat are grayish white or light buffy brown and marked with brownish black bars. The long guard hairs of the body are white at the base, dark in the middle and black tipped. The body has a frosted, gray look and the underparts are buffy white mottled with light brown. The short tail has a completely black tip (unlike the bobcat which has a tail with a light under surface and black on the upper surface only). The hind paws are very large and densely covered with fur which allows the animal to travel in deep snow conditions. Diet The snowshoe hare is the primary food for lynx. The population of Canada lynx is directly tied to the population density of snowshoe hare. The two species are known to fluctuate in linked cycles of about 9.6 years. Lynx have very sharp teeth and long, retractable claws which enable the animal to swiftly capture their prey; they generally tear off chunks of meat that they swallow whole. Reproduction The breeding season for lynx is in late winter. The female builds a den in a natural cavity, on a ledge or in a thicket. Gestation is 60 days. The litter ranges in size from one to four kittens that are born in May to early June. Their eyes open in 9 – 10 days and they wean in about 2 months. The family, including the mother and litter of kittens, will disband in 6 – 9 months. Lynx live about 14 years in the wild. The longest known lifespan of a lynx in captivity is 26.75 years. Behavior Lynx are active year-round, mainly at night. Their excellent vision gives them the ability to hunt in very low light levels or on very dark days. The word “lynx” is derived from the Greek word for lamp. They are agile climbers and can travel easily through dense forest, among fallen timber, over and around moss-covered logs and boulders. The lynx’s hind feet are heavily furred in winter and act like snowshoes for moving in deep snow. Like bobcats, they are not long distance runners and move with an awkward gallop when disturbed. A dog can easily outrun a lynx. They are inquisitive and may follow a person just out of sight in the shadows for hours. They are not known to attack people. Wildlife viewing tips Both bobcat and lynx are secretive and therefore not often seen by people. By snowshoeing in remote regions, one may come across the tracks of a cat or possibly the remains of a recent kill. Bobcat and Lynx: Summary In general, a bobcat has shorter legs than a lynx and shorter, more spotted fur. In winter, the lynx has such a thick coat of silky loose fur, especially around the neck, that it makes the animal appear fluffy. There is a considerable overlap in size and weight between bobcats and lynx. Though typically believed to be larger (that is taller), the lynx is marginally lighter in weight than the bobcat. The bobcat has a more southern range and is more adaptable to a variety of habitats that may include a greater variety of prey to hunt than its northern cousin, the lynx. “Where the two animals inhabit one area … the bobcat sticks to the low-lying, open areas where there is less snow in winter, and the lynx is found higher up in the more heavily forested areas where there is more snow”. It may be that “snow depth in winter” is the “main factor in distribution” of the two species. [see: Rezendes, p. 219] Studies have shown that the hind feet of the lynx are twice as effective in supporting its weight on snow than those of the bobcat. Both are exquisite animals with many adaptations to life in the wild north. * Appendix II of CITES list, Conservation on International Trade in Endangered Species. If an animal appears on Appendix II, it means that the 150 signatory countries to the document agree to trade commercially in the species only if it does not endanger the survival of the species. [Species listed on Appendix I are completely protected from any kind of trade among the participating countries.] - Deborah Benjamin.  Recommended Reading
New England Wildlife: Habitat, Natural History, and Distribution, Richard M. DeGraaf, USDA, General Technical Report NE-108, 1986. Wild Mammals of New England, Alfred J. Godin. John Hopkins University Press, 1877. Tracking and the Art of Seeing, Paul Rezendes, Harper Perennial, 1999. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals, John O. Whitaker, Jr., Alfred A. Knopf, 1980. University of Michigan site: www.animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu. Animal Diversity Web species pages. Wildlife Conservation Society, University of Toronto, Canada. www.conserveonline.org/docs/2002/11/WCSlynx.pdf World Conservation Union, Species Survival Commission, Cat Specialists Group. www.catsg.org and http://lynx.uio.no/lynx/catsportal/cat-website [includes excellent photographs] This page was last updated on February 29, 2008 |
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