Bobcat
Lynx rufus
CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Carnivora
FAMILY: Felidae
SIZE:
Length 28 - 49 inches; weight about 17 lbs.
RANGE:
Entire United States (except corn belt of Midwest)
HABITAT:
Rocky terrain; dense underbrush; wooded areas
DIET:
- Wild - Rabbits, squirrels, mice, deer, birds, reptiles, and insects
- Zoo - Prepared zoo diet for felines (raw horsemeat)
- Keen binocular vision to judge distance
- Retractable claws and furred feet. All native cats have tendency to place hind feet in tracks of front feet for a silent approach
- Nocturnal; will range up to 20 miles to hunt at night
- Hunts by crouching and pouncing
- Tufts on ears act as and antenna to aid hearing
- Short tail with white underneath, when raised it is a "follow me" for young kittens
- Solitary -- together only when breeding
FACTS:
Life span of 9 years in the wild and 15 years in zoos
YOUNG:
Usually 3 born in den in ledge, log, or underbrush
STATUS:
CITES App. II; the native bobcat species is not endangered although the Mexican subspecies is.
