Bobcat
| Bobcat[1] | |
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| File:Bobcat sitting.jpg | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
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| Genus: | |
| Species: | L. rufus
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| Binomial name | |
| Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777)
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The Bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a wild cat native to North America. It is 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. It lives in a set home range which shifts in size with the season. It utilizes several methods to mark its territorial boundaries including claw marks and deposits of urine or feces.
In appearance, the Bobcat has characteristic black bars on its forelegs and tail. It also has prominent, pointed ears with short tufts of black hair at the tip. The name is derived from its stubby black-tipped tail that, unlike those of other species of the genus Lynx, have a white underside. Its coat is most often light gay or various shades of brown in color, with varying degrees of black spots either dispersed along much of its body or relegated to the otherwise white underparts. The Bobcat is twice as large as a house cat but typically smaller than the related Canadian 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.
The Bobcat is a carnivorous animal which will hunts anything from insects and small rodents to large deer, but often shows a preference for rabbits and hares. What it hunts 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 four species of Lynx should be given its own genus, or simply placed as a subgenus in genus Felis.[3] The Bobcat is believed to be evolved from the 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.[4]
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).[5] 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).[3]
Physical characteristics
In appearance the Bobcat is quite similar to the Canadian Lynx but is usually significantly smaller. In color it is mostly tan to grayish brown, but can vary. It also has numerous black streaks in its coat, with dark bars on their forelegs and tails. Its spotted coat allows it to blend into its environment. The ears are black-tipped and pointed with short black tufts. There is generally an off-white color 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.[6]
The adult male Bobcat is 28 to 47 inches (70–120 cm) long, averaging 36 inches (90 cm), and height at its shoulders is about 14 or 15 inches (36–38 cm).[7] Included in its length is a stubby 6-inch (15 cm) tail, which has a "bobbed" apearance, which gives this species its name. It weighs 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). It is muscular, and has hind legs that are longer than its front legs, giving the animal a bobbing run. It weighs 0.6 to 0.75 pounds (280–340 g) and is about 10 inches (25 cm) in length at birth. By its first year it will reach about 10 pounds (4.5 kg). It has sharp hearing and vision, and a good sense of smell. It is also an excellent climber. The Bobcat can and will swim when it needs to, but will normally avoid water.[8]
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).[9] Like all cats, the Bobcat directly registers, meaning its hind prints usually fall exactly on top of its 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).
Behavior
The Bobcat is generally most active during twilight and are therefore considered crepuscular. It keeps on the move from three hours before sunset until midnight, then again from before dawn until three hours after sunrise. Each night it will move from two to seven miles (3 to 11 km) along its habitual route.[8]
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, it will often predate larger animals which it can catch and come back to later. The Bobcat hunts by stalking or ambushing its prey and then pouncing or giving chase for short distances. Its preference is for mammals about 1.5 to 12.5 pounds (0.7 to 5.7 kg) in weight. Its main prey varies by region. In the eastern United States it is cottontail rabbits, 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 cotton rats as the primary food source. The bobcat is an opportunistic predator that, unlike the Canadian 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 it 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, it will stalk them from a covering and wait until they come within 20 to 35 feet (6 to 10 m) before rushing in to attack. Less commonly it will feed on larger animals such as foxes, minks, skunks, small dogs and house cats. It has been known to kill deer as well, especially in winter when smaller prey is scarce, or when deer populations become more abundant. It 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 it rarely kills deer, when it does, it eats its fill and then buries it with snow or leaves, often returning to it several times to feed.[5]
Additionally, the Bobcat is an agile, good climber and well-suited to gaining access to domestic farming operations such as chicken roosts.
Breeding
The male and female Bobcat will begin breeding by their second summer, but the female may sometimes start as early as its 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 behaviors, 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.[5]
Survival
The Bobcat has few predators other than man. The Cougar and Grey Wolves may occasionally kill an adult Bobcat when given the chance. Death comes from such as diseases, accidents, hunters, automobiles, and starvation. Kittens however may be hunted by several predators, including owls, eagles, coyotes, foxes, and even adult 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 it has been known to live in the wild is 16 years, but in captivity has been known to live to about 32 years. However, when prey populations are not as abundant, fewer kittens are likely to reach adulthood. The Bobcat may also harbor large parasites, mostly ticks and fleas, and will often carry the parasites of its prey, especially rabbits and squirrels. One mite in particular (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 the Bobcat, but they seem to account for greater mortality than starvation, accidents, and predation.
The Bobcat has long been hunted and trapped by humans. It is listed in the CITES treaty which allows it to be hunted so long as doing so is not detrimental to its population. However the Bobcat has maintained a high population, even in the south where it is 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. It is nevertheless still hunted, with half the mortality of some populations being attributed to this cause. As a result, the rate of Bobcat deaths 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.[10] If chased by a dog, which in human-inhabited areas are a major source of predation, it will usually climb up a tree.[5] Additionally the Bobcat does not tolerate deep snow, and will hole-up and wait out heavy snow storms.[11]
Distribution
The Bobcat is a very adaptable animal, able to survive in numerous environments. Unlike the other Lynx species, 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, it will also make its home near agricultural areas. Its need is simply for land which will give it activity and rest, typically provided by woodlands (both deciduous and coniferous, or mixed). Much of its activity centers around swamps or ledges where it utilizes their spotted coats for camouflage. Its range does not seem to be hindered by human populations, as long as it can still find a suitable habitat. However its population in the north seems to be limited due to both snow depth and the presence of the Canadian Lynx. The population of the Bobcat depends exclusively to the population of its prey.[5]
The original range of the Bobcat was from southern Canada 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. It will often inhabit areas near large cities. Although it is thought by some to no longer exist in certain habitats such as western New York and Pennsylvania, multiple confirmed sightings of the Bobcat have been recently reported in New York's Southern Tier and in central New York, including a dead male found on a roadside just west of Syracuse.[12] It is thought to no longer exist in much of the Midwest, such as southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota, Iowa, and much of Missouri.[5] There have been several accounts in Delaware and Chester Counties, Pennsylvania, by credible witnesses, of encounters with Bobcats, most notably, by township police officers. Many sightings have been in suburban areas with large undeveloped plots of land with uninterrupted access along undeveloped stretches of creeks. These areas are only 20-30 miles from Philadelphia. Bobcat 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 its 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 its range such as hollow logs, brush piles, thickets, or under a rock ledge. The odor of its den is strong. In summer the range of a male can reach roughly 16 square miles (41 km2) or be less than a square mile (2.5 km2), while the range of the female is less than half that. In winter Bobcat territories may expand up to 40 square miles (100 km2), often overlapping those of other Bobcats. While males are more tolerant of this overlap, females rarely wander into others' 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 km2), or perhaps slightly less depending on the location.[5] 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.[10]
Hunting and Trapping
The Bobcat is valued for both its fur and for the sport of hunting or trapping it. For the most part, the Bobcat is easier to trap than to hunt. Usually predator hunters use mouth or electric calls, to coax in the very sly Bobcat. The most used call resembles the sound of a dying rabbit. Hunters may also use decoys or even dogs to assist in their success. The Bobcat may be spotted in the open, however, for the most part the Bobcat is seen in forest areas that are very rocky. Trapping the Bobcat is much easier than hunting it. The most successful way to trap the Bobcat is by the use of a conventional cubby set. The trapper may use a #1 1/2 to a #3 coilspring or longspring foothold trap. Many trappers use a flash, to catch the cat's attention, as well as scented baits to attract the animal. The flash (or decoy) may consist of feathers or a type of fur to draw the Bobcat's attention to the set. The Bobcat uses its sight and hearing more than any other senses while hunting, so using a flash can be very effective.
External links
References
- ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 542. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Template:IUCN2006
- ^ a b Fischer, William C.; Miller, Melanie; Johnston, Cameron M.; Smith, Jane K. (1996-02-01). Fire Effects Information System. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 0788145681.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ American Marten, Fisher, Lynx, & Wolverine in the Western U.S. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 0788136283.
- ^ a b c d e f g Whitaker, John O; Hamilton, W J (1998-01-01). Mammals of the Eastern United States. Cornell University Press. ISBN 0801434750.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Ulmer, Jr., Fred A. (1941). "Melanism in the Felidae, with Special Reference to the Genus Lynx". Journal of Mammalogy. 22 (3): 285–288.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Cahalane, Victor H (2005-03-01). Meeting the Mammals. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 141799522X.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Fergus, Charles (2003-08-01). Wildlife of Virginia and Maryland Washington D.C. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0811728218.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Peterson, Roger Tory; Murie, Olaus Johan (1998-01-15). A Field Guide to Animal Tracks. Houghton Mifflin Field Guides. ISBN 0395910943.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Feldhamer, George A; Thompson, Bruce C; Chapman, Joseph A (2004-01-01). Wild Mammals of North America. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801874165.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ National Park Service. Yellowstone National Park. "Bobcat". Retrieved 2006-08-24.
- ^ Syracuse Post-Standard, March 31, 2007