Friday 18 April 2014

Bobcat / Felis rufus

Bob-Cat
Photo: Bobcat sitting on a rock

The bob cat is named because of its small bobbed tail, some people might get them mixed up with a their cousin the lynx because of their pointed ears.

Bobcats are elusive and nocturnal, so they are rarely spotted by humans. Although they are seldom seen, they roam throughout much of North America and adapt well to such diverse habitats as forests, swamps, deserts, and even suburban areas!

Bobcats, sometimes called wildcats, are roughly twice as big as the average house-cat. They have long legs, large paws, and tufted ears ( like the lynx), Most bobcats are brown or brownish red with a white underbelly and short, black-tipped tail. 

These mammals are very fierce like many other 'big' cats, they can kill prey much larger than them selves, but mainly eat rabbit, birds, mice, squirrels, and other smaller food, a bob-cat has a death blow, which is when they pounce onto their prey, their leap can cover around 10 feet! 

Bobcats are solitary animals. Females choose a secluded den to raise a litter of one to six young kittens, which will remain with their mother for 9 to 12 months. In some areas, bobcats are still trapped for their soft, spotted fur.  

North American populations are believed to be quite large, with perhaps as many as one million cats in the United States alone! The bobcat is the most abundant wildcat in the U.S. and has the greatest range of all native North American cats.

Size relative to the average man:
Illustration: Bobcat compared with adult man

They can live up to 10 - 12 years.

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