The bobcat is a medium-sized wildcat native to a wide range of habitats across North America, from southern Canada through the United States into Mexico, named for its short, stubby tail. It has a tawny to greyish-brown coat marked with dark spots and streaks, tufted ears and cheek ruffs, and it is roughly twice the size of a domestic cat. Bobcats are solitary and largely nocturnal or crepuscular, hunting rabbits, rodents and birds, and on occasion larger prey such as deer, using a combination of stealth and short, powerful bursts of speed. Highly adaptable, the species thrives in forests, deserts, swamps and even suburban edges, and it is the most common wildcat in North America, with a stable or increasing population across most of its range. It remains an important fur-bearing animal in some regions, managed under regulated trapping seasons.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill). Partially Attested
Population EstimateUnited States estimate from 1988 only, a range of 700,000 to 1,500,000 individuals per the cited source, midpoint used here; the source itself notes likely higher numbers in later years, and Canada and Mexico are not included. Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceA medium sized wildcat named for its short, black tipped, stubby or bobbed tail; it also carries distinctive black bars on its forelegs and reaches a total length, tail included, of up to about 125 centimeters. 1 Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Biome
Source Bobcat (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Bobcat (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction, first sentence
The bobcat (Lynx rufus), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus Lynx.
Description section, tail and size
It has distinctive black bars on its forelegs and a black-tipped, stubby (or "bobbed") tail, from which it derives its name. It reaches a total length (including the tail) of up to 125 cm (50 in).
Conservation status section
It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2002, due to its wide distribution and large population.
Population section, United States 1988 estimate
Estimates from the US Fish and Wildlife Service placed bobcat numbers between 700,000 and 1,500,000 in the US in 1988, with increased range and population density suggesting even greater numbers in subsequent years.
- hunted extensively both for sport and fur
- In Biome: Temperate Forest, Wikipedia 'Bobcat': inhabits wooded areas, semidesert, urban edge, forest edge, and swampland environments
- In Biome: Desert, Wikipedia 'Bobcat': inhabits wooded areas, semidesert, urban edge, forest edge, and swampland environments
View the Source 2. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
3. Wikipedia: Bobcat
system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)Quote, system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
It is an adaptable predator inhabiting wooded areas, semidesert, urban edge, forest edge, and swampland environments.
Wikidata: Bobcat
Wikidata Q131907, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Bobcat (Wikidata)
WikidataWikidata Q131907 (P1034 main food source): cottontail rabbit
Main food source (Wikidata property P1034): cottontail rabbit.
Wikidata Q131907 (P1034 main food source): Salmo
Main food source (Wikidata property P1034): Salmo.
Wikidata Q131907 (P1034 main food source): insect
Main food source (Wikidata property P1034): insect.
Wikidata Q131907 (P1034 main food source): carrion
Main food source (Wikidata property P1034): carrion.
View the Source Catalogue of Life
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