Bobcat
Bobcats are the most common and widely-distributed wild cats in North America, found from southern Canada down through Mexico in habitats ranging from dense northern forests to southwestern deserts to suburban backyards.
Overview
The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a medium-sized wild cat native to North America. It is the most common and widely-distributed wildcat on the continent — present in every U.S. state except Hawaii and Delaware, plus southern Canada and Mexico.
Adults typically weigh 15-35 pounds, stand about 1.5-2 feet tall at the shoulder, and measure 25-50 inches from nose to tail. The "bobbed" tail — only 4-7 inches long — is the species' namesake feature. Their coat is tan to gray with darker spots and bars, providing excellent camouflage in a wide range of habitats. The ear tufts and facial ruff give them a distinctive look.
Bobcats are solitary, territorial, and primarily crepuscular and nocturnal. They communicate through scent marking (spraying urine on prominent rocks and trees), scrapes, and vocalizations. Their range overlaps the more northerly Canada lynx, but the two species rarely interact directly and only occasionally hybridize.
Diet is dominated by rabbits and hares, with bobcats relying on these prey species enough that bobcat populations track rabbit cycles in many regions. They also take squirrels, rodents, birds, reptiles, and (in winter, when other prey is scarce) deer — typically young fawns, though larger bobcats occasionally take adult deer.
Bobcats have adapted unusually well to suburban and exurban environments. They now thrive on the edges of major cities, hunting feral cats, rats, rabbits, and squirrels in canyons, golf courses, parks, and brushy backyards. Despite this adaptability, several million bobcats are killed each year in the U.S. through legal trapping and hunting; their pelt market is driven by demand in Russia and China.
Bobcats are not endangered. The IUCN classifies them as Least Concern, with a stable global population estimated at 2.3-3.5 million.