Native to North America, the bobcat evolved during the Pleistocene Ice Age and ranges from southern Canada to central Mexico; though extirpated from some regions of the U.S., they have since recolonized most States, adapting to human presence and to a wide variety of habitat. The most abundant and widespread wild feline on our Continent, bobcats are found from forested areas to grasslands and deserts but prefer wooded areas with rock outcrops in which to den.
Solitary for most of their life, which averages 6-8 years in the wild, bobcats are highly territorial. Their diet consists primarily of rabbits and hares but may include mice, game birds, squirrels, skunks, fox and small deer; they may also consume insects, amphibians and reptiles and are known to attack small livestock on occasion. Mating generally occurs in late winter and the kittens (usually 2-4) are born in mid spring; as with most mammals (including some humans), the father is not involved with the young once fertilization occurs. By winter, the kittens generally leave their mother to establish territories of their own; some females may mate the following spring but males are not sexually mature until their second winter. Though unusual, female bobcats are known to produce a second litter in late summer.
While their larger cousins, the lynx, are highly specialized with regard to habitat and diet, thus making them prone to dramatic population fluctuations, the adaptable bobcat has thrived in a wide variety of habitats and may even be encountered in suburban areas. Most active near dawn and dusk, they are twice the size of an average house cat and are best identified by their tufted ears, long, striped legs, spotted coat and short, barred tail; variation in size and coat coloration occurs throughout North America, leading some taxonomists to recognize at least a dozen subspecies.
