Photo: Becker1999 (Paul and Cathy) (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons
Bobcat
Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777)
Encyclopaedia
What is a bobcat?
At a glance4
Fun facts7 facts
- 1
Bobcats can take down prey up to eight times their own weight, and in Yellowstone many of the kills studied were elk calves.[1]
- 2
A young bobcat was buried with a bone and shell bead collar by the Hopewell culture, the only wild cat burial like it in the archaeological record.[1]
- 3
After a rare deer kill, a bobcat buries the carcass under snow or leaves and comes back several times to eat.[1]
- 4
Bobcats are thought to have evolved from Eurasian lynx that crossed the Bering Land Bridge, becoming the modern bobcat around 20,000 years ago.[1]
- 5
Bobcats are mostly solitary, but unusually for cats, males tolerate overlapping ranges while females rarely wander into each other's areas.[1]
Sources2
Bobcat guides
Protecting and staying safe around a bobcat
Not veterinary advice. General information about this animal. If you find one injured or in trouble, contact a wildlife rescue or the RSPCA rather than handling it yourself.
