Bobcat
Scientific Name:
Lynx rufus
Type:
Mammal
Habitat:
Forests, savannas, grasslands, deserts, and shrublands
Range:
Most of the contiguous United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Bobcats are roughly twice the size of the average house cat, weighing about 20 pounds. Their coats are brownish with black spots and stripes, and their undersides are white. Bobcats are recognizable for ears, which are each topped with a tuft of black fur and have a white spot on the back. Bobcats get their name from their short, “bobbed” tails.
Fast Facts:
Bobcats will prey on animals as small as mice and as large as deer. They have been known to eat fish, reptiles, birds, insects, small mammals, and some vegetation.
Bobcats have been observed ambushing deer by dropping out of trees onto the passing animal. Deer can often be up to eight times the weight of the bobcats hunting them.
Bobcats usually build their dens in rocky areas where mothers give birth to litters of three kittens on average. These cats may also use caves, dense vegetation, or fallen logs for both cover and shelter.
Sources:
Nevada Department of Wildlife, Bobcat, 2021, http://www.ndow.org/Species/Furbearer/Bobcat/
Animal Diversity Web, Bobcat, 2002, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lynx_rufus/
IUCN Red List, Bobcat, 2021, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12521/50655874
Pyramid Lake, The Paiute Language, 2021, http://www.numuinc.com/home/the-tribe/the-paiute-language/
Image: marlin harms, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bobcat_(Lynx_rufus)_California.jpg, licensed under CC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en, no changes.
Contributor(s):
Sarah Epstein (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)