A male bobcat may sire several litters at one time. A bobcat kitten weighs 9. When the young bobcats are about five months old, their mother will teach them how to hunt for food. When they reach eight to 11 months old, they will be completely abandoned by their mother and left to fend for themselves.
A female bobcat reaches sexual maturity at around 12 months, but a male bobcat doesn't reach sexual maturity until it is 24 months old. The bobcat is a competent, typically nocturnal hunter. However, it's not unusual to spot a Florida bobcat during the day because it sleeps for only two to three hours at a time and may hunt in daylight if necessary.
It can kill prey much bigger than itself, but mainly preys on rats, rabbits, raccoons, opossums and squirrels, and occasionally domestic chickens or feral cats. During winter months, it also feeds on robins, towhees, catbirds and other ground-dwelling, migrating birds that are passing through Florida to head south.
The bobcat has excellent eyesight and hearing and can swim and climb trees, which helps protect them from other animal enemies. In the wild, it can live for up to 14 years and can coexist with the panther because they do not target the same prey. The Florida bobcat isn't a major pest, but sometimes it digs holes in yards and around properties. If a bobcat is interfering with your property, a wire fence over 6 feet tall will help keep it out. If you have small domestic animals, keep them secure after dark.
A bright exterior light may also discourage a bobcat but could attracts other pests, such as insects and frogs. If you can't get rid of bobcats from your property, seek the assistance of an authorized nuisance wildlife trapper. At one time, bobcats were found all over North America, from northern Mexico to southern Canada.
Bobcat populations began to decline in many Midwestern and eastern states in the early to mid s, due to the value of its fur. In the s, international laws came into force to protect the world's spotted cats, which helped revive populations. It's estimated that around , to 1,, bobcats remain in the wild. The bobcat is abundant in Florida, so it is not listed as endangered or threatened, but it is classified as a fur-bearing game animal by the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, meaning it can only be hunted during certain months of the year.
Unlike the bobcat, the Florida panther Puma concolor coryi , a subspecies of puma, is protected under the Endangered Species Act. It is extremely rare to spot a panther in the wild in Florida, as fewer than of them exist across the state with the majority living in south Florida. Another difference between the bobcat and the panther is that the panther is much larger — up to four times larger than the bobcat. An adult male panther weighs about pounds and an adult female panther weighs about 80 pounds.
A panther also has a much longer tail than a bobcat. One of the quickest ways to identify a wild cat is by looking at the tracks they leave on the ground. An adult panther's front paws leave tracks 3 inches long by 3 inches wide, and its rear paw tracks are slightly smaller. Both adult and young panthers leave larger tracks than bobcats — they are actually more similar to the tracks of coyotes and dogs. Panthers are usually yellowish tan in color, with white under the chin and black on the back of the ears.
Claire is a writer and editor with 18 years' experience. She writes about science and health for a range of digital publications, including Reader's Digest, HealthCentral, Vice and Zocdoc. A male bobcat weighs 20 to 30 pounds, and a female weighs between 15 and 25 pounds. The bobcat has sharp teeth designed to acquire and eat prey, like all carnivores. Related Articles Bobcats of Alabama. Species of Bobcats in Pennsylvania. The first North American evidence of this ancestral lynx species was found in Texas and dates back 2.
The Issoire lynx entered North America 5 to 2 million years ago and evolved into the bobcat we know today. Distribution: Bobcats are present in most of North America and exhibit a gradient in size from the largest in Canada to the smallest in Mexico. Their range is expanding northward in Canada, following trends of increased forest clearing and warmer winters.
Bobcats are present in all contiguous US states except Delaware, where they are believed to have been extirpated. In Florida, bobcats can be found in all 67 counties, although they have not been spotted on the islands of the Florida Keys in several decades. Florida scientists have reported a recent decrease in bobcat populations. Reasons for the decline are unknown, and state wildlife officials do not believe bobcat populations are currently at risk.
How long can this felid flourish? In a time when wild cat populations around the world are declining, many might wonder why bobcats are thriving throughout most of their range. There is no single definitive answer because several factors contribute to the bobcat's resilience. Their generalist nature allows them to live in a variety of habitats and eat several types of food. These generalist traits also allow them to adapt quickly to changes such as human population growth, increased development, and landscape alterations, all trends that have had severe negative impacts on other cat species, such as the Florida panther Puma concolor coryi.
Bobcats are small, wild felids that require relatively small areas of habitat for their home range, allowing them to survive better in a fragmented landscape than a larger cat. However, this adaptability and resilience is limited, and a decline in bobcats has recently been observed in Florida. Rapid development in Florida may be reaching a threshold within which even bobcat cannot persist.
Because predators are a critical component of a healthy ecosystem, it is important to monitor bobcat populations and implement conservation actions where needed. Bobcats are native to Florida and conserving and connecting tracts of suitable habitat for bobcats and their prey may help stabilize populations, and prevent bobcats from joining so many of their feline cousins on the list of threatened and endangered species.
Bobcats will cover a large kill with dirt, grass, or leaves and return to it later, a practice called "caching. They have a keen sense of hearing and excellent vision. They can see in the dark to hunt at night. Reduce urban conflicts by securing garbage cans, protecting livestock such as chickens, and keeping pet food indoors. Avoid using poisons to kill rodents or other pests. These harmful toxins can be ingested by bobcats and other native wildlife.
DOI: doi. Home Experts Topics. Credit: Reed Bowman. Figure 2. Credit: Summer M.
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