| Scientific Name
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Lynx rufus bailey
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| Classification
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Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order:
Carnivora, Family: Felidae
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| Status
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The overall population in the United States is now believed
to be stable because it is protected by law since it was heavily
trapped in recent years.
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| Range
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North America, particularly most of the western half of the U. S.
and Mexico
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| Habitat
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Grasslands, brush lands, edges of forests, mountains, deserts.
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| Diet
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Small mammals, deer, birds.
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| Size
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Height: 17 to 24 inches
Weight:
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| Lifespan
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10 to 35 lbs
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| Location
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| Print Fact Sheet
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Bobcat
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Conservation
Bobcats
were once threatened by the fur trade. In 1972, when a moratorium
was placed on the large spotted cats and most of the small South
American cats. Fur trappers then turned to the lynxes for a source of fur.
Bobcats are currently legal to trap.
Special Features
Social Structure & Behavior
Bobcats are solitary animals, active mainly at night. The local habitat, topography, and food abundance determines the size of area a bobcat will range. Smallest ranges occur in forested areas that has a good supply of food prey. The larger ranges occur in dry prairie and desert areas.
Bobcats have various "homes". Dens may be made in rock cervices, windfalls, or hollow logs. Occasionally dried grasses are used to make nests.
Mating season occurs in late winter and into spring. The male may return at times to the female after the young are born and she will accompany the male on hunting trips.
It is unknown if he helps feed the offspring. Normally a litter of two kittens are produced.
The young leave their mother at 9 to 12 months to find a territory of their own.
Mother bobcat holds
up her tail, which is black on the top but white on the underside,
in an upright position. It is an easy mark for her kittens to
see and follow.
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