20 Bobcat Facts

These 20 Bobcat facts are interesting for a lot of reasons, mostly because they clear up any misconceptions. Apart from that, they’re interesting creatures.

First, bobcats and the Canada lynx are not the same animal

Bobcats are indeed a type of lynx, as the two animals are similar in a few ways. But there are plenty of differences to note, such as the size of their paws, their preferred climate, and their level of aggression. Hint, the bobcat is far more aggressive.

The bobcat can mate with the lynx

On the genetic level, these two cats are similar enough to create hybrids, if they can get along. However, when these two meet there is often a good chance that violence will occur.

Their name comes from the appearance of their tails

This is kind of self-explanatory since bobcats do have short tails compared to many other cats. There are a lot of reasons for this evolution, but the best explanation is that they hunt on the ground and don’t need a longer tail for balance like other cats.

Adult bobcats can hunt and bring down much larger animals

While an adult bobcat is typically thirty pounds, or a little more, they tend to hunt smaller animals to survive. But they can take down a fully-grown deer if they feel the need, even though the average deer weighs four times as much as they do.

They typically hunt at dusk and dawn

A lot of animals have their designated hunting times during which they’re most effective and most active. They do change their hunting habits through the winter months as prey becomes scarce.

They were reintroduced to New Jersey

Specimens were taken from Maine and transplanted in New Jersey after the species was nearly eradicated from this area. Thankfully, the population grew thanks to this effort.

They’re very good at jumping and climbing

As befits most cats, bobcats are exceptional when it comes to jumping and climbing. They can jump up to six feet vertically and roughly 12 feet horizontally.

There’s usually one bobcat guarding several dens

Despite being solitary, one bobcat will cover an area roughly 18 square miles in size, on average. Not only that, they mark their territory in a few different ways.

Bobcats can be seen in the city sometimes

Amazingly, bobcats that make their way into various cities don’t interact with humans that often. A lot of times if they do venture into the city they’ll find places to hide or sleep that are hard to find, or not as obvious in many cases.

These cats like to cover their kills

Given their size it’s not hard to think that a bobcat can’t consume larger prey in one sitting. What they will do is cover their kill with leaves, grass, or anything that’s nearby, so they can return and consume it later.

Their ancestors migrated to North America from Eurasia

It was determined that the lynx genus evolved in Africa millions of years ago. Back then the species was more like a housecat.

Ancient people are thought to have kept bobcats as pets

There are people today who have bobcats as pets. But through speculation over what’s been found during one dig or another, it’s thought that bobcats were pets in ancient times as well.

A lot of American high schools have picked the bobcat as their mascot

There are over 200 US high schools that use the bobcat as their school mascot. Several colleges have taken to using this image as well.

Pythons are a major threat to bobcats in Florida

The fact of being a predator doesn’t guarantee an animal a spot at the top of the food chain. If a bobcat isn’t killed in infancy by a wandering member of its species, it could be a Burmese python that sees the furry creatures as a suitable meal.

Calvin Coolidge once had a pet bobcat

The former US president had a bobcat named Smoky, no kidding. In truth, he didn’t want the wild animal, but he did place the critter in a zoo eventually.

There is a mite that feeds only on bobcats

It’s strange to think that a parasite would remain exclusive to a certain creature, but that appears to be the case. Who knew that a mite could be partial?

The bobcat became the official state wildcat of New Hampshire in 2015

It was a schoolteacher who helped to make this possible by pushing for it. The state animal is actually the bobcat’s favored prey, the white-tailed deer.

This cat can reach speeds up to 30 mph.

They’re not the fastest land animals, but they’re much quicker than humans. But they know how to slow things down as well.

These cats can swim

The funny thing is that despite the stereotypical aversion cats are thought to have toward water, a lot of them are decent swimmers. This cat can go after beavers since it’s a very strong swimmer.

They make a wide range of noises

From purrs to snarls to cries to caterwauling, the bobcat can make a variety of sounds that are hard to keep up with. Interestingly, wailing is a way to attract a mate.