Bobcat
Latin Name: Lynx rufus
Species: Mammal
Conservation Status: S4-5 - Secure
Bobcats are named for their short tail as they are only about 6 inches long naturally. Their body is about 2 feet tall at the shoulder, making them over twice the size of the average house cat. The base of their coat color ranges from silver to rust brown. Their body is covered in spots, and their legs and face have stripes. Their ears are tufted with black fur and have white spots on the back side like many wild cat species.
Range & Habitat (map)
The bobcat has an extensive native range, occurring from southern Canada throughout the U.S. with a high concentration in the Southeast, and southward into southern Mexico. Bobcats are found in many habitats, but in the Southeast, they typically live in bottomland hardwood forests or around coastal swamps.
Diet
Bobcats are strictly carnivores and primarily stalk and hunt rabbits and rodents such as mice and squirrels. They also hunt fawns, injured deer, domesticated chickens, wild birds, and reptiles.
Life History
Bobcats are solitary animals, only interacting during mating season. They may yowl at night to communicate with potential mates and the sound can be heard over a large distance. Bobcats will typically mate from late winter to early spring and litters of 2-3 kittens are born only 60-70 days later. Mothers nurse kittens for 2 months and kittens begin living on their own in the winter, not even being a year old. In the wild, bobcat life span ranges from 10-15 years old.
Significance
Bobcats are important ecologically as a natural top predator, controlling populations of their prey items such as rodents and wild birds.
Threats & How You Can Help
Bobcat populations are healthy but they do face habitat loss which increases the occurrence of bobcats in developed areas. They can be hunted in South Carolina but population numbers are healthy. To help bobcat populations in the Port Royal Sound area, forests with dense understory and swamps should be preserved as it is their preferred habitat in the South Carolina coastal plain.