Thursday Thirteen # 10 - Bobcats

Our good girlfurriend cat Faz from Wimbledon asked to learn more about bobcats. So our TT will be about bobcats. 1. Bobcats are about 2 ft. tall. Males can be about 36 inches long and weigh from 16 to 30 lbs. 2. Their tails are 3 to 7 inches long. 3. Their Latin name is Felis rufus or Lynx rufus. Bobcats are closely related to the lynx; but is half the size of the Canadian lynx. The bobcat can also be distinguished from the lynx by the markings on its tail; whereas the lynx has a black tip to its tail that goes completely around its tail, bobcats have a white underside with the coloration and markings on the top half. Bobcats also lack the hair on the soles of their feet that lynxes have. The tufts on the ends of their ears are also smaller, and their ruff is not as prominent. 4. They can run up to 30 miles per hour and can swim, but don't really like to. 5. They can be a reddish brown to a light grey, with white underside and black spots on the legs, and black markings on the face. They have a ruff on the sides of their head and black tufts on the tips of their ears. Bobcats in the southern parts of the US tend to have more vibrant markings than those further north, and tend to be smaller. 6. They are carnivorous and eat rabbits and hares, but will dine on insects and sick deer. They will cover up leftover deer and keep coming back to it until it is rotten. 7. Gestation is 2 months and kittens stay with their mom for 8 to 11 months, learning how to hunt beginning in their 5th month. 8. Bobcats are solitary, only coming together to mate. Their range can be several square miles, and male ranges tend to overlap several female ranges for mating purposes. The range is dependent on prey and habitat availability. 9. Bobcats have the vomeronasal organ, or Jacobson's organ as other cat species. When they come across an unusual scent, they lift their heads and open their mouth in what looks like a grimace. What is happening is that they are allowing the air to pass over the vomeronasal organ. This organ can detect pheromone molecules which are too large to be detected by nasal passages. This behavior is calling "flehmen". You've probably seen your own cat do this. 10. Bobcats are most active around dawn and dusk. This is called crepuscular or bimodal. 11. They can live up to 12 years in the wild, but the average is much less. 12. They range from southern Canada to northern Mexico. From the east coast to the west coast. Early settlers pretty much eradicated them from the midwest. They are still heavily hunted for their fur which is exported to China and Russia. 13. Some states have listed the bobcat as endangered or even extinct and are making efforts to bring it back. Bobcat populations depend on habitat and prey availability, so human encroachment into their range depletes their numbers. Luf, Us Pee Sss. There might be a PoP Kwiz.