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Special Characteristics of a Bobcat

Lynx rufus, common name bobcat, inhabit most of the contiguous United States and also southern Canada to southern Mexico. They inhabit a variety of habitats, but seem to prefer rocky, mountainous areas or rocky outcrops. The bobcat is rare in the Ohio Valley, upper Mississippi Valley and southern Great Lakes Region due to extermination. They feed primarily on rabbits and hares, although the largest specimens may take down deer. They don't feed on livestock, which helps their relationship with humans.

Classification
- A bobcat typically lives in much warmer climates than their Canada lynx cousins.
  
  There is sometimes confusion as to whether the bobcat and other members of the Lynx genus should be classified in the genus Felis; it is properly classified in the genus Lynx due to the presence of two upper premolars as opposed to genus Felis having three upper premolars. As the genus name suggests, the bobcat is closely related to other members of the Lynx family, including the Canada and Eurasian lynx.
Size
- Bobcats can vary greatly in size depending on sex or habitat.
  
  Unlike some other mammalian species, the bobcat can vary greatly in size between specimens. According to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web, bobcats can range between approximately 22 1/2 and 41 1/2 inches long and between 8 and 33 lbs. Males are typically 10 percent longer and anywhere from 25 to 80 percent heavier than females. This sexual dimorphism may be greater in mountainous regions than in flat areas. According to a study on Lynx rufus by the American Society of Mammalogists, the smallest specimens live in the southern Appalachian mountains.
Colors
- This bobcat has a very reddish coat.
  
  Depending on where the bobcat lives, it may have a different coat color than a specimen in a different area. For example, bobcats that live in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada have a reddish-brown coat; specimens in more arid areas have a gray-brown coat. Some specimens are a buff color, and members of the species can vary between a light buff and a dark, reddish-brown or gray-brown coat. Black spots and stripes streak the fur of the bobcats, providing camouflage for hunting their prey.
Characteristic Differences Between Bobcats and Lynx
- The Canada Lynx (as seen) has much longer ear tufts to help keep warm.
  
  Bobcats and lynx are very similar and look very much alike. In a few areas, their native ranges overlap and it may be difficult to tell what type of cat the specimen is. Lynx have longer legs and much larger paws. These larger paw pads allow the lynx to hunt and live in areas with deeper snow; bobcats' smaller pads are characteristic of the warmer climates they typically inhabit. The warmer climate also affects the size of the black ear tufts; bobcats have much shorter ear tufts than their Lynx cousins. Other characteristics that distinguish bobcats from lynx are the bobcat's more distinctly-spotted coat and longer tail that has a black tip that completely encircles the tail.

Nature