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How to Tell a Bobcat & a Lynx Apart

The lynx is a medium-sized wildcat. There are four subspecies of lynx; the Eurasian lynx, Canadian lynx (also called the North American lynx), Iberian lynx and the bobcat. The bobcat has common features with its other lynx relatives. Lynx are nocturnal cats, so they do most of their hunting at night; they have carnivorous diets. Despite the similarities between subspecies, there are ways to tell a bobcat from the other three lynxes. Physical features, geographical location and population size are some of the indicators. If you're in the U.S. or Canada, and you spot a cat bigger than a house cat with lots of fur, it's probably either a Canadian lynx or a bobcat.

Instructions

- 1
  Determine the likelihood of which cat it might be in your geographical location. The bobcat is native to all of North America and southern Canada. The Canadian lynx is native to northern states of the U.S. and and most of Canada. The two ranges overlap, so if you're in a northern U.S. state or southern Canadian province, it could be either.
- 2
  Look at the face and ears. The Canadian lynx has larger ear tufts and cheek ruffs than a bobcat.
- 3
  Look at the feet and tail. The Canadian lynx has fur-covered soles on its feet, which allow it to walk and run in snow. On the other hand, a bobcat's feet are smaller with no hair on the soles. If it is struggling to walk in snow, you can identify it as a bobcat. The bobcat gets its name from its bobbed tail, which is whitish underneath. The Canadian lynx's tail is solid black around the tip.
- 4
  Note the the cat's prey if possible. All lynxes can bring down large prey such as deer, but the bobcat and Canadian lynx usually eat smaller prey, such as birds, mice and squirrels. But the Canadian lynx also relies to a large extent on the snowshoe hare for survival.
- 5
  Look at the cat's coat. The bobcat has a brown to brownish-red coat with a white underbelly. It has shorter fur and dark spots across its body. A Canadian lynx's coat is grayish in color and plain. Its fur is also longer in length.
- 6
  Note that you are more likely to see a bobcat if you are in its range. The bobcat population in the wild is thriving, with one million cats populating North America. In comparison, the Canadian lynx is a threatened species, and you may struggle to spot one. The Eurasian lynx is also endangered in several countries. The Iberian lynx is critically endangered and may be the first cat species in 2,000 years to go extinct, according to the World Wildlife fund.

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