EducationPageBobcat.html

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Bobcats near Pfeiffer Nature Center

This amazing and thrilling video of a female bobcat in the wild with her two kittens was taken in early fall 2006 near Pfeiffer Nature Center. Bobcats (lynx rufus) are a sub-species of wild cats that are natives of North America. They are both elusive and nocturnal and are rarely seen by humans. Their name is derived from the fact they have a short or “bobbed” tail. They are about twice as large as the common house cat. Their coats are usually a brownish red with a white underbelly, although the shade varies. They can have both black stripes and spots on some parts of their bodies and both the tip of their tails and the backs of their ears are black. They have ruffs of hair and ear tuffs, which sometimes give them the appearance of having sideburns.

Bobcats are solitary and often hunt alone; however, the female Bobcat will nurse her young for up to ten weeks and kittens will stay with her for up to one year in secluded den. During this time the young bobcats will learn how to hunt from their mother before setting off on their own. Bobcats are stealth hunters whose diet consists of eating rabbits, squirrels, mice and, smaller game. However, they have been known to kill animals much bigger than themselves because they have a very powerful pouncing death blow.

The habitat of the Bobcat is diverse. They have been known to live in the woodlands of Southern-Canada, the desserts of the south-west, and even in suburban communities. They sleep in hidden dens, often in hollowed out trees, or thickets and are very territorial. In Pennsylvania there are about 3100 of these wild cats and more that one million live in North America. In most areas they are considered a protected species.