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side view of a bobcat walking through the snow
Bobcat a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae photo during winter in West Virginia. © Kent Mason

Animals We Protect

Bobcat

Despite its striking resemblance to the household cat, the bobcat is a fierce predator that ranges throughout North America.

July 16, 2020

Curious Bobcat
Curious Bobcat This particular cat stared into a camera at our Dangermond Preserve long enough to take about 20 images. © John Stuelpnagel

Bobcat Fast Facts

Common name: Bobcat

Scientific name: Lynx rufus

Conservation status: Least Concern

Lifespan: 7 years

Weight: 20 pounds

photographed in a captive situation but the species is common to the Appalachian highlands of West Virginia and ranges throughout much of the United States.
Bobcat closeup Photographed in a captive situation, the species is common to the Appalachian highlands of West Virginia and ranges throughout much of the United States. © Kent Mason

Meet the Bobcat

The most common wildcat in North America is the bobcat, so named because of its short black, white-tipped tail. The bobcat can weigh up to 20 pounds, reach nearly 2 feet in length, and stand 2 to 3.5 feet high.

Despite its striking resemblance to the household cat, the bobcat is a fierce predator. Preferring rabbits to anything else, it will also prey on rodents, birds, raccoons, foxes and even adult deer and domestic cats on occasion.

The bobcat and the lynx have very similar markings. The easiest way to tell them apart is by size - the lynx being much larger than the bobcat.

The North American bobcat lives in a variety of habitats, from the forests of New Jersey to its preferred habitat in the brush on the arid mountainsides of California. Bobcats typically stay away from metropolitan areas, but if a ranch or farm lies within their territory, they will likely try to take advantage of farm animals for food.

Bobcats have adapted well across various neighborhoods in Florida. They prefer deep forests for their thick patches and dense shrubs but are easily adaptable to swamps, rural, urban and suburban areas.

Love Letter to New Jersey Bobcats Bobcats are New Jersey’s last remaining wild cats. Once nearly extinct in our state—and still endangered here—they are trying to make a comeback. What these elusive cats need most right now is room to roam.

Protecting Bobcats

How TNC is helping communities protect the bobcat:

  • Bobcat at night

    New Jersey

    In New Jersey, where the bobcat was once nearly extinct, TNC is working to conserve a corridor of connected lands—Bobcat Alley— to benefit the species’ population. Read more.

  • Bobcat in the snow

    Massachusetts

    TNC in Massachusetts is leading an effort to assess and map culverts under the Interstate 90 to identify those that can serve as corridors for wildlife to pass under the road. Read more.

  • Bobcat on a log

    Florida

    In Florida, TNC partnered with Big Cat Rescue to release bobcats into the Tiger Creek Preserve.

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side view of a lynx against a blue sky

Lynx

A mysterious feline, the word “lynx” is derived from a Greek word meaning “to shine,” presumably referring to its reflective eyes.

A close-up of a Santa Cruz Island fox among dry grasses.

Santa Cruz Island Fox

For thousands of years, the Santa Cruz Island fox roamed the island free from predators—until golden eagles from the mainland began nesting on the island in the 1990s. The fox population fell from 1,500 to fewer than 100 animals in less than a decade—a 95 percent reduction of the fox population.