Bobcat (Lynx rufus) Fact Sheet: Behavior & Ecology

Active day and night

(Flores-Morales et al. 2019)

• Most active during early-to-late morning and at dusk; coincides with prey activity (e.g., rabbits) (Miller and Speake 1979; Anderson 1987; Thornton et al. 2004; Elizalde-Arellano et al. 2012; Rockhill et al. 2013; Jennings 2017)
• Sometimes also active at night and during the day
• Typically, more nocturnal in areas of human disturbance (e.g., George and Crooks 2006)
• Some studies show no difference in day–night activity in urban areas (Riley et al. 2003; Young, Golla, Draper, et al. 2019)

Rest shelters

• Rocky ledges preferred for protection and concealment (Anderson 1987)
• Also used as breeding dens
• Daily resting sites
• Often located on steep, rocky slopes among rocks, brush, or in abandoned burrows (Rollings 1945; Bailey 1974; Anderson 1990)
• Also hollow log or under tree stump (Banfield 1974)
• Remain in rest shelters during storms (Rollings 1945)
• Active during light rain or snow (Yoakum 1964)
• Use different shelters within home range (Hall 1981)
• Do not use same shelter each day

Home range size

• Male home ranges usually 2 to 3 times larger than females (Sunquist and Sunquist 2009a)
  • In the U.S., average home range size of males is 1.7 times larger than of females; reflects polygynous mating system (Ferguson et al. 2009)
  • In northern Mexico, Elizalde et al. (2012) report an average home range size similar to U.S. populations
• In urban areas, home range of resident bobcats is small in size (Young, Golla, Draper, et al. 2019)
• As begin to breed and defend territory, male home range size increases, whereas female home range size decreases (Conner et al. 1999; Sunquist and Sunquist 2009a)
  • Males search for mates and defend territory
  • Females rear young; stay near den

Home range area

• Home range areas generally stable; space use shifts seasonally (Litvaitis et al. 1987; Lovallo and Anderson 1996; Nielsen and Woolf 2001)
  • If an individual dies or leaves, a non-resident bobcat replaces it and uses a similar home range area (land tenure system) (Bailey 1974; Miller and Speake 1979; Litvaitis et al. 1987; Lovallo and Anderson 1996; Benson et al. 2004)
• Males and females maintain nearly exclusive core areas (e.g., Lawhead 1984; Lovallo and Anderson 1996; Nielsen and Woolf 2001)
• Home range of a male typically overlaps home ranges of several females (Lawhead 1984; Nielsen and Woolf 2001), as well as other males (e.g., Bailey 1974; Lovallo and Anderson 1996)
  • Also see “Mating system”
• Juveniles well tolerated within adult home ranges (Provost et al. 1973; McCord 1974a)
• Female offspring may establish home ranges near their mother (e.g., Janečka et al. 2006), but ranges do not typically overlap (Lovallo and Anderson 1996)

Dispersal

• As juveniles, females generally resident; males disperse (Janečka et al. 2006; Croteau et al. 2010; Johnson et al. 2010; Hughes et al. 2019)
  • Males disperse at about 12 to 18 months old (Sunquist and Sunquist 2009b; Johnson et al. 2010; Hughes et al. 2019)
    • Temporarily hold land areas for up to 2 months
• Female neighbors likely related to one another (Croteau et al. 2010)
• Living in urbanized areas may pose dispersal challenges (Kozakiewicz et al. 2019)
  • Juveniles may need to disperse longer distances
  • Freeways impede movements and act as home range borders (e.g., Riley et al. 2006)
    • Drive genetic isolation

Barriers to movement

• Deep, soft snow (e.g., Matson 1948; McCord 1974a; Anderson 1987)
  • Logs, animal trails, roads and vehicle trails used more (McCord 1974a)
• Also see “Habitat loss and fragmentation”

Social organization

• Adults solitary, except during breeding (Marston 1942; Bailey 1974)
• Often defend territory from other bobcats, particularly individuals of same sex (Jennings 2017)
• Females not tolerant of males outside of mating period (Provost et al. 1973)
• Males sometimes travel with females during mating (e.g., Saunders 1963)
• Social organization may vary (Anderson 1987)
• Influenced by climate, habitat, food resources, and population density

Nonaggressive interactions

• Uncommonly, temporary mixing of litters, mixing of juveniles and adults, or male near female with kittens (Ray et al. 2017)

Smell and scent marking

• Leave scent marks by various behaviors (Young 1958; Bailey 1974; Winegarner and Winegarner 1982; Allen et al. 2015, except as noted):
• Scraping with hind feet
• Urine spraying
• Fecal marking (Bailey 1974)
• Anal gland secretions (McCord and Cardoza 1982)
• Adult males produce thick brownish secretion
• Adult females produce a thick yellowish secretion
• Body rubbing
• Uncommon
• Frequently investigate olfactory signals left by other bobcats (Allen et al. 2015)
• Territoriality may be based on familiarity with neighbors and less on establishing dominance through scent marking

Vocalizations

• Usually silent (Rollings 1945; Jackson 1961)
• Produce loud calls during mating season (Young 1958)
• When threatened, produce deep growls, hisses, and spitting noises (Rollings 1945; Provost et al. 1973)

Defense

• Flee by running a short distance to hide in nearby rocks or climb a tree (Provost et al. 1973)
• Aggressive if cornered (Young 1958; Hall 1981)

Aggression

• Fights avoided (e.g., Provost et al. 1973; Bailey 1974; Anderson 1987)
• Use visual cues and scent marking to delimit territory boundaries
• Female home ranges exclusive of each other
• Aggressive interactions between males more common than between females (see Anderson 1987)

Tree clawing

• Use bare tree trunks to stretch muscles, sharpen claws, and possibly communicate with other bobcats (Rollings 1945; Hall 1981)

Sunning

• Seek sunny areas (e.g., south-facing slopes) for warmth, especially in cold climates during winter (Mautz and Pekins 1989; Reed et al. 2017)

Competitors

• Bobcats co-occur with other predators—fox, coyote, mountain lion, ocelot, Canada lynx (e.g., Fedriani et al. 2000; Neale and Sacks 2001; Chamberlain and Leopold 2005; Hass 2009)
• Some studies show that bobcats shift space use, habitat use, or diet to avoid competition/aggressive interactions with other predators (Koehler and Hornocker 1991; Thornton et al. 2004; Horne et al. 2009; Peers et al. 2013; Witczuk et al. 2015)
• In some locations, may avoid or be displaced by coyotes (Robinson and Grand 1958; Henke and Bryant 1999; Wilson et al. 2010)
  • Coyotes considered a superior competitor (Anderson 1987; Bunnell et al. 2007)
  • Bobcats and coyotes may use same areas, if prey is scarce (Wilson et al. 2010)
  • Coyotes infrequently reported to kill bobcats (Fedriani et al. 2000)
• Avoid areas where domestic dogs present (Lenth et al. 2008)
  • Implications for managing dog activities in natural areas

Relationship with humans

• Bobcats generally cryptic; remain out of sight during the day (Hall 1981)
  • Most people not aware of their presence
• Commonly enter neighborhoods, even in urban areas (e.g., Harrison 1998; Young, Golla, Broman, et al. 2019)
• Presence considered problematic, where they take livestock (Young 1958; Sunquist and Sunquist 2002) or pets (Harrison 1998)
  • Only minor impact (Anderson 1987)
• Public attitudes
  • Bobcats in residential areas generally viewed positively (Harrison 1998)
    • In one survey of homeowners, about 50% of respondents expressed curiosity about bobcats, whereas about 20% of respondents expressed some fear of bobcats
      • Those who were fearful may have confused bobcats for mountain lions (Puma concolor)
  • Growing public opposition to bobcat trapping (e.g., Slagle et al. 2019)
    • General preference for non-lethal forms of population management (Slagle et al. 2019) or humane harvest techniques (Woolf and Hurbert Jr 1998)
    • Little concern for bobcat protections prior to early 1970s (Woolf and Hurbert Jr 1998)
  • Generally, not persecuted as pest species (Nowell and Jackson 1996)
    • Exception: Mexican ranches, where alleged prey on sheep (Sunquist and Sunquist 2009a)

Jumping and climbing

• Excellent climbers but spend most time on the ground (Hall 1981)
  • Trees used occasionally for resting, refuge, or while pursuing prey (Hall 1981)
• Can leap at least 8 feet (Rollings 1945)

Swimming

• Mixed observations on degree of water affinity/aversion (Yoakum 1964; Anderson 1987)
  • Said to be “not fond of water” (like most cats) (Callahan 1947, as cited by Yoakum 1964; Hall 1981)
    • Seek dry places to cross streams, rather than wade through shallow water (Hall 1981)
  • Some individuals readily enter water (e.g., Yoakum 1964)
  • Sometimes swim, either to reach an area or escape from dogs (Young 1958)
• Video: bobcat hunts in river

Two bobcats growl during a nighttime encounter.

Bobcats are usually silent but produce deep growls, hisses, and spitting noises when they defend territory or perceive a threat.

Bobcats are typically solitary, except during breeding.

Image credit: © Peter Sarachman. All rights reserved. Used with permission from the artist.

Image location: San Diego, California, USA

Bobcat resting sites include rocky slopes, brush, and abandoned burrows.

Bobcats prefer rocky ledges for protection and concealment.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.