Bobcat (Lynx rufus) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status

Population estimates

• U.S. total population
  • 2.3 to 3.6 million individuals (Kelly et al. 2016)
• Global population trend
  • Stable (Kelly et al. 2016)
• Considered abundant and adaptable (Anderson 1987; Woolf and Hurbert Jr 1998), though can be sensitive to human presence (Jennings 2017)
• Majority of North American populations have increased since the late 1990s (Roberts and Crimmins 2010; Kelly et al. 2016)
  • Many other populations stable (Woolf and Hurbert Jr 1998; Roberts and Crimmins 2010)
• Populations in U.S. Midwest states have rebounded since extirpation in early 1900s (Kelly et al. 2016)
• Declines reported in Florida, especially southern Florida (Kelly et al. 2016)
  • Strong predation pressure on bobcats by invasive Burmese python (Dorcas et al. 2012)
• Most populations in Canada stable (Kelly et al. 2016)
• Populations in Mexico not well studied (Kelly et al. 2016)

Population structure

• Genetically distinct western and eastern U.S. populations (Reding et al. 2012; also see Croteau et al. 2012)
  • Isolated during Pleistocene, when Great Plains covered by ice
    • Great Plains region later recolonized, as populations converged
• Additional regional structuring (e.g., Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest) where populations founded by a small number of individuals (Millions and Swanson 2007; Reding et al. 2012)
• Urbanization also causes population fragmentation at city or regional scales (Lee et al. 2012; Serieys et al. 2015; Kozakiewicz et al. 2019)
  • See “Habitat loss and fragmentation”

IUCN

• Least Concern (2016 assessment) (Kelly et al. 2016)
  • Abundant
  • Widely distributed
• Previous assessments (Kelly et al. 2016)
  • 2008: Least Concern
  • 2002: Least Concern
  • 1996: Lower risk/least concern

CITES

• Appendix II (UNEP 2020)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• Not listed (ECOS 2020)

Hunting

• Fur trade
  • Legally hunted in 38 U.S. states and 7 Canadian provinces (Kelly et al. 2016; Elbroch et al. 2017)
    • Pelts used mainly for leather and decorative parts of clothing (Hall 1981)
  • Take managed in most areas via bag limits, quotas, or restrictions on season or hunting method (Woolf and Hurbert Jr 1998; Jennings 2017)
    • California seasons and limits
  • Bobcats heavily harvested and traded (Nowell and Jackson 1996)
    • Increasing U.S. exports may be a conservation concern (Kelly et al. 2016)
    • International demand rose sharply during mid-1970s, following adoption of CITES trade restrictions on other wild cats (Rolley 1985, as cited by Larivière and Walton 1997; Nowell and Jackson 1996; Woolf and Hurbert Jr 1998)
    • High prices persisted into 2010s (Knudson 2016; Kelly et al. 2016)
      • Driven by demand in Europe, China, and Russia
• Sport hunting
  • Small number of bobcats taken (Jackson 1961)
  • Meat sometimes consumed (Hall 1981)

Habitat loss and fragmentation

• Bobcats fairly resilient to human disturbance: urbanization, land development, road construction, deforestation (e.g., Ordeñana et al. 2010; Kelly et al. 2016; Jennings 2017; Flores-Morales et al. 2019)
  • Adapt to low-density developments well (Tracey et al. 2013; Kelly et al. 2016; Carroll 2019)
  • May associate with recreational trails (e.g., Kays et al. 2017)
• Large agricultural and dense urban areas inhibit dispersal (Hughes et al. 2019)
  • Roads in urbanized areas constrain movements and can increase mortality (e.g., Riley et al. 2006; Ruell et al. 2012; Poessel et al. 2014)
  • Impacted by loss of stream habitats, which often act as movement corridors (Kozakiewicz et al. 2019)
• Barriers to population connectivity can result in population isolation (Riley et al. 2003; Croteau et al. 2012; Lee et al. 2012; Ruell et al. 2012) and reduced genetic diversity (Carroll et al. 2019)

Poisoning

• Toxic chemicals used to control rodent populations can cause high bobcat mortality (observed in southern California) (e.g., Riley et al. 2003; Riley et al. 2007; Serieys et al. 2013)
  • Can contribute to population bottlenecks (via disease outbreaks; e.g., mange), especially in urban areas (Riley et al. 2007; Serieys et al. 2015)
• In Mexico, bobcats poisoned (incidentally from ingesting poisoned rodents) and used in traditional medicine (Kelly et al. 2016)
• Also see "Pollution"

Harvesting

• Strict harvesting regulations can contribute to population rebound (Carroll et al. 2019)

Habitat stewardship

• Likely found within nearly all protected areas within its range (Nowell and Jackson 1996)
• Efforts to promote habitat connectivity benefit bobcat populations (Abouelezz et al. 2018; Bencin et al. 2019)
• Construction of road-crossing structures, such as culverts or passageways under roads (e.g., Alonso et al. 2014)

Economic value

• High ecotourism value (e.g., North American national parks) (Elbroch et al. 2017)

Reintroduction

• Reintroduction efforts can be re-establish populations (e.g., Diefenbach et al. 2015)

Most bobcat populations have increased since the late 1990s.

They are legally hunted in 38 U.S. states and 7 Canadian provinces.

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