Bobcat (Lynx rufus) Fact Sheet: Taxonomy & History

Taxonomy

• Kitchener et al. (2017) recognize 2 subspecies (based on genetic evidence)
  • Possibly a third present in Mexico (Kitchener et al. 2017)
• Previously, 12 or more subspecies recognized (based on morphology and geography) (McCord and Cardoza 1982; Larivière and Walton 1997)

Synonyms

• Lynx fasciatus, L. floridanus, L. montanus, L. baileyi, L. texensis, L. gigas, L. uinta (Larivière and Walton 1997)
• Felis rufus, F. rufa, F. maculata (McCord and Cardoza 1982; Larivière and Walton 1997)

Common names

• Bobcat, bay lynx, catamount (English) (Larivière and Walton 1997; Kitchener et al. 2017)
• Lynx roux, chat sauvage (French) (Nowell and Jackson 1996)
• Rotluchs, luchskatze (German) (Nowell and Jackson 1996)
• Lince, Lince rojo, gato monté (Spanish) (Nowell and Jackson 1996)

Other colloquial names

• “Wildcat” (Jackson 1961)

Fossil history and relationships

• Genus Lynx
  • Of African origin (Werdelin 1981)
• Lynx rufus
  • Ancestor
    • Lynx issiodorensis (Hendey 1972; Werdelin 1981)
  • Oldest fossil
    • About 1.8 to 3.2 million years old (Savage and Russell 1983)

History

• Bobcat exploited for pelts since settlement of North America (Anderson 1987)
• Early 1700s
  • Bounties offered due to bobcat predation on livestock and poultry (Sunquist and Sunquist 2009a)
• 1950s and 1960s: detailed scientific study begins
  • 1958: first tagging study (Robinson and Grand 1958; Anderson 1987)
  • 1966: first radiotelemetry study (Marshall and Jenkins 1966; Anderson 1987)
• 1960s and 1970s
  • Bounty programs eliminated (Anderson 1987)
• 1970s and 1980s
  • Rapid increase in demand for pelts after trade in other spotted cats declined (Anderson 1987)
  • Large increase in scientific research on bobcats (Anderson 1987)

Books

• Selected non-fiction
  • Bobcat: Master of Survival (2007) — Kevin Hansen
  • Forest Cats of North America: Cougars, Bobcats, Lynx (2008) — Jerry Kobalenko
  • The Bobcat of North America (1958) — Stanley Young

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata — chordates

Class: Mammalia (Linnaeus, 1758) — mammals

Order: Carnivora (Bowdich, 1821) — carnivores

Family: Felidae (Fischer, 1817) — cats

Genus: Lynx (Kerr, 1792) — bobcats, lynxes

Species: Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777) — bobcat

Subspecies: L. r. rufus (Schreber, 1777)*
Subspecies: L. r. fasciatus (Rafinesque, 1817)

*Note: One or more unique subspecies may occur in Mexico. More genetic research needed to clarify population structure (Kitchener et al. 2017).

Sources: Kitchener et al. (2017), ITIS (2020)