JACKSON, Wyo. — Did you know bobcats are endemic to North America?
The bobcat, sometimes referred to as wildcat is often confused for a lynx. However, the lynx is larger and better adapted for cold climates and deep snow. Whereas the bobcat is the most widely distributed cat in North America. They can be found in many different habitats from forests to deserts, sometimes even in urban environments.
View the 3rd video in our Engagement Through Film Series “The Bobcat, A Master of Survival” for a glimpse into the life of an Eco-hero whose superpower is invisibility in plain sight.
Like all felids, bobcats are entirely carnivorous, preying mostly on small mammals such as rabbits, prairie dogs, mice, and squirrels. Despite their tendency to hunt smaller prey, these versatile cats are skilled and powerful enough to take down small deer and pronghorn antelope. Bobcats are silent ambush predators that pounce and kill prey with one bite. These agile cats are known to leap up to ten feet in the air.
In most of the bobcat’s range in Wyoming, it is considered a mesopredator, or mid-ranking predator within the food web. They exert what is known as “top-down control” of ecosystems. Without bobcats, animals lower in the food chain rapidly increase in population size, resulting in over-exploitation of plant communities, disease risk and ecosystem imbalance. Bobcats play a critical role in maintaining the health of our ecosystems.
Unfortunately, bobcats are killed for their soft spotted fur, which is sold in international wildlife and fashion markets. It’s legal to trap, snare and hunt bobcats without limit in Wyoming, despite unknown bobcat population numbers. Help us spread the word about the importance of these master hunters. For more information about Wyoming bobcats and ways, you can help, visit our website.
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