Bobcat
Scientific Name: Lynx Rufus
Habitat: Boreal Coniferous and Mixed Forests, Bottomland Hardwood forests and coastal swamps, and desert and scrublands.
Diet: Carnivore
Weight: 9-33 lbs
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Range: —all across North America, from southern Canada to Mexico
Lifespan: 5-18 years
Size: 1 ½ - 2 ft tall
Bobcats have a golden brown coat, sometimes with a reddish tinge, that covers the entire body, including the nose. Sometimes the coats have speckles of dark brown/black spots or stripes. The fur on their undersides and belly sections is lighter in color, and their ears and tails have light spots as well. The backs of bobcats' ears are marked with two white spots, and the underside of their tails is also white. These adaptations help mother bobcats find their young and for other bobcats to notice each other.
Bobcats are excellent climbers and can sprint up to 30 miles an hour. They have precise hunting techniques that allow them to go unnoticed by other surrounding species, for example, placing their back feet where their front feet previously stepped in order to limit the sound made by their steps. Bobcats are unique cats because they arecrepuscular, meanign they are most active during dawn and dusk. Bobcats are solitary, territorial animals, but they often respect each other's territory.
Our Resident
Baby Bob came to Noah’s Ark in 2014 at 8 months old from his human lifesaver. A woman rescued what she thought was a day old domestic kitten that was abandoned in the scorching sun. Being an experienced wild animal rehabilitator, she was able to bottle raised the young cat and nursed him back to health, whereupon she soon realized he was a bobcat. She continued to raise Baby Bob and when the time came, drove him to Noah’s Ark. Although bobcats are native to Georgia, he cannot be released in to the wild because he has lost his fear of humans.