Bobcat
Bobcats are secretive, medium-sized wild cats that are crucial predators of rodents and other small animals.
About This Species
The bobcat is a familiar animal, but it is secretive and seldom seen. Bobcats are similar in appearance to their cousin, the lynx. Indeed, they are especially difficult to distinguish in the Southern Rockies, where the local bobcat is large and pale in color. The most accurate way to distinguish the two species are their tails; bobcat tails are white underneath with a black tip and stripes on top, whereas lynx have a solid black tail. Bobcats tend to also have more pronounced spots and stripes than the lynx, although this may not always be the case. Both species can have ear tufts. Hasty observers sometimes confuse mountain lion kittens — which are spotted — with bobcats or lynx, but that is a careless error because young cougars have distinctly long tails.
Why does CPW manage wildlife populations like bobcats?
Colorado now has 5.8 million human residents and while we still have many wild areas, our human footprint in wildlife habitat cannot be overstated. Such a footprint has and continues to alter ecosystems carrying capacities and various wildlife species that have evolved together through millennia thus creating imbalances and requiring management to restore or mimic balances.
Well-regulated management has consistently benefitted the population densities of big game species. Managing lions and bobcats with harvest is one management tool to maintain more stable populations.
What about the ecological services that bobcats provide?
Healthy and robust bobcat populations, which Colorado’s current management is designed to maintain, are important to functioning ecosystems. CPW values carnivores and their prominent role in our landscapes, and harvesting a sustainable number of carnivores each year doesn’t reduce the ecosystem services provided by the larger population.
CPW’s demonstrated track record of promoting and protecting strong mountain lion, bobcat and lynx populations across the state supports our mission of conserving wildlife and providing sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities that educate and inspire current and future generations to serve as active stewards of Colorado’s natural resources.
What scientific research and data has CPW collected on the current status of bobcat populations in the state?
Bobcats are adaptable carnivores and are widespread across the state. CPW initiated a long-term study of bobcat density, harvest effects, prey selection and development of monitoring techniques in 2022 to further develop the agency’s research base on the species specifically in Colorado.
What studies are currently being done on bobcats in Colorado?
In 2022, CPW initiated a long-term study of bobcat density, harvest effects, prey selection and development of monitoring techniques.
More Information:
Physical Characteristics
Bobcats are 32–37 inches long with a tail about 6 inches in length.
Range
Bobcats occur widely in North America, from southern Canada to central Mexico, and they range statewide in Colorado.
Habitat
They are most abundant in foothills, canyons, mesas, and plateaus, where brush and woodland provide suitable habitat. Bobcats tend to avoid open prairies, tundra, heavy sub-alpine timber, and wetlands.
Diet
The staple fare of bobcats is rabbits. Like other native cats they hunt by stealth rather than engaging in long chases. When rabbits are scarce, bobcats will eat mice, voles and birds. They are active throughout the year.
Reproduction
Bobcats breed in late winter and spring and produce a single litter, typically around three young, each year after a gestation period of about 10 weeks. The nursery is a simple natural shelter – under a rock or log. The young are weaned at about 8 weeks of age.
Threats to Species
Bobcats are not biologically threatened. Bobcats are the most common North American wild cat species and are widespread across the U.S. The minimum U.S. range-wide population estimate is between 1.4 and 2.6 million bobcats.