About
Animal Facts
Common Name:
Bobcat
Scientific Name:
Lynx rufus
Behavior:
  • Bobcats are solitary and territorial cats, although male territories may overlap.
  • Bobcats stalk and ambush their prey.
  • They rely on hollow logs, rocky crevices, and dense brush for dens and hunting platforms.
Diet:
Carnivore
Height:
20 in
Weight:
20 lb
Length:
2 ft
Life Span:
12 yrs
Gestation Period:
65 days
Number of Young:
2-3
Habitats:
  • Forest
  • Grassland
  • Shrubland
  • Wetlands
Fun Facts:
  • Most of their prey are rabbits and hares.
  • These cats spend a lot of their time at the edges of different habitats, such as forests or wetlands.
  • Bobcats tend to mark their territory with urine, feces, and scratch marks.
  • The bobcat's tail is black on top and white on the bottom compared to the tip of the lynx's tail which is all black.
  • Unfortunately, the demand for bobcat pelts is increasing.
Threats:
  • Habitat Loss
  • Poaching / Over Consumption
Endangered Status
Endangered Status
  • Extinct in Wild (EW)
  • Critically Endangered (CR)
  • Endangered (EN)
  • Vulnerable (VU)
  • Near Threatened (NT)
  • Least Concern (LC)
  • Not Evaluated (NE)

Several animals that live at the North Carolina Zoo are rescues.  Found as a kitten on the side of the road next to her dead mother, the Zoo’s bobcat would not have survived.  She is now thriving under the professional care at the Zoo.

Saving Species Plan Logo

This species is cooperatively managed as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan program program. This program is responsible for developing a Breeding and Transfer Plan for each species in the program.